# Gh Smart Clone > Set up GitHub clones, forks, remotes, local identity, and grouping related repos under a shared folder. - Skill: `tmchow/gh-smart-clone` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tmchow/gh-smart-clone` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tmchow/gh-smart-clone/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tmchow (https://skillmd.com/u/tmchow) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tmchow/gh-smart-clone --- # gh-smart-clone ## Overview Use `gh smart-clone` as the default GitHub checkout tool when it is installed. It encodes a path taxonomy that helps agents avoid confusing project identity, fork ownership, and write authority. The local path should communicate what kind of work the checkout represents. Remotes should communicate where pulls and pushes go. Do not use raw `git clone` or `gh repo clone` for GitHub repositories unless the user explicitly wants that lower-level behavior, the repo is not on GitHub, or `gh-smart-clone` is unavailable. ## Scenario Guide ### First-party or Maintained Repo Use normal mode when the repository belongs to the user, their organization, or a project they maintain as first-party work. ```sh gh smart-clone OWNER/REPO ``` This places the checkout under the main code workspace, usually: ```text ~/Code/OWNER/REPO ``` Use this mode for ordinary owned repositories, company repositories, and repos the user treats as part of their primary workspace. It must not create forks. ### External OSS Inspection Use `--oss` when the user wants to read, inspect, debug, run, or reference an external project without setting up a contribution fork. ```sh gh smart-clone --oss OWNER/REPO ``` This keeps external work under the OSS boundary: ```text ~/Code/oss/OWNER/REPO ``` The `oss/` segment is a workflow boundary, not merely a tidy folder name. It tells future agents: "this is external code; be careful about authority and assumptions." ### External OSS Contribution Use `--contribute` only when the user intends to make changes that may be submitted through a fork. ```sh gh smart-clone --contribute OWNER/REPO ``` This mode may create GitHub state by creating or reusing a fork. It should clone the fork as `origin`, place the checkout under the upstream OSS project path, and configure `upstream` to the original project. Expected shape: ```text path: ~/Code/oss/UPSTREAM_OWNER/REPO origin: fork owner push remote upstream: upstream project pull remote ``` If the user passes an existing fork, treat the parent as the canonical upstream project when possible. The fork owner is a push mechanism, not the project identity. ### Existing Checkout If the destination already exists, do not silently reclone over it or mutate remotes. Inspect it first: ```sh git -C /path/to/checkout remote -v git -C /path/to/checkout config user.name git -C /path/to/checkout config user.email ``` Use `--contribute --reconfigure` only when the user wants the existing checkout intentionally updated for contribution workflow remotes and optional local identity. ```sh gh smart-clone --contribute --reconfigure OWNER/REPO ``` ### Grouping Related Repos Use `--group ` when the user wants several related repositories collected under one organizational folder instead of scattered directly under the owner. The group is a cosmetic directory segment placed between owner and repo; it does not change remotes, fork ownership, or local git identity. ```sh gh smart-clone --group illo tmchow/illo-website gh smart-clone --group illo tmchow/illo-skill gh smart-clone --group illo tmchow/illo-characters ``` Result: ```text ~/Code/tmchow/illo/illo-website ~/Code/tmchow/illo/illo-skill ~/Code/tmchow/illo/illo-characters ``` The group folder is plain organization, not a checkout: it is never itself a git repository and never gets remotes. Grouping is explicit because it cannot be safely inferred. Do not assume a shared name prefix (`illo-*`) implies a group; only group when the user asks to. `--group` composes with every mode, so `--oss --group vendor` and `--contribute --group vendor` place the grouped folder under the correct root and upstream path. ## Operating Principles - Prefer `gh smart-clone` for GitHub clone and fork setup whenever it is installed. - Keep project identity in the owner/repo path. For forks, the path should usually name the upstream project. - Keep work relationship in the root. Main workspace means first-party/maintained work; `oss/` means external work. - Treat fork creation as a side effect. Only `--contribute` may create or reuse a fork for contribution setup. - Use `--oss` for inspection. Do not create forks just because a repo is external. - Treat `--group` as cosmetic. It only organizes checkouts on disk; it never changes identity, remotes, or authority, and it is used only when the user asks to group repos. - Verify remotes and local git identity before editing, committing, or pushing in contribution checkouts. - Fail or ask before changing an existing checkout unless `--reconfigure` is explicit. ## Setup Philosophy The extension is config-driven. Do not hardcode a person's account, name, email, or SSH alias in public automation. Relevant user-level configuration: ```sh git config --global smart-clone.prefix ~/Code git config --global smart-clone.ossPrefix ~/Code/oss git config --global smart-clone.forkOwner OWNER_OR_ORG git config --global smart-clone.gitName "Example Name" git config --global smart-clone.gitEmail person@example.com git config --global smart-clone.sshAlias github.com-work ``` Use `--fork-owner OWNER_OR_ORG` for one-off contribution workflows. If the fork owner differs from the authenticated `gh` user, the extension treats it as an organization fork target. ## Verification After contribution setup and before editing or pushing, verify: ```sh pwd git remote -v git config user.name git config user.email gh auth status ``` Confirm these facts: - The checkout path is under the intended first-party or `oss/` root. - `origin` points to the intended fork or owned repository. - `upstream` points to the original project for contribution checkouts. - The authenticated GitHub account and local git identity match the work context. - Existing checkout changes were made only through explicit `--reconfigure`. ## Common Pitfalls - Cloning a contribution fork under the fork owner's path instead of the upstream project path. - Using `--oss` when the user actually intends to contribute through a fork; use `--contribute` instead. - Creating forks during inspection tasks. Fork creation belongs only to contribution mode. - Pushing with the wrong GitHub account or SSH alias. - Mutating an existing checkout's remotes without explicit reconfiguration intent. - Reusing a fork whose parent is not the requested upstream project.