# karpathytalk-community

A skill that walks you through running KarpathyTalk, an open developer social network built on Go and SQLite, and calling its API.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 597 installs · ★ 88
- Author: reason-machines
- License: not stated · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-09
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/karpathytalk-community

## What it does

KarpathyTalk is a developer social network written in Go. Posts are markdown, and the social layer covers likes, reposts, replies and follows. The skill takes an agent through setup: register a GitHub OAuth App, build the binary from `./cmd/karpathytalk`, export `GITHUB_CLIENT_ID`, `GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET` and `BASE_URL`, then start the server. Production steps are included too — copying the binary plus `templates` and `static` to a host, TLS configs for Caddy and nginx, and a systemd unit.

The other half covers the API. Reads need no auth: `curl https://karpathytalk.com/api/posts` returns JSON, while `/api/posts/{postID}.md` gives markdown for a person or an agent. Go samples show how to decode the timeline into a `Post` struct and how to pull a user's posts as markdown. Storage is a single SQLite file, so you can open it with `sqlite3` for backups or analytics.

GitHub sign-in fails without both `GITHUB_CLIENT_ID` and `GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET`, and the OAuth callback has to point at `http://localhost:8080/auth/callback`. Posts cap at 10,000 characters and 30 per hour, replies at 5,000 and 60, and images at 5 MB in PNG, JPEG, GIF or WebP.

## Requirements
- Works with: GitHub

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add reason-machines/trending-skills --skill karpathytalk-community -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/karpathytalk-community/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add reason-machines/trending-skills --skill karpathytalk-community -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add reason-machines/trending-skills --skill karpathytalk-community -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install reason-machines/trending-skills karpathytalk-community
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add reason-machines/trending-skills --skill karpathytalk-community -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --path skills/karpathytalk-community
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add reason-machines/trending-skills --skill karpathytalk-community -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/karpathytalk-community/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- run KarpathyTalk on a local machine
- wire up GitHub OAuth sign-in
- ship the binary to a server behind Caddy or nginx TLS
- read the KarpathyTalk timeline from a Go agent as JSON
- export a user's posts as markdown

## Example prompts
- Set up KarpathyTalk locally and walk me through the GitHub OAuth config
- Write a Go agent that reads the timeline from `/api/posts`
- Draft a systemd unit for KarpathyTalk on my server

## Similar
- [setup-matt-pocock-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/setup-matt-pocock-skills.md) — skill · 1052851 installs
- [ask-matt](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/ask-matt.md) — skill · 766587 installs
- [to-tickets](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/to-tickets.md) — skill · 711230 installs
- [writing-plans](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/writing-plans.md) — skill · 282859 installs
- [caveman-review](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/caveman-review.md) — skill · 411800 installs
- [caveman-compress](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/caveman-compress.md) — skill · 411500 installs

From the same set: [reason-machines/trending-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/reason-machines/trending-skills.md) — 139 cards

---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md