---
name: ykdojo/private-github-search
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/ykdojo-private-github-search@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 3a0d9fb99a12
---

# Private GitHub search

GitHub's modern code search (the one that indexes private repos) is web-only; `gh search code` uses the legacy engine and often returns nothing for private repos. Instead, search a local mirror of all the user's repos - it covers the same content as GitHub's index (default branch, non-fork) and a full search takes milliseconds.

## Searching

Find the bundled sync script (works for plugin installs and manual symlinks):

```bash
find ~/.claude ~/.codex -name "private-github-search-sync.sh" 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1
```

Always refresh first - it exits instantly if the mirror was synced within the last hour, and takes ~15s otherwise (`--force` syncs regardless of age):

```bash
bash <script-path>
rg -il 'pattern' ~/repo-mirror/repos          # which files
rg -in 'pattern' ~/repo-mirror/repos | head   # matching lines
```

## First-time setup

If `~/repo-mirror/owners.txt` doesn't exist: ask the user which GitHub accounts to mirror (don't guess - they may manage several), write them one per line to `~/repo-mirror/owners.txt`, then run the sync script in the background (initial clone takes a few minutes; needs `gh` auth with access to those accounts).

## Caveats

- Only the default-branch tip is mirrored - for history or other branches, use `git log -S` in a full clone or GitHub web search.
- The mirror may contain private data: keep it out of synced folders and never commit or publish its contents.