Github Repo Migration

GitHub Repo Migration

Trigger: Use when transferring a repo between users/orgs, renaming, or importing from another platform.

Transferring Repos

Between Users

# Transfer ownership
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/transfer \
  --method POST \
  -f new_owner=new-owner

# Accept transfer (as new owner)
gh api repos/:new-owner/:repo --jq '.owner.login'

Between Organizations

# Transfer to org
gh api repos/:current-owner/:repo/transfer \
  --method POST \
  -f new_owner=target-org \
  -f team_ids=[<team-id>]     # Optional: team to add after transfer

Renaming

# Rename repo
gh repo edit owner/repo --name new-name

# Or via API
gh api repos/:owner/:repo \
  --method PATCH \
  -f name=new-name

# Old URL redirects to new URL automatically
# Update any webhooks, CI configs pointing to old URL

Importing from Other Platforms

From GitLab

# Direct mirror + push
git clone --mirror https://gitlab.com/owner/repo.git
cd repo.git
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/new-owner/repo.git
git push --mirror

# Issues and PRs won't transfer — use third-party tools

From Bitbucket

# Same mirror approach
git clone --mirror https://bitbucket.org/owner/repo.git
cd repo.git
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/new-owner/repo.git
git push --mirror

GitHub Importer (Web UI)

# Open: https://github.com/new-owner/repo/import
# Supports: GitLab, Bitbucket, Gists, SVN, TFS, Mercurial
# Imports: git history, branches, tags
# Does NOT import: issues, PRs, wikis, releases

Data Export

# Export repository metadata
gh api repos/:owner/:repo --jq '.' > repo-metadata.json

# Export all issues
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/issues --paginate \
  --jq '.[] | {number, title, state, labels: [.labels[].name], created_at}' \
  > issues-export.json

# Export all PRs
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/pulls --paginate \
  --state all \
  --jq '.[] | {number, title, state, merged_at}' \
  > prs-export.json

# Export releases
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/releases --paginate \
  --jq '.[] | {tag: .tag_name, name, assets: [.assets[].name]}' \
  > releases-export.json

# Export GitHub Pages
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/pages -q '.' > pages-config.json

Archiving

# Archive (read-only)
gh api repos/:owner/:repo \
  --method PATCH \
  -f archived=true

# Unarchive
gh api repos/:owner/:repo \
  --method PATCH \
  -f archived=false

Bulk Operations

#!/bin/bash
# Transfer multiple repos
REPOS=("repo-a" "repo-b" "repo-c")
for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
    gh api repos/old-org/$repo/transfer \
      --method POST \
      -f new_owner=new-org
    echo "Transferred $repo"
done

Post-Migration Checklist

• Update local remotes: git remote set-url origin <new-url>
• Update CI/CD secrets and environments
• Update webhook URLs
• Update documentation/README links
• Update any external integrations (Slack, CI, deployment)
• Set up branch protection rules on the new location
• Add collaborators/teams
• Enable Pages if needed
• Archive old repo (optional)

Pitfalls

• Issues/PRs don't transfer: Use third-party migration tools (e.g., gitify, github-move)
• Webhook URLs: Old webhook URLs break — must be recreated at the new location
• Git LFS objects: --mirror doesn't transfer LFS — use git lfs fetch --all before migration
• GitHub Pages: Pages settings don't transfer — reconfigure after migration
• Repo redirects: Old URL redirects to new for git operations, but not for web UI

Verification

git ls-remote origin HEAD        # Can push/fetch?
gh repo view owner/repo          # New location visible?
gh api repos/:owner/:repo -q '{name, owner: .owner.login}'