How do I install the Github Publish skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add h2cone/github-publish in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Github Publish safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Github Publish?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Github Publish free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Github Publish?

h2cone (@h2cone) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Github Publish by h2cone — Agent Skill

Name: Github Publish
Author: h2cone

Github Publish

Publishes a local project to GitHub by generating metadata files, reusing an existing target repository when present, creating the repo when absent, and pushing. Triggers on "publish to GitHub", "push to GitHub", "create a GitHub repo", "push to existing repo", or first-time repository setup.

h2cone f16385d 2.5 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Analyze the project, then create missing metadata files, create or reuse the GitHub repo, and push.

Generate metadata files

Create only if absent or empty. Never overwrite existing files unless the user explicitly asks.

README.md — Matched to the actual project.
.gitignore — Appropriate for the detected language/framework.
LICENSE — MIT by default (current year, username from gh api user -q .login). Ask if the user wants a different license.

Resolve target repo

Prefer an explicit user-provided repo or GitHub URL. Otherwise derive the repo name from the directory (lowercase, hyphens) and the owner from gh api user -q .login. Derive description from README.

If origin already exists:

Use it when it points at the same GitHub repo target.
Warn and stop if it points somewhere else, unless the user explicitly asks to switch remotes.

Reuse or create repo

Check whether the target repo already exists before trying to create it:

gh repo view <owner>/<repo-name> --json url,sshUrl,nameWithOwner,defaultBranchRef

If the repo exists:

Do not run gh repo create.
Treat it as the publish target.
Add origin if missing, using the returned sshUrl when available:

git remote add origin <ssh-url>

If the repo does not exist:

gh repo create <owner>/<repo-name> --public --description "<description>" --source=. --remote=origin

Use --private if the user requested it.
If creation reports that the repo already exists, re-run gh repo view <owner>/<repo-name> and reuse it when visible. Stop only when the repo is inaccessible or clearly belongs to a different target.

Push the current branch:

git push -u origin HEAD

If the push is rejected because the remote has unrelated history or protected branches, stop and report the exact reason. Never force-push unless the user explicitly asks.

Edge cases

Skip git init if .git already exists.
Before committing, check git config user.name and git config user.email. If unset, read from --global config and apply locally.
If origin remote already exists, warn the user instead of overwriting.
Print the repository URL after a successful push.

---name: github-publishdescription: Publishes a local project to GitHub by generating metadata files, reusing an existing target repository when present, creating the repo when absent, and pushing. Triggers on "publish to GitHub", "push to GitHub", "create a GitHub repo", "push to existing repo", or first-time repository setup.---Analyze the project, then create missing metadata files, create or reuse the GitHub repo, and push.## Generate metadata filesCreate only if absent or empty. Never overwrite existing files unless the user explicitly asks.- **README.md** — Matched to the actual project.- **.gitignore** — Appropriate for the detected language/framework.- **LICENSE** — MIT by default (current year, username from `gh api user -q .login`). Ask if the user wants a different license.## Resolve target repoPrefer an explicit user-provided repo or GitHub URL. Otherwise derive the repo name from the directory (lowercase, hyphens) and the owner from `gh api user -q .login`. Derive description from README.If `origin` already exists:- Use it when it points at the same GitHub repo target.- Warn and stop if it points somewhere else, unless the user explicitly asks to switch remotes.## Reuse or create repoCheck whether the target repo already exists before trying to create it:```bashgh repo view <owner>/<repo-name> --json url,sshUrl,nameWithOwner,defaultBranchRef```If the repo exists:- Do not run `gh repo create`.- Treat it as the publish target.- Add `origin` if missing, using the returned `sshUrl` when available:```bashgit remote add origin <ssh-url>```If the repo does not exist:```bashgh repo create <owner>/<repo-name> --public --description "<description>" --source=. --remote=origin```- Use `--private` if the user requested it.- If creation reports that the repo already exists, re-run `gh repo view <owner>/<repo-name>` and reuse it when visible. Stop only when the repo is inaccessible or clearly belongs to a different target.Push the current branch:```bashgit push -u origin HEAD```If the push is rejected because the remote has unrelated history or protected branches, stop and report the exact reason. Never force-push unless the user explicitly asks.## Edge cases- Skip `git init` if `.git` already exists.- Before committing, check `git config user.name` and `git config user.email`. If unset, read from `--global` config and apply locally.- If `origin` remote already exists, warn the user instead of overwriting.- Print the repository URL after a successful push.

Frequently asked questions