# read-github

Lets the agent pull documentation and code from any GitHub repository through the gitmcp.io MCP service. Useful when you need to understand a project without cloning it.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1200 installs · ★ 1039
- Author: am-will
- License: not stated · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/am-will/codex-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/read-github/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-07-14
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/read-github

## What it does

The skill turns a repository link into a source of answers. Hand the agent a URL like `github.com/owner/repo` or just `owner/repo`, and it fetches the README and other documentation files through gitmcp.io. A script at `scripts/gitmcp.py` does the work, with subcommands `list-tools`, `fetch-docs`, `search-docs`, `search-code`, `fetch-url`, and `call` for hitting an MCP tool directly.

Doc search is semantic; code search goes through the GitHub Search API and matches exactly. Tool names get prefixed with the repo name on the fly: `facebook/react` becomes `fetch_react_documentation`, `my-org/my-repo` becomes `fetch_my_repo_documentation`. Dashes turn into underscores.

The script runs under `python3`, so Python has to be on your machine. External links mentioned in the docs are fetched separately and `robots.txt` is respected — a site that blocks crawlers returns nothing. Worth remembering when an answer about a linked page comes back empty.

## Requirements
- Works with: GitHub

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install am-will/codex-skills read-github
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/am-will/codex-skills --path skills/read-github
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github -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/am-will/codex-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/read-github/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- read a repo's README without cloning it
- find a specific function in a codebase by name
- answer a question about a library from its own docs
- pull content from an external link cited in the documentation
- check which MCP tools a repository exposes

## Example prompts
- Read the docs for facebook/react and explain how rendering works
- Search the karpathy/llm-council code for the request handler
- What does owner/repo do? Look at its documentation

## Similar
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From the same set: [am-will/codex-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/am-will/codex-skills.md) — 10 cards

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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