Invoking GitHub

Programmatically interact with GitHub repositories from Claude.ai chat: read files, commit changes, create PRs, and persist state across sessions.

When to Use This Skill

Not needed for:

• Claude Code environments (use native git commands)
• Read-only repository access (use GitHub UI or API directly)

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Create a GitHub Personal Access Token and add to Project Knowledge:

1. Go to https://github.com/settings/tokens
2. Create new token (classic or fine-grained)
3. Required scopes: repo (or public_repo for public repos only)
4. In Claude.ai, add to Project Knowledge:
   • Title: GITHUB_API_KEY
   • Content: Your token (e.g., ghp_abc123...)

Single File Commit

from invoking_github import commit_file

result = commit_file(
    repo="username/repo-name",
    path="README.md",
    content="# Updated README\n\nNew content here...",
    branch="main",
    message="Update README with new instructions"
)

print(f"Committed: {result['commit_sha']}")

Read File

from invoking_github import read_file

content = read_file(
    repo="username/repo-name",
    path="config.json",
    branch="main"
)

print(content)

Batch Commit (Multiple Files)

from invoking_github import commit_files

files = [
    {"path": "src/main.py", "content": "# Python code..."},
    {"path": "README.md", "content": "# Updated docs..."},
    {"path": "tests/test.py", "content": "# Tests..."}
]

result = commit_files(
    repo="username/repo-name",
    files=files,
    branch="feature-branch",
    message="Add new feature implementation",
    create_branch_from="main"  # Create branch if it doesn't exist
)

print(f"Committed {len(files)} files: {result['commit_sha']}")

Create Pull Request

from invoking_github import create_pull_request

pr = create_pull_request(
    repo="username/repo-name",
    head="feature-branch",
    base="main",
    title="Add new feature",
    body="## Changes\n- Implemented feature X\n- Updated docs\n- Added tests"
)

print(f"PR created: {pr['html_url']}")

Core Functions

read_file()

Read a file from repository:

read_file(
    repo: str,           # "owner/name"
    path: str,           # "path/to/file.py"
    branch: str = "main" # Branch name
) -> str

Returns: File content as string Raises: GitHubAPIError if file not found or access denied

commit_file()

Commit a single file (create or update):

commit_file(
    repo: str,                      # "owner/name"
    path: str,                      # "path/to/file.py"
    content: str,                   # New file content
    branch: str,                    # Target branch
    message: str,                   # Commit message
    create_branch_from: str = None  # Create branch from this if doesn't exist
) -> dict

Returns: Dict with commit_sha, branch, file_path Raises: GitHubAPIError on conflicts or auth failures

commit_files()

Commit multiple files in a single commit:

commit_files(
    repo: str,                      # "owner/name"
    files: list[dict],              # [{"path": "...", "content": "..."}]
    branch: str,                    # Target branch
    message: str,                   # Commit message
    create_branch_from: str = None  # Create branch from this if doesn't exist
) -> dict

Returns: Dict with commit_sha, branch, files_committed Raises: GitHubAPIError on failures

Note: Uses Git Trees API for efficiency - atomic commit of all files.

create_pull_request()

Create a pull request:

create_pull_request(
    repo: str,      # "owner/name"
    head: str,      # Source branch (your changes)
    base: str,      # Target branch (where to merge)
    title: str,     # PR title
    body: str = ""  # PR description (supports markdown)
) -> dict

Returns: Dict with number, html_url, state Raises: GitHubAPIError if branches invalid or PR exists

Credential Configuration

This skill requires a GitHub Personal Access Token. Two configuration methods:

Method 1: Project Knowledge (Recommended)

Best for Claude.ai chat users (mobile/web):

1. Create token at https://github.com/settings/tokens
2. In Claude.ai Project settings → Add to Project Knowledge
3. Create document titled GITHUB_API_KEY
4. Paste your token as content

Permissions required:

• Classic token: repo scope
• Fine-grained token: Repository permissions → Contents (read/write) and Pull requests (read/write)

Method 2: API Credentials Skill (Fallback)

Alternatively, use combined credentials file:

1. Create API_CREDENTIALS.json in project knowledge
2. Add: {"github_api_key": "ghp_your-token-here"}

Integration with Iterating Skill

Auto-persist DEVLOG.md to GitHub for cross-session continuity:

