MassLab-SII GitHub Skill
This skill provides complete GitHub repository management capabilities using MCP GitHub tools.
Core Concepts
- Skill: Meaningful combinations of multiple tool calls, encapsulated as independent Python scripts
- Basic Tools: Single function calls for atomic operations via
run_github_ops.py
I. Strategy: Skills vs Tools (Read First)
1. Skill-First Strategy
Always prioritize Skill Scripts over atomic tools. Skills encapsulate best practices and error handling.
| Goal | Recommended Skill | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-file Edits | file_editor.py batch |
Atomic commit; prevents partial updates |
| Content Investigation | github_detective.py |
Unified interface for all investigation tasks |
| GitFlow Operations | gitflow_manager.py |
Enforces naming conventions and correct workflow |
| PR + Label Management | pr_manager.py update |
Handles labels atomically with PR updates |
| Issue + Label | issue_manager.py update |
Handles labels atomically with issue updates |
| CI/CD Setup | workflow_builder.py |
Full automated pipeline (branch → PR → merge) |
| Release Preparation | release_manager.py |
Automates version bump, changelog, and merge |
| Project Config | config_generator.py |
Standardized templates and configurations |
2. When to Use Basic Tools
Only use run_github_ops.py when:
- Unique Filtering: Need specific API filters not exposed by skills
- One-off Read: Quick check of file SHA or content
- Custom Operations: Operations not covered by any skill
3. GitHub Domain Coverage
This skill covers the following GitHub task categories:
| Category | Covered By |
|---|---|
| File CRUD | file_editor.py, basic file tools |
| Issue Management | issue_manager.py |
| PR Management | pr_manager.py |
| Label Management | issue_manager.py, pr_manager.py (integrated) |
| Branch Management | gitflow_manager.py, basic branch tools |
| Commit Investigation | github_detective.py |
| PR Investigation | github_detective.py |
| Repository Exploration | github_detective.py |
| CI/CD Workflows | workflow_builder.py |
| Release Management | release_manager.py |
| Config Generation | config_generator.py |
4. Command Line Safety
[!WARNING] Shell Escaping: When passing complex strings (JSON, Python code, multi-line text) in command line arguments, be extremely careful with shell escaping. Ensure quotes are matched and special characters (like
$) are handled correctly to prevent execution errors.
II. Skills (High-Level Scripts)
1. File Editing
File: file_editor.py
Use Cases:
- Create new files in a repository
- Edit/overwrite existing files
- Apply search-and-replace fixes to a single file
- Push multiple files in a single commit (atomic batch operations)
Typical Task Examples:
- Create a README.md file
- Update configuration files
- Fix a typo or bug in a specific file
[!Note] Check Default Branch: Before editing or creating files, ALWAYS check the default branch name (e.g., using
github_detective.py exploreorlist_branches) unless you are explicitly targeting a specific feature branch.
Usage:
# Usage:
# python file_editor.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# batch Push multiple files in a single commit
#
# edit options:
# --path <filepath> File path (required)
# --content <text> Content string
# --content-file <path> Content from local file
# --content-base64 <b64> Content (base64 encoded)
# --message <text> Commit message (required)
# --branch <name> Target branch
# apply_fix options:
# --path <filepath> File path (required)
# --pattern <text> Text pattern to find (required)
# --replacement <text> Replacement text (required)
# --message <text> Commit message (required)
# --branch <name> Target branch
#
# batch options:
# --files <json> JSON array string
# --files-file <path> Path to JSON file containing files array
# --files-base64 <b64> Base64 encoded JSON array
# --message <text> Commit message (required)
# --branch <name> Target branch
#
# Examples:
#
python file_editor.py edit owner repo --path "docs/README.md" --content "# Documentation\n\nUpdated content." --message "Update README"
python file_editor.py batch owner repo --files '[{"path": "test.txt", "content": "test"}]' --message "Add files"
python file_editor.py edit owner repo --path "version.txt" --content "1.0.0" --message "Update version"
2. Issue Management
File: issue_manager.py
Use Cases:
- Create new issues with labels and checklists
- Create sub-issues linked to a parent issue
- Update issue title, body, state, and labels
- Close/reopen issues with state reasons
- List issues with filters
- Batch close/reopen issues
Typical Task Examples:
- Create a bug report issue
