Git & GitHub Repository Management

Complete reference for local git initialization and GitHub CLI commands.

Prerequisites

git --version    # Verify git is installed
gh auth status   # Check GitHub CLI auth
gh auth login    # If not authenticated

Authentication

See references/auth.md for complete authentication reference.

# Check authentication status
gh auth status

# Login interactively
gh auth login

# Login with browser
gh auth login --web

# Login to GitHub Enterprise
gh auth login --hostname github.example.com

# Logout
gh auth logout

# Get token for scripts
gh auth token

# Refresh credentials / add scopes
gh auth refresh --scopes "admin:org"

# Setup git credential helper
gh auth setup-git

Quick Reference

Task	Command
Initialize local repo	`git init`
Create .gitignore	See references/gitignore-templates.md
Create GitHub repo	`gh repo create my-repo --public`
Full local→GitHub	See workflow below
Clone a repo	`gh repo clone owner/repo`
Fork a repo	`gh repo fork owner/repo --clone`

Complete Workflow: Local Project to GitHub

Standard workflow to initialize a local project and push to GitHub:

# 1. Navigate to project directory
cd my-project

# 2. Initialize git repository
git init

# 3. Create .gitignore (generate based on project type)
# See references/gitignore-templates.md for templates

# 4. Stage all files
git add .

# 5. Initial commit
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# 6. Create GitHub repo and push
gh repo create my-project --public --source . --push

# Or step by step:
gh repo create my-project --public
git remote add origin https://github.com/USERNAME/my-project.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

Git Initialization

git init

Initialize a new git repository in current directory:

git init                    # Initialize in current directory
git init my-project         # Create directory and initialize
git init --initial-branch=main  # Specify initial branch name

.gitignore Generation

Create appropriate .gitignore based on project type. See references/gitignore-templates.md for complete templates.

Quick detection:

package.json → Node.js
requirements.txt / pyproject.toml → Python
pom.xml / build.gradle → Java
go.mod → Go
Cargo.toml → Rust
*.csproj → .NET
Gemfile → Ruby

GitHub CLI Commands

Repository Creation

See references/repo-create.md for all flags.

# Interactive
gh repo create

# Public repo, clone locally
gh repo create my-project --public --clone

# From existing local project
gh repo create --source . --public --push

# With full options
gh repo create my-project --public --description "My project" --gitignore Node --license MIT

Repository Management

See references/repo-management.md for all commands.

# Edit settings
gh repo edit --enable-issues --enable-wiki

# Clone
gh repo clone owner/repo

# Fork and clone
gh repo fork owner/repo --clone

# List repos
gh repo list --limit 50

# View repo
gh repo view --web

# Sync fork
gh repo sync

Common Scenarios

New Project from Scratch

mkdir my-app && cd my-app
git init
# Create .gitignore for your stack
echo "# My App" > README.md
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
gh repo create my-app --public --source . --push

Existing Project, No Git

cd existing-project
git init
# Create appropriate .gitignore
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
gh repo create existing-project --private --source . --push

Clone and Contribute

gh repo fork owner/project --clone
cd project
git checkout -b my-feature
# Make changes
git add . && git commit -m "Add feature"
git push -u origin my-feature
gh pr create

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Error
2	Command canceled
4	Authentication required

gh-repo