Github navigator

Skill arvindand/agent-skills/skills/github-navigator

Reusable agent skills for Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and other AI assistants. Dependency intelligence, GitHub ops, documentation lookup, UI/UX design patterns.

Install

npx -y skills add arvindand/agent-skills --skill github-navigator

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

15 stars15 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.

What its author says it does

Copied from the file, not written here

GitHub operations via gh CLI. CRITICAL: Use instead of WebFetch for any `github.com` URL or GitHub repo path like `owner/repo`. Use when the user asks to inspect repositories, files, issues, pull requests, releases, Actions runs, or repository structure. Use when the user says 'show README', 'list issues', 'check PR', 'clone repo', or 'analyze this repo'. Use even when the user just pastes a github.com URL without an explicit verb.

The file declares its own license as MIT. That is the author’s claim about this one file, and it is not the same thing as the license GitHub reports for the repository, which is listed with the other numbers below.

SKILL.md

4.6 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it

GitHub Navigator

Use gh for GitHub work. Prefer command discovery over memorizing flags.

This is an execution skill. Use gh instead of generic web fetching for GitHub tasks, inspect gh --help when syntax is uncertain, then execute with tight guardrails. Keep the main flow lean and load REFERENCES.md only when you need concrete examples, installation steps, or GraphQL details.

When to Use

Activate when:

the user gives a github.com URL
the user names a repo path like facebook/react or owner/repo
the user asks about repository files, issues, PRs, releases, workflows, or metadata
the user wants to understand the architecture or structure of a GitHub-hosted codebase

Core Rules

Always prefer gh over WebFetch for GitHub content and operations.
Use gh api for raw file content, directory listings, and API-only endpoints.
Use gh subcommands (issue, pr, release, run, workflow, repo) when a dedicated command exists.
Use gh <domain> --help before guessing flags or subcommands.
Limit each command pattern to 2 attempts; if it still fails, stop and report the error.

Command Routing

User Intent	Primary Command Path
fetch file or list directory	`gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/...`
inspect issues	`gh issue ...`
inspect pull requests	`gh pr ...`
inspect releases	`gh release ...`
inspect Actions runs or workflows	`gh run ...` or `gh workflow ...`
inspect repo metadata or clone/fork	`gh repo ...`
endpoints without a dedicated subcommand	`gh api ...`

Use dedicated subcommands first. Fall back to gh api only when needed.

Execution Pattern

Identify the command domain from the request.
Check the relevant help output if the exact syntax is not already obvious.
Substitute the user's repo, path, issue number, PR number, or other arguments.
Run the command.
If it fails, adjust once based on the error message.
If it fails again, stop and report the error instead of trying blind variations.

Deep Analysis Mode

When the user wants to understand a codebase deeply, clone it locally for inspection instead of making many remote API calls.

Default flow:

Clone with depth 1 to /tmp/github-navigator/OWNER-REPO/

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git /tmp/github-navigator/OWNER-REPO

Inspect the repository for:
- tech stack signals (package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pom.xml, requirements.txt, etc.)
- high-level directory structure
- entry points and primary modules
- README, docs, examples, and contribution files
- architectural patterns worth calling out
Summarize the findings in plain language.
Keep the clone for follow-up questions unless cleanup is requested.

Use a full clone only if the user explicitly needs commit history or deeper git analysis.

Safety

Always confirm before executing state-changing or destructive commands, including:

creating, closing, or reopening issues
creating, merging, or closing pull requests
deleting, archiving, or transferring repositories
setting secrets or triggering workflows
any use of --force, --yes, or similar bypass flags

Authentication and Recovery

Check gh auth status when the task touches private repos or write operations.
Use gh auth login if the client is not authenticated.
If permissions are insufficient, use gh auth refresh -s repo -s workflow -s read:org as appropriate.
If a command fails, read the error, check help, retry once, then stop.
If gh is not installed, point the user to REFERENCES.md for installation guidance.

Reference Handoff

Use REFERENCES.md when you need:

concrete example commands for common tasks
install and auth setup details
troubleshooting reminders
GraphQL examples or other lower-frequency patterns

License: MIT See also: REFERENCES.md