- Create sub-issues linked to a tracking issue
- Close an issue as completed and add "wontfix" label
- Add or remove labels from an existing issue
Usage:
# Usage:
# python issue_manager.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# create Create a new issue (optionally as sub-issue)
# update Update an existing issue (title, body, state, labels)
# list List issues with filters
# close Batch close issues (requires filter)
# reopen Batch reopen issues (requires query)
# create options:
# --title <text> Issue title (required)
# --body <text> Issue body/description
# --labels <csv> Comma-separated labels
# --checklist <csv> Comma-separated checklist items
# --assignees <csv> Comma-separated assignees
# --parent <n> Parent issue number to link as sub-issue
#
# update options:
# --number <n> Issue number (required)
# --title <text> New title
# --body <text> New body
# --state <state> New state: open/closed
# --state-reason <r> Reason: completed/not_planned/reopened
# --add-labels <csv> Labels to add
# --remove-labels <csv> Labels to remove
# --assignees <csv> Comma-separated assignees to set
# --milestone <n> Milestone number
#
# list options:
# --state <state> Filter: open/closed/all (default: open)
# --labels <csv> Filter by labels
# --limit <n> Maximum results (default: 30)
#
# Output: Issue number and database ID are printed (e.g., "Created issue #52 (ID: 3753519439)")
#
# Examples:
python issue_manager.py create owner repo --title "Bug Report" --body "Description" --labels "bug,priority-high"
python issue_manager.py create owner repo --title "Sub-task 1" --body "Details" --parent 51
python issue_manager.py update owner repo --number 42 --state closed --state-reason completed --add-labels "wontfix"
python issue_manager.py list owner repo --state open --labels "bug"
3. Pull Request Management
File: pr_manager.py
Use Cases:
- Create PRs from branches
- Create and immediately merge PRs
- Merge PRs with different strategies (merge/squash/rebase)
- Close PRs without merging
- Update PR details including labels
Typical Task Examples:
- Create a PR from feature branch to main
- Merge a PR with squash strategy
- Add "approved" label to a PR
[!TIP] Respecting Original Context: When fixing issues or conflicts in an existing PR, prefer updating and merging the original PR rather than creating a duplicate, unless explicitly instructed otherwise. This preserves the conversation history and context attached to the original PR number.
Usage:
# Usage:
# python pr_manager.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# create Create a new PR
# merge Merge an existing PR
# close Close a PR without merging
# update Update PR details (title, body, state, labels)
#
# create options:
# --title <text> PR title (required)
# --head <branch> Source branch (required)
# --base <branch> Target branch (required)
# --body <text> PR description
# --draft Create as draft PR
# --merge <method> Merge immediately: squash/merge/rebase
#
# merge options:
# --number <n> PR number (required)
# --method <method> Merge method: merge/squash/rebase (default: squash)
# --commit-title <text> Custom commit title
# --commit-message <text> Custom commit message
#
# update options:
# --number <n> PR number (required)
# --title <text> New title
# --body <text> New description
# --add-labels <csv> Labels to add
# --remove-labels <csv> Labels to remove
#
# Examples:
python pr_manager.py create owner repo --title "Add feature" --head "feature/login" --base "main"
python pr_manager.py create owner repo --title "Fix bug" --head "fix" --base "main" --merge squash
python pr_manager.py update owner repo --number 42 --add-labels "approved,reviewed"
4. Comment Manager
File: comment_manager.py
Use Cases:
- Add comments to Issues
- Add comments to Pull Requests
- Submit PR reviews (comment, approve, request changes)
Typical Task Examples:
- Thank someone for reporting an issue
- Add a "LGTM" comment to a PR
- Approve a PR with a review comment
- Request changes on a PR
Usage:
# Usage:
# python comment_manager.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# add Add a comment to an issue or PR
# review Submit a PR review
#
# add options:
# --issue <n> Issue number (use this OR --pr)
# --pr <n> PR number (use this OR --issue)
# --body <text> Comment text (required)
#
# review options:
# --pr <n> PR number (required)
# --body <text> Review comment (required)
# --event <event> Event: COMMENT/APPROVE/REQUEST_CHANGES (default: COMMENT)
#
# Examples:
python comment_manager.py add owner repo --issue 42 --body "Thanks for reporting!"
python comment_manager.py add owner repo --pr 42 --body "LGTM!"
