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

Primary use cases:

• Commit code/documentation from Claude.ai chat (mobile/web)
• Auto-persist DEVLOG.md for iterating skill
• Manage state across sessions via GitHub branches
• Read and update repository files programmatically
• Create pull requests from chat interface

Trigger patterns:

• "Commit this to the repository"
• "Update the README on GitHub"
• "Save this to a feature branch"
• "Create a PR with these changes"
• "Persist DEVLOG to GitHub"
• "Read the config file from my repo"

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
• Fi

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