Github Repo Management

GitHub Repository Management

Create, clone, fork, configure, and manage GitHub repositories using the gh CLI and git. Covers repo creation, branch management, secrets, and repo settings.

When to Use

• User wants to create a new GitHub repository
• User wants to clone or fork an existing repository
• User wants to list repositories in an organization or for a user
• User wants to manage branches (list, create, protect, delete)
• User wants to add or list GitHub Actions secrets

How to Use

1. Create a new repository

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# Create public repo and clone locally
gh repo create my-new-project --public --clone

# Create private repo with description
gh repo create my-new-project --private --description "Internal API service"

# Create repo from local directory
cd "C:\Users\<you>\Projects\myapp"
gh repo create my-new-project --source=. --private --push

2. Clone a repository

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# Clone via gh (handles auth automatically)
gh repo clone owner/repo-name

# Clone to specific directory
gh repo clone owner/repo-name ./local-folder

# Clone with SSH explicitly
git clone git@github.com:owner/repo-name.git

3. Fork a repository

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# Fork to your account and clone locally
gh repo fork owner/repo-name --clone

# Fork to an organization
gh repo fork owner/repo-name --org my-org

4. List repositories

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# Your repos
gh repo list --limit 30

# Organization repos
gh repo list my-org --limit 50

# Filter by language
gh repo list --language python --limit 20

5. Manage branches

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# List remote branches
git branch -r

# Create and push a new branch
git checkout -b feature/my-feature
git push -u origin feature/my-feature

# Delete a remote branch
git push origin --delete feature/old-branch

# List branches via gh
gh api repos/owner/repo/branches | python -m json.tool

6. View and update repo settings

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# View repo details
gh repo view owner/repo-name

# View in browser
gh repo view owner/repo-name --web

# Edit repo description and topics
gh repo edit owner/repo-name --description "Updated description" --add-topic "api,python"

7. Manage GitHub Actions secrets

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# List secrets
gh secret list

# Set a secret
gh secret set DATABASE_URL --body "postgresql://user:pass@host/db"

# Set from a file
gh secret set PRIVATE_KEY < private_key.pem

# Delete a secret
gh secret delete OLD_SECRET

8. Archive or delete a repository

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# Archive (read-only, not deleted)
gh repo archive owner/repo-name

# Delete — IRREVERSIBLE — direct user to do this manually
# gh repo delete owner/repo-name --yes  ← do not run this for the user

Examples

"Create a new private GitHub repo for my Python scripts" → Use step 1: gh repo create my-python-scripts --private --clone.

"Fork the fastapi repository so I can contribute" → Use step 3: gh repo fork tiangolo/fastapi --clone.

"Add my API key as a GitHub Actions secret" → Use step 7: gh secret set API_KEY --body "...".

Cautions

• Repository deletion is IRREVERSIBLE — never run gh repo delete for the user; direct them to do it in the GitHub web UI
• Archiving a repo makes it read-only but does not delete it — safe to run
• Secrets set with gh secret set are write-only in the GitHub UI — they cannot be read back after creation
• Forking a private repo copies it to your account — ensure the original owner's license permits this