python comment_manager.py review owner repo --pr 42 --body "Great work!" --event APPROVE
python comment_manager.py review owner repo --pr 42 --body "Please fix..." --event REQUEST_CHANGES
5. GitHub Detective (Investigation Tools)
File: github_detective.py
Use Cases:
- Explore repository structure (branches, tags, releases, files)
- Search commits by message, author, path, or date
- Track which commit introduced specific content (searches Diffs/Patches, not current Blame)
- Search and investigate Pull Requests
- Search and investigate Issues
Typical Task Examples:
- List all branches in a repository
- Find commits with "fix" in the message
- Trace which commit introduced a specific function
- Find the PR that introduced authentication
- Find issues related to "memory leak"
Usage:
# Usage:
# python github_detective.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# explore Explore repository structure
# search-commits Search commits by message/author/path
# trace-content Find the commit that introduced content
# search-prs Search and investigate Pull Requests
# search-issues Search and investigate Issues
#
# explore options:
# --show <items> Comma-separated: branches,tags,releases,files
# --path <dir> Directory path for file listing
# --branch <name> Branch for file listing
#
# search-commits options:
# --query <regex> Pattern to match in commit messages
# --author <name> Filter by author
# --path <file> Filter by file path
# --branch <name> Branch to search
# --since <date> Start date (ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD)
# --until <date> End date (ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD)
# --limit <n> Maximum results (default: 10)
#
# trace-content options:
# --content <text> Text to search for (required)
# --file <filepath> File to search in (recommended)
# --branch <name> Branch to search
# --max-commits <n> Maximum commits to scan (default: 10)
# --find-branches Find which branches contain the content
#
# search-prs options:
# --query <keyword> Search PRs by keyword
# --number <n> Get specific PR details
# --show-files Show files changed (use with --number)
# --state <state> Filter: open/closed/all
#
# search-issues options:
# --query <keyword> Search Issues by keyword
# --state <state> Filter: open/closed/all
# --limit <n> Maximum results (default: 20)
#
# Examples:
python github_detective.py explore owner repo --show branches,tags
python github_detective.py search-commits owner repo --query "fix" --limit 20
python github_detective.py trace-content owner repo --content "def calculate" --file "src/utils.py"
python github_detective.py search-prs owner repo --number 42 --show-files
python github_detective.py search-issues owner repo --query "bug" --state open
6. GitFlow Workflow
File: gitflow_manager.py
Use Cases:
- Initialize GitFlow structure (create develop branch from main)
- Finish feature/release/hotfix branches (create PR and merge)
Note: This script handles GitFlow workflow operations. For creating branches, use basic tools.
[!TIP] How to Start a Feature/Release: GitFlow "start" is simply creating a branch from
develop.# Start a feature python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.create_branch('owner', 'repo', 'feature/login', from_branch='develop')"
Typical Task Examples:
- Initialize GitFlow for a new repository
- Finish a feature by merging to develop
- Finish a release by merging to main
Usage:
# Usage:
# python gitflow_manager.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# init Initialize GitFlow (create develop branch from main)
# finish Finish a branch (create PR and merge)
#
# init options:
# (no additional options)
#
# finish options:
# --type <type> Branch type: feature/release/hotfix (required)
# --name <name> Branch name without prefix (required)
# --target <branch> Target branch to merge into (required)
# --merge-method <m> Merge method: squash/merge/rebase (default: squash)
#
# Examples:
python gitflow_manager.py init owner repo
python gitflow_manager.py finish owner repo --type feature --name "user-auth" --target develop
python gitflow_manager.py finish owner repo --type release --name "1.0.0" --target main --merge-method merge
7. CI/CD Workflow Builder
File: workflow_builder.py
Use Cases:
- Create GitHub Actions workflow files
- Generate common CI/CD pipelines (lint, test, scheduled tasks)
IMPORTANT: These commands are fully automated pipelines that create branch, push files, create PR, and merge. Do NOT use when you need manual control over commits.
