name: gh-project description: Create new GitHub repositories with low-friction defaults. Use when the user invokes /gh-project or $gh-project, asks to create a new GitHub project, asks to create a GitHub repo/repository, or wants a local folder plus GitHub repository created from inferred defaults.
GitHub Project
Overview
Create a new GitHub repository and matching local clone from a default-first plan. In this skill, "GitHub project" means a GitHub repository unless the user explicitly asks for a GitHub Projects board.
Do not create anything until the user explicitly confirms Create GitHub project.
Defaults
Infer a complete repo plan before asking questions:
- Artifact: GitHub repository.
- Owner: active authenticated
ghaccount. - Parent location:
~/IdeaProjects. - Visibility: public.
- License: MIT.
- Initial contents: README plus MIT license.
- Repo features: GitHub defaults; do not toggle issues, wiki, projects, or discussions unless requested.
- Folder name: GitHub-safe slug inferred from the project name.
- Repo name: same as folder name unless the user requests otherwise.
- Friendly name: human-readable title inferred from the project name.
- Description: generated from the project purpose, capped at 350 characters.
- Topics: 6-10 GitHub repository topics optimized for user search queries.
Topics are GitHub repository topics for discoverability. They are not issue labels and should not be appended as hashtag-style description text.
Workflow
Resolve prerequisites.
- Run
gh --version. - Run
gh auth status. - If
ghis missing or unauthenticated, stop and report the blocker. - Resolve the active owner from
gh auth statusor another read-onlyghquery if needed.
- Run
Infer the project plan.
- Derive the friendly name, folder name, repo name, description, and topics from the user's request.
- Use lowercase hyphenated slugs for folder and repo names.
- Keep the description plain and searchable, not promotional.
- Select topics from terms users would search for on GitHub for the project subject or technology.
Present native menus for every configurable setting.
- Use
request_user_inputfor each menu when available. - Ask one setting at a time.
- Defaults are preselected, not hidden.
- The first option in each menu must be the inferred default with
(Recommended)in the label. - Do not skip a setting just because a good default was inferred.
- If structured menus are unavailable, stop and say the integrated menu UI is unavailable in the current mode.
- Use
Required setting menus, in order:
- Parent location.
- Repo, folder, and friendly name.
- Description.
- Topics.
- Visibility.
- License.
- Initial contents.
.gitignore.
Menu requirements by setting:
- Parent location:
~/IdeaProjects (Recommended)SpecifyDo something else
- Repo, folder, and friendly name:
- The inferred names as one recommended option.
Change namesDo something else
- Description:
Use generated description (Recommended)SpecifyDo something else
- Topics:
Use generated topics (Recommended)SpecifyDo something else
- Visibility:
Public (Recommended)PrivateDo something else
- License:
MIT (Recommended)Apache-2.0GPL-3.0- Rely on the tool's free-form Other path when the user wants another license.
- Initial contents:
README plus MIT license (Recommended)README onlyDo something else
.gitignore:- If the stack is clear, make the matching GitHub template the recommended option.
- If the stack is unclear, make
None (Recommended)the recommended option. - Always include
Specify. - Include
Do something elsewhen there is room within the menu option limit.
- Parent location:
Check for collisions after the user has confirmed the names and location.
- Expand
~/IdeaProjectsto an absolute path. - If the target local folder already exists, stop and ask for a new name or explicit instruction.
- Check whether the target GitHub repository already exists with a read-only
gh repo view OWNER/REPO. - If the target repository already exists, stop and ask for a new name or explicit instruction.
- Expand
Present the final creation plan.
- Show the resolved plan in chat after all setting menus and collision checks are complete.
- Then ask for final confirmation with a native menu.
- Because
request_user_inputsupports only 2-3 explicit choices, use a compact final menu:Create GitHub projectChange settingsDo something else
- If the user selects
Change settings, ask a follow-up native menu for the setting category to change:Location or namesDescription or topicsVisibility, license, contents, or gitignore
- After any change, rerun the affected collision checks and return to the final creation plan.
Create only after explicit confirmation.
- Run from the chosen parent directory.
- Use this command shape:
gh repo create REPO --public --clone --add-readme --license mit --description "DESCRIPTION"
- Include
--gitignore TEMPLATEonly when the user selected a template. - If visibility or license changed during confirmation, replace
--publicor--license mitwith the confirmed value. - After creation, add topics:
gh repo edit OWNER/REPO --add-topic topic-a,topic-b,topic-c
- Return the result.
- Include the local path, GitHub URL, visibility, license, description, and topics.
- If any step fails, report the exact failed command and stop. Do not retry through an alternate path unless the user asks.
Menu Behavior
Prefer a low-friction default-first interaction. Low friction means defaults are preselected, not hidden.
Menu 1: Parent location
~/IdeaProjects (Recommended)
Specify
Do something else
Menu 2: Names
Use repo-name / Friendly Name (Recommended)
Change names
Do something else
Menu 3: Description
Use generated description (Recommended)
Specify
Do something else
Menu 4: Topics
Use generated topics (Recommended)
Specify
Do something else
Menu 5: Visibility
Public (Recommended)
Private
Do something else
Menu 6: License
MIT (Recommended)
Apache-2.0
GPL-3.0
Other is available through the integrated input-control free-form path.
Menu 7: Initial contents
README plus MIT license (Recommended)
README only
Do something else
Menu 8: .gitignore
None or TEMPLATE (Recommended)
Specify
Do something else
Final menu:
Create GitHub project
Change settings
Do something else
Every configurable setting gets a native menu even when the inferred default is probably correct. The user should be able to press the recommended choice repeatedly and move quickly through the wizard.
Do not replace the integrated input-control menu with a numbered Markdown menu. The intended interaction is the same structured menu surface used by planning. If that surface is unavailable, stop rather than degrading to chat options.
Stop Conditions
Stop and ask, without creating the repository, when:
- The user asks for a GitHub Projects board instead of a repository.
ghis unavailable.ghis unauthenticated.- The active owner cannot be resolved.
- The local folder exists.
- The GitHub repository exists.
- The user has not explicitly selected
Create GitHub project. - The integrated input-control menu is unavailable when a menu decision is required.