# Repo Homepage Set

> Audit and set the GitHub repo homepage URL — the link on the repo card's "About" panel and every search result. Detects candidates from docs sites, registries, and demos; applies via gh repo edit after approval. Sub-skill of repo-seo-curator.

- Skill: `jamestexas/repo-homepage-set` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jamestexas/repo-homepage-set`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jamestexas/repo-homepage-set/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: jamestexas (https://skillmd.com/u/jamestexas)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jamestexas/repo-homepage-set

---


<!-- Author: jamestexas — drafted by claude-opus-4-7 (2026-05-16) -->

# /repo-homepage-set — GitHub Repo Homepage URL

Set the `homepageUrl` field on a GitHub repository. This is the small link icon on the repo card's "About" panel.

## Arguments

`$ARGUMENTS`

- **`<owner/repo>`** — one or more target repos. Defaults to the repo containing the current working directory.
- **`--dry-run`** *(default)* — propose only.
- **`--apply`** — present proposal, prompt for approval, then write via `gh repo edit`.

## What this solves

The homepage URL is the *one outbound link* GitHub gives a repository card. Setting it sends interested readers somewhere useful instead of nowhere. Surfaces:

- Repo's About panel (top right of the repo page)
- GitHub search results (shown below the description)
- Topic browser cards
- Some integrations (e.g. Slack unfurls)

Most of the user's public repos have **no homepage set**, which means a visitor who's interested has no obvious "next step."

## Candidate sources, by priority

For each repo, the homepage should be the *most useful* place a stranger could go after the README. In priority order:

1. **Dedicated docs site** — e.g. `docs.mache.dev`, `https://mache.io`
2. **Published package page** — `crates.io/crates/<name>`, `npmjs.com/package/<name>`, `pypi.org/project/<name>`
3. **Live demo / hosted app** — for things that have a runnable UI
4. **Org homepage** — for repos that are part of a named ecosystem (e.g. `agentic-research/*` → some `agentic-research.org` URL if one exists)
5. **Parent project page** — for sub-components, point at the parent's docs
6. **Leave unset** — when none of the above apply, an unset homepage is better than a guessed one

## Hard rules

- **Never point at the GitHub repo itself.** That's where the visitor already is. Setting `homepageUrl` to `https://github.com/owner/repo` is a no-op that wastes a click.
- **Never point at a 404 or a placeholder.** If the docs site is "coming soon," leave the field empty.
- **Prefer HTTPS.** Convert `http://` to `https://` if both work.
- **No trailing slashes** unless the URL canonically has one.
- **No query strings or anchors** — the homepage should be a stable landing surface.
- **No URL shorteners** — bare domains only. Tracking links here are user-hostile.

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Inventory

```bash
gh repo view <owner/repo> --json name,description,homepageUrl,visibility,isFork,isArchived,repositoryTopics
```

Skip with a printed reason if `isFork` or `isArchived`.

### Phase 2: Signal gathering

For each repo, look for candidates in this order:

1. **README** — first search for an obvious "Documentation:" or "Docs:" link near the top. Many READMEs already point at their docs site, you just need to detect it.
2. **Package manifests**:
   - `Cargo.toml` → `documentation = "..."` or `homepage = "..."` fields
   - `package.json` → `"homepage": "..."` field (note: npm uses this same field name)
   - `pyproject.toml` → `[project.urls]` table, look for `Documentation` or `Homepage`
3. **Probe registries** for published packages — for each detected package name:
   - Rust: `curl -fsI https://crates.io/crates/<name>` (200 = exists)
   - Node: `curl -fsI https://www.npmjs.com/package/<name>`
   - Python: `curl -fsI https://pypi.org/project/<name>/`
4. **Search the README for explicit URLs** — `https://*.dev`, `https://*.io`, `https://docs.*`
5. **Check the org `.github` repo** for an org-level homepage
6. **Check repositoryTopics for ecosystem hints** — `agentic-research`, `art-ecosystem` may map to an ecosystem page

### Phase 3: Verify candidates

For each candidate URL, run a quick health check:

```bash
curl -fsLI "<url>" -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code} %{url_effective}\n" --max-time 5
```

- **200** — usable
- **3xx ending at 200** — usable; record the final URL
- **4xx / 5xx / timeout** — discard

Never propose a URL that fails the health check.

### Phase 4: Proposal

```
## <owner/repo>

Current homepage: <url or "(not set)">

Candidates found:
  1. https://docs.mache.dev          [200 OK]                   ← recommended
  2. https://crates.io/crates/mache  [200 OK]
  3. https://github.com/agentic-research  [200 OK, org page]

Recommendation: https://docs.mache.dev
  Why: dedicated docs site, README references it as primary entry point.

Rejected:
  - https://mache-demo.dev — returned 404
  - https://github.com/agentic-research/mache — same as the repo itself
```

If no candidates pass health check, **propose leaving it unset** and report what was tried.

### Phase 5: Approval

- `--dry-run` (default): stop. Print hint to re-run with `--apply`.
- `--apply`: print "Apply N homepage changes? (yes/no)" and wait.

### Phase 6: Apply

```bash
gh repo edit "<owner>/<repo>" --homepage "<url>"
```

Verify by re-reading:

```bash
gh repo view "<owner>/<repo>" --json homepageUrl
```

### Phase 7: Report

```
Applied:
  agentic-research/mache           → https://docs.mache.dev
  agentic-research/cloister        → https://crates.io/crates/cloister
Skipped:
  agentic-research/cloister-fork   — fork, skipped
  agentic-research/x-ray           — no usable candidates, left unset
Failed:
  agentic-research/foo             — gh edit returned: <error>
```

## Examples

```
/repo-homepage-set agentic-research/mache
→ dry-run proposal

/repo-homepage-set agentic-research/{mache,rosary,ley-line-open} --apply
→ proposal for three, prompts, writes

/repo-homepage-set
→ uses current working directory's repo
```

## Important rules

- **Default to `--dry-run`.** The homepage is publicly visible immediately.
- **Verify before proposing.** Never propose a URL you haven't health-checked.
- **If unsure, leave it unset.** An unset homepage is honest. A wrong one is worse than nothing.
- **One field per pass.** Don't bundle with topic or description changes.
- **Don't touch forks or archived repos** unless explicitly named.