Typical Task Examples:
- Create a linting workflow for PRs
- Add a CI pipeline that runs tests
- Create a scheduled health check job
Usage:
# Usage:
# python workflow_builder.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# ci-basic Create basic CI workflow (test + build)
# lint Create linting workflow with ESLint
# scheduled Create scheduled/cron workflow
#
# ci-basic options:
# --trigger <events> Trigger events: push,pull_request (default: push,pull_request)
# --branch <branch> Branch to run on (default: main)
# --node-version <v> Node.js version (default: 18)
#
# lint options:
# --trigger <events> Trigger events (default: push,pull_request)
# --branch <branch> Branch to run on (default: main)
#
# scheduled options:
# --cron <expression> Cron expression (required, e.g., "0 2 * * *")
# --script <command> Script to run (required)
# --name <name> Workflow name (default: "Nightly Health Check")
#
# Examples:
python workflow_builder.py ci-basic owner repo --trigger "push,pull_request" --branch main
python workflow_builder.py lint owner repo --trigger "push,pull_request" --branch main
python workflow_builder.py scheduled owner repo --cron "0 2 * * *" --script "npm run health-check"
8. Release Manager
File: release_manager.py
Use Cases:
- Prepare releases (create release branch + changelog)
- Bump version numbers in config files (package.json, Cargo.toml, pyproject.toml)
- Generate changelogs from commit history
- Finish releases (merge to main)
Typical Task Examples:
- Prepare version 2.1.0 release from develop
- Update version in package.json
- Generate changelog for the past month
- Finish and merge a release
Usage:
# Usage:
# python release_manager.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# prepare Prepare a release (create branch + changelog)
# bump-version Update version in config file
# changelog Generate changelog from commits
# finish Finish release (merge to main)
#
# prepare options:
# --version <version> Version number (required, e.g., "2.1.0")
# --from <branch> Source branch (default: develop)
#
# bump-version options:
# --file <filepath> Config file: package.json/Cargo.toml/pyproject.toml (required)
# --version <version> New version number (required)
# --branch <branch> Target branch (required)
#
# changelog options:
# --since <date> Start date in ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD (optional)
# --until <date> End date in ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD (optional)
# --output <path> Output file path (default: CHANGELOG.md)
# --branch <branch> Target branch (default: main)
#
# finish options:
# --version <version> Version number (required)
# --target <branch> Target branch (default: main)
# --merge-method <m> Merge method: squash/merge/rebase (default: squash)
#
# Examples:
python release_manager.py prepare owner repo --version "2.1.0" --from develop
python release_manager.py bump-version owner repo --file "package.json" --version "2.1.0" --branch release/v2.1.0
python release_manager.py changelog owner repo --since "2024-01-01" --output "CHANGELOG.md"
python release_manager.py finish owner repo --version "2.1.0"
9. Config Generator
File: config_generator.py
Use Cases:
- Generate ESLint configuration files
- Create Issue templates (bug, feature, maintenance)
- Create PR templates
Typical Task Examples:
- Add ESLint config with recommended rules
- Standardize issue reporting with templates
- Create PR template for code reviews
Usage:
# Usage:
# python config_generator.py <command> <owner> <repo> [options]
# Commands:
# eslint Create ESLint configuration
# issue-templates Create Issue templates
# pr-template Create PR template
#
# eslint options:
# --extends <config> Base config to extend (default: eslint:recommended)
# --rules <csv> Comma-separated rules: semi,quotes,indent,no-var,prefer-const
# --branch <branch> Target branch (default: main)
#
# issue-templates options:
# --types <csv> Template types: bug,feature,maintenance (default: bug,feature)
# --branch <branch> Target branch (default: main)
#
# pr-template options:
# --branch <branch> Target branch (default: main)
#
# Examples:
python config_generator.py eslint owner repo --extends "eslint:recommended" --rules "semi,quotes"
python config_generator.py issue-templates owner repo --types "bug,feature,maintenance"
python config_generator.py pr-template owner repo
III. Basic Tools (When to Use Single Functions)
Below are the basic tool functions for atomic operations. Use these when skills don't cover your specific need.
[!CAUTION]
- Strictly adhere to the tool list: Do NOT use any tools or methods not explicitly documented in this section.
- Fragile Arguments: Do NOT pass multi-line strings or code blocks to
run_github_ops.py. It useseval(), which is extremely fragile with complex quoting.- Content Operations: ALWAYS use Skill Scripts (
file_editor.py, etc.) for content operations.
Note: Code should be written without line breaks. Do not use multi-line logic or complex scripts.
How to Run
# Usage:
# python run_github_ops.py -c "<await github.<tool_name>(args)"
# Example:
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.get_file_contents('owner', 'repo', 'README.md', ref='main')"
Branch Tools
create_branch(owner, repo, branch, from_branch=None)
Create a new branch in a GitHub repository
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.create_branch('owner', 'repo', 'feature/new-login', from_branch='main')"
list_branches(owner, repo, page=1, per_page=30)
List all branches in a repository. Useful for checking if a branch exists before creating.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.list_branches('owner', 'repo')"
File Tools
get_file_contents(owner, repo, path, ref=None, sha=None)
Read file content or directory listing. Also returns file SHA needed for updates.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.get_file_contents('owner', 'repo', 'src/main.py', ref='develop')"
create_or_update_file(owner, repo, path, content, message, branch, sha=None)
Create or update a single file in a GitHub repository. If updating, you must provide the SHA of the file you want to update. Use this tool to create or update a file in a GitHub repository remotely; do not use it for local file operations.
