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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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

powershell
# 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