Git Wiki

Git Wiki

Manage git-backed wiki repositories (GitHub and GitLab) directly from the CLI.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Read or search wiki pages for a repository
• Create, edit, or delete wiki pages
• List all wiki pages
• Push wiki changes
• Clone a wiki repo for the first time

How Git Wikis Work

GitHub and GitLab expose each repository's wiki as a separate git repo:

• GitHub: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}.wiki.git
• GitLab: https://gitlab.com/{owner}/{repo}.wiki.git

Wiki pages are Markdown files at the repo root. The filename (minus .md) becomes the page title. Home.md is the landing page.

Directory nesting is supported — guides/setup.md renders as a page titled "setup" under a "guides" section. Sidebars use _Sidebar.md, footers use _Footer.md.

Workflow

Step 1: Determine the Wiki Repo

Ask the user which repository's wiki they want to work with, unless it's obvious from context (e.g., they're inside a repo or specified it).

Construct the wiki clone URL:

• For GitHub: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}.wiki.git
• For GitLab: https://gitlab.com/{owner}/{repo}.wiki.git

If the user provides an SSH-based remote, adjust accordingly:

• git@github.com:{owner}/{repo}.wiki.git

Step 2: Clone the Wiki

Clone into a temporary working directory so you don't pollute the user's project:

WIKI_DIR=$(mktemp -d)/wiki
git clone <wiki-url> "$WIKI_DIR"

If cloning fails with a 404 or empty repository error, the wiki likely hasn't been initialized. Inform the user they need to create at least one page via the web UI first (GitHub requires this), or offer to initialize it:

WIKI_DIR=$(mktemp -d)/wiki
mkdir "$WIKI_DIR" && cd "$WIKI_DIR" && git init
git remote add origin <wiki-url>

Step 3: Perform the Requested Action

List Pages

find "$WIKI_DIR" -name '*.md' -not -name '_*' | sort

Read a Page

Read the file directly using the Read tool. Page names map to filenames: "Getting Started" -> Getting-Started.md. Spaces become hyphens.

Search Pages

Use the Grep tool to search across all wiki Markdown files.

Create a Page

Write a new .md file. Convert the page title to a filename: replace spaces with hyphens, keep casing. Example: "Deployment Guide" -> Deployment-Guide.md.

# Page Title

Content here.

Edit a Page

Use the Edit tool on the target file.

Delete a Page

rm "$WIKI_DIR/Page-Name.md"

Reorder Sidebar

Edit _Sidebar.md to control navigation order. Format:

* [Home](Home)
* [Getting Started](Getting-Started)
* **Guides**
  * [Setup](guides/setup)
  * [Configuration](guides/configuration)

Step 4: Commit and Push

After making changes, commit and push:

cd "$WIKI_DIR"
git add -A
git commit -m "Update wiki: <brief description of changes>"
git push origin master

GitHub wikis use master as the default branch. Check with git branch if unsure.

Always confirm with the user before pushing. Pushing to a wiki is a shared-state mutation.

Step 5: Clean Up

After pushing (or if the user is done), remove the temporary directory:

rm -rf "$WIKI_DIR"

Important Notes

• Authentication: Wiki clone/push uses the same git credentials as the main repo. If the user has gh configured or SSH keys set up, it should work. If auth fails, suggest gh auth status to verify.
• Branch: Most wiki repos only have a master branch. Do not create feature branches unless the user asks.
• Confirm before pushing. Wiki pushes are immediately visible to all repo collaborators.
• No PRs for wikis. Git wiki repos do not support pull requests. Changes go directly to master.
• Page links: Internal wiki links use the format [[Page Name]] (GitHub) or [text](page-name) (both). Prefer the Markdown link format for portability.
• Images: Wiki repos can store images. Place them in an images/ directory and reference with ![alt](images/filename.png).