# Create new file:
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.create_or_update_file('owner', 'repo', 'README.md', '# Project', 'Add README', 'main')"
# Update existing file (need SHA):
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.create_or_update_file('owner', 'repo', 'README.md', '# Updated', 'Update README', 'main', sha='abc123')"
push_files(owner, repo, branch, files, message)
Push multiple files to a GitHub repository in a single commit
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.push_files('owner', 'repo', 'main', [{'path': 'a.txt', 'content': 'A'}], 'Add files')"
Issue Tools
issue_write(owner, repo, title, body=None, labels=None, assignees=None, milestone=None, issue_number=None, state=None, state_reason=None, method=None)
Create a new or update an existing issue in a GitHub repository.
# Create:
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.issue_write('owner', 'repo', 'Bug Report', body='Description', labels=['bug'], method='create')"
# Close
# fetch issue first to get title
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.issue_write('owner', 'repo', 'Original Title', issue_number=42, state='closed', state_reason='completed', method='update')"
issue_read(owner, repo, issue_number, method=None)
Get information about a specific issue in a GitHub repository.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.issue_read('owner', 'repo', 42)"
add_issue_comment(owner, repo, issue_number, body)
Add a comment to a specific issue in a GitHub repository. Use this tool to add comments to pull requests as well (in this case pass pull request number as issue_number), but only if user is not asking specifically to add review comments.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.add_issue_comment('owner', 'repo', 42, 'Thanks for reporting!')"
list_issue_types(owner, repo)
List supported issue types for repository owner (organization).
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.list_issue_types('owner', 'repo')"
sub_issue_write(owner, repo, issue_number, title=None, method=None, sub_issue_id=None)
Add a sub-issue to a parent issue in a GitHub repository.
# Create new sub-issue:
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.sub_issue_write('owner', 'repo', 42, title='Sub task')"
# Add existing issue as sub-issue:
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.sub_issue_write('owner', 'repo', 42, method='add', sub_issue_id=43)"
get_label(owner, repo, name)
Get a specific label from a repository.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.get_label('owner', 'repo', 'bug')"
Pull Request Tools
create_pull_request(owner, repo, title, head, base, body=None, draft=False, maintainer_can_modify=True)
Create a new pull request in a GitHub repository.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.create_pull_request('owner', 'repo', 'Add feature', 'feature-branch', 'main', body='Description', maintainer_can_modify=True)"
merge_pull_request(owner, repo, pull_number, merge_method='merge', commit_title=None, commit_message=None)
Merge a pull request in a GitHub repository.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.merge_pull_request('owner', 'repo', 42, merge_method='squash')"
pull_request_read(owner, repo, pull_number, method=None, per_page=None)
Get information on a specific pull request in GitHub repository.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.pull_request_read('owner', 'repo', 42, method='get_files')"
update_pull_request(owner, repo, pull_number, title=None, body=None, state=None, labels=None, reviewers=None)
Update an existing pull request in a GitHub repository.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.update_pull_request('owner', 'repo', 42, state='closed', labels=['wontfix'])"
pull_request_review_write(owner, repo, pullNumber, method=None, body=None, event=None)
Create and/or submit, delete review of a pull request.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.pull_request_review_write(owner='owner', repo='repo', pullNumber=42, method='create', body='LGTM! Great implementation.', event='COMMENT')"
add_comment_to_pending_review(**kwargs)
Add review comment to the requester's latest pending pull request review. A pending review needs to already exist to call this (check with the user if not sure).
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.add_comment_to_pending_review(owner='owner', repo='repo', pullNumber=42, body='Fix this', path='file.py', line=10)"
update_pull_request_branch(owner, repo, pull_number)
Update the branch of a pull request with the latest changes from the base branch.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.update_pull_request_branch('owner', 'repo', 42)"
User & Team Tools
get_me()
Get details of the authenticated GitHub user. Use this when a request is about the user's own profile for GitHub. Or when information is missing to build other tool calls.
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.get_me()"
get_teams(org)
Get details of the teams the user is a member of. Limited to organizations accessible with current credentials
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.get_teams('org-name')"
get_team_members(org, team_slug)
Get member usernames of a specific team in an organization. Limited to organizations accessible with current credentials
python run_github_ops.py -c "await github.get_team_members('org-name', 'team-slug')"