# In your DEVLOG update function
from invoking_github import commit_file
from pathlib import Path

def update_devlog_with_sync(data, repo="user/project", branch="devlog"):
    """Update DEVLOG.md locally and sync to GitHub"""

    # Update local DEVLOG
    update_devlog(data)  # Your existing function

    # Auto-sync to GitHub
    try:
        devlog_content = Path("DEVLOG.md").read_text()

        result = commit_file(
            repo=repo,
            path="DEVLOG.md",
            content=devlog_content,
            branch=branch,
            message=f"DEVLOG: {data['title']}",
            create_branch_from="main"
        )

        print(f"✓ DEVLOG synced to GitHub ({repo}:{branch})")
        return result

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"⚠ DEVLOG sync failed: {e}")
        # Continue anyway - local DEVLOG.md still updated
        return None

Benefits:

• Automatic backup of session progress
• Cross-device access to development logs
• Git history of decisions and progress
• No manual copy/paste to Project Knowledge

See references/iterating-integration.md for complete patterns.

Error Handling

All functions raise GitHubAPIError with descriptive messages:

from invoking_github import commit_file, GitHubAPIError

try:
    result = commit_file(
        repo="user/repo",
        path="file.py",
        content="...",
        branch="main",
        message="Update"
    )
except GitHubAPIError as e:
    if e.status_code == 404:
        print("Repository or branch not found")
    elif e.status_code == 401:
        print("Authentication failed - check your token")
    elif e.status_code == 403:
        print("Access denied - check token permissions")
    elif e.status_code == 409:
        print("Conflict - file was modified since last read")
    else:
        print(f"GitHub API error: {e}")

Common errors:

• 404: Repository, branch, or file not found
• 401/403: Invalid token or insufficient permissions
• 409: Merge conflict (file changed concurrently)
• 422: Validation error (invalid branch name, etc.)
• Rate limit: Too many requests (wait before retrying)

Best Practices

1. Use descriptive commit messages

   • Bad: "Update files"
   • Good: "Add authentication middleware and update user routes"

2. Batch commits when possible

   • Use commit_files() for related changes
   • Single atomic commit = cleaner git history

3. Create feature branches

   • Don't commit directly to main
   • Use create_branch_from="main" parameter
   • Create PR for review

4. Secure token management

   • Use fine-grained tokens with minimal scopes
   • Set expiration dates
   • Rotate regularly
   • Never commit tokens to repositories

Advanced Usage

Conditional Commits

Only commit if file content changed:

from invoking_github import read_file, commit_file, GitHubAPIError

try:
    current_content = read_file(repo, path, branch)
    if current_content != new_content:
        commit_file(repo, path, new_content, branch, "Update file")
    else:
        print("No changes detected, skipping commit")
except GitHubAPIError as e:
    if e.status_code == 404:
        # File doesn't exist, create it
        commit_file(repo, path, new_content, branch, "Create file")
    else:
        raise

Session-Specific Branches

Avoid conflicts with unique branch names:

import datetime

session_id = datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")
branch_name = f"devlog-{session_id}"

commit_file(
    repo="user/project",
    path="DEVLOG.md",
    content=devlog_content,
    branch=branch_name,
    message="Session progress",
    create_branch_from="main"
)

Multi-Repository Workflows

Work across multiple repos:

repos = ["user/frontend", "user/backend", "user/docs"]

for repo in repos:
    commit_file(
        repo=repo,
        path="VERSION",
        content="2.0.0\n",
        branch="release-2.0",
        message="Bump version to 2.0.0"
    )

Limitations

• Target environment: Claude.ai chat only (not Claude Code)
• No OAuth: Must use Personal Access Tokens manually
• No git operations: Pure REST API (no clone, pull, rebase, etc.)
• File size: GitHub API limits ~100MB per file
• Rate limits: 5000 requests/hour for authenticated users
• Network required: All operations require internet access

See Also

• references/credential-setup.md - Step-by-step credential guide
• references/iterating-integration.md - DEVLOG auto-sync patterns
• references/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions
• GitHub REST API Docs - Official GitHub API reference

Token Efficiency

This skill uses ~800 tokens when loaded but provides essential GitHub operations for claude.ai chat environments where native git access isn't available. Enables persistent state management and cross-session workflows.