# Repo Init
> Initialize GitHub repo with CITATION.cff, LICENSE, README badges. Use for new repos.
- Skill: `htlin222/repo-init` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add htlin222/repo-init`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/htlin222/repo-init/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: htlin222 (https://skillmd.com/u/htlin222)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/htlin222/repo-init
---
# Repo Init
Sets up Hsieh-Ting Lin's standard public GitHub repository metadata: CITATION.cff, citation.bib, LICENSE, CSL files, README badges, and GitHub repo description.
## Quick Start
Run `/repo-init` in any repo root. The skill auto-detects:
- Repo name from git remote or directory name
- Primary language(s) from file extensions
- Existing README (preserves or creates)
## Workflow
```
- [ ] Step 1: Detect repo context (name, languages, description, existing files)
- [ ] Step 2: Create CITATION.cff
- [ ] Step 3: Create citation.bib
- [ ] Step 4: Create LICENSE (MIT)
- [ ] Step 5: Download AMA + APA CSL files to csl/
- [ ] Step 6: Create or update README.md with badges + citation block
- [ ] Step 7: Set gh repo description (if gh CLI available)
```
## Author (hardcoded)
```yaml
family-names: "Lin"
given-names: "Hsieh-Ting"
orcid: "https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3974-4528"
github: htlin222
```
## Step 1: Detect Repo Context
```bash
# Repo name
REPO_NAME=$(basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd))
# GitHub remote
GH_REMOTE=$(git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null | sed 's|.*github.com[:/]||;s|\.git$||')
# e.g. "htlin222/survival-pipe"
# Primary languages (by file count)
# Check for: *.R, *.py, *.qmd, *.js, *.ts, *.go, *.rs, *.cpp, *.sh
```
Detect existing files — skip creating any that already exist (warn instead).
## Step 2: CITATION.cff
```yaml
cff-version: 1.2.0
message: "If you use this software, please cite it as below."
type: software
title: "{REPO_NAME}: {SHORT_DESCRIPTION}"
version: 0.1.0
date-released: "{CURRENT_YEAR}-01-01"
url: "https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO_NAME}"
repository-code: "https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO_NAME}"
license: MIT
authors:
- family-names: "Lin"
given-names: "Hsieh-Ting"
orcid: "https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3974-4528"
keywords:
- {auto-detect from repo content, 3-6 keywords}
abstract: >-
{One-sentence project description}
```
Ask the user for `SHORT_DESCRIPTION` and `abstract` if not obvious from existing README.
## Step 3: citation.bib
```bibtex
@software{lin{YEAR}{REPO_NAME_CLEAN},
author = {Lin, Hsieh-Ting},
title = {{REPO_NAME}: {SHORT_DESCRIPTION}},
year = {{YEAR}},
url = {https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO_NAME}},
version = {0.1.0}
}
```
Where `REPO_NAME_CLEAN` is the repo name with hyphens removed (e.g. `survivalpipe`).
## Step 4: LICENSE
Standard MIT License:
```
MIT License
Copyright (c) {YEAR} Hsieh-Ting Lin
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, ...
```
## Step 5: CSL Files
Download to `csl/` directory:
```bash
mkdir -p csl
# AMA 11th edition
curl -sL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/citation-style-language/styles/master/american-medical-association.csl" -o csl/american-medical-association.csl
# APA 7th edition
curl -sL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/citation-style-language/styles/master/apa.csl" -o csl/apa.csl
```
If curl/WebFetch fails, create placeholder files with a comment noting the download URL.
## Step 6: README.md
### Badge Selection
Auto-select badges based on detected languages and features:
**Always include:**
- License badge: `[](LICENSE)`
- GitHub stars: `[](https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO}/stargazers)`
**If R detected (*.R, *.Rmd, renv.lock):**
- `[](https://www.r-project.org)`
**If Python detected (*.py, pyproject.toml, requirements.txt):**
- `[](https://www.python.org)`
**If Quarto detected (*.qmd, _quarto.yml):**
- `[](https://quarto.org)`
**If GitHub Pages / docs exist (pages/, docs/, .github/workflows/*pages*):**
- `[](https://htlin222.github.io/{REPO}/)`
**If GH Actions exist (.github/workflows/*.yml):**
- `[](https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO}/actions/workflows/{WORKFLOW}.yml)`
**If TypeScript/JavaScript (*.ts, *.js, package.json):**
- `[](https://www.typescriptlang.org)`
**If Go (*.go, go.mod):**
- `[](https://go.dev)`
**If Rust (*.rs, Cargo.toml):**
- `[](https://www.rust-lang.org)`
### README Structure
If README.md **doesn't exist**, create with full structure:
```markdown
{BADGES}
# {REPO_NAME}
{One-paragraph description}
## Quick Start
{Auto-detect: setup.sh, make, npm, pip, cargo, etc.}
## Citation
If you use this project, please cite it:
**BibTeX:**
```bibtex
{citation.bib content}
```
AMA format
Lin HT. {REPO_NAME}: {SHORT_DESCRIPTION}. Published online {YEAR}. https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO_NAME}
APA format
Lin, H.-T. ({YEAR}). *{REPO_NAME}: {SHORT_DESCRIPTION}* (Version 0.1.0) [Computer software]. https://github.com/htlin222/{REPO_NAME}
## License
This project is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).
```
If README.md **already exists**, append or update only the missing sections (Citation, License, badges). Do NOT overwrite existing content. Insert badges at top if none exist.
## Step 7: GitHub Repo Description
If `gh` CLI is available and authenticated:
```bash
gh repo edit htlin222/{REPO_NAME} --description "{SHORT_DESCRIPTION}"
```
Ask user for confirmation before running this step.
## Post-Init Checklist
After completion, print:
```
Repo Init Complete:
[x] CITATION.cff
[x] citation.bib
[x] LICENSE (MIT)
[x] csl/american-medical-association.csl
[x] csl/apa.csl
[x] README.md (with badges + citation)
[ ] gh repo description (run: gh repo edit --description "...")
```
## Edge Cases
- **Monorepo**: If multiple languages detected, include all relevant badges
- **Existing LICENSE**: Warn and skip (don't overwrite a different license)
- **No git remote**: Use directory name, skip GH-specific steps
- **Private repo**: Skip stars badge, warn about Pages badge