Git & GitHub Quick Start

Git & GitHub Quick Start

Time: 30-45 minutes for core setup Goal: Get you cloning, committing, and pushing to GitHub

The Absolute Essentials

Step 1: Install Git (5-10 minutes)

Check if you have Git:

git --version

If you see "command not found", install it:

xcode-select --install

Click "Install" in the popup, wait 5-10 minutes, then verify:

git --version

Configure Git:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Step 2: Set Up GitHub Account (5 minutes)

1. Go to github.com and sign up
2. Use your work email
3. Choose a professional username
4. Enable 2FA (Settings → Password and authentication → Two-factor authentication)

Create organization (for professional work):

1. Click profile picture → "Your organizations"
2. Click "New organization" → "Create a free organization"
3. Choose organization name (e.g., acme-corp, your-company)

Step 3: Set Up SSH Keys (15-20 minutes)

Why? GitHub doesn't accept passwords anymore. SSH keys are a one-time setup for secure authentication.

Generate key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

• Press Enter (default location)
• Create a passphrase (you'll only type this once if you do the next step)
• Press Enter again

Add to Mac keychain (so you never retype passphrase):

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Create config file (makes keychain permanent):

cat >> ~/.ssh/config << 'EOF'
Host github.com
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
EOF

Copy public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | pbcopy

(Your public key is now copied to clipboard)

Add to GitHub:

1. Go to github.com → Settings
2. Click "SSH and GPG keys" (left sidebar)
3. Click "New SSH key"
4. Title: "My MacBook" (or whatever)
5. Paste (Cmd+V) your key
6. Click "Add SSH key"

Test it works:

ssh -T git@github.com

First time, you'll see a warning—type yes and press Enter.

Success looks like:

Hi yourname! You've successfully authenticated...

Step 4: Clone Project Creator (5 minutes)

Create a dev folder:

mkdir -p ~/dev
cd ~/dev

Clone the repository:

git clone git@github.com:Consortium-team/project-creator.git

Verify:

ls ~/dev/project-creator

You should see: CLAUDE.md, README.md, .claude/, projects/, etc.

Step 5: Daily Workflow (5 minutes)

The four-command loop:

cd ~/dev/project-creator          # 1. Go to your project

git status                         # 2. See what changed

git add .                          # 3. Stage all changes

git commit -m "Descriptive message about what you did"  # 4. Commit

git push                           # 5. Upload to GitHub

Example:

cd ~/dev/project-creator
# (make some changes to files)
git status
git add .
git commit -m "Add client profile and intake notes"
git push

Commit Message Template

Complete this sentence: "This commit will..."

Good:

• ✅ "Add initial requirements from client intake session"
• ✅ "Update contact information and project terms"
• ✅ "Fix typo in CLAUDE.md"

Bad:

• ❌ "Updated stuff"
• ❌ "WIP"
• ❌ "asdf"

Common Errors & Quick Fixes

When You're Stuck

Before asking for help:

1. Run git status and read the output
2. Copy the EXACT error message
3. Google: "git [your error message]"

Ask for help with:

• What you were trying to do
• The exact command you ran
• The complete error message
• Output of git status

Next Steps

Once you're comfortable with the basics (2-3 weeks):

• Read the full guide: getting-up-to-speed-on-github.md
• Learn about branches (for experimental work)
• Use Claude Code to automate routine Git tasks

Daily Habit

End of every work session:

cd ~/dev/project-creator
git add .
git commit -m "End of session: [what you worked on]"
git push

Start of every work session:

cd ~/dev/project-creator
git pull  # Get latest changes

This prevents conflicts and keeps your work safe.

That's It!

You now know enough Git to use Project Creator effectively. Everything else is refinement.

Questions? Check the full guide or ask Claude Code.