GitHub Pages Skill

Purpose

Deploy static HTML/CSS/JS sites to GitHub Pages. No servers, no databases — pure static hosting.

When to Use

Trigger when the user says:

• "deploy a site", "host on GitHub", "GitHub Pages"
• "publish HTML", "static site", "make it live"
• "put it online", "deploy a landing page"

When NOT to Use

• The site needs a backend / database → Use Vercel (serverless) or DO (VPS)
• The site uses React/Next.js and needs SSR → Use Vercel
• The site needs environment variables at runtime → Use Vercel or DO

Protocol

File Structure

GitHub Pages serves from the root of gh-pages branch (or /docs on main):

gh-pages branch:
  index.html          ← required entry point
  style.css
  script.js
  assets/
    images/

Pages URL Format

https://{owner}.github.io/{repo}/

Example: https://iamthetonyb.github.io/atlas-demo/

If the repo name matches {owner}.github.io, it serves at the root domain.

Limitations

• Static files only (HTML, CSS, JS, images, fonts)
• No server-side execution
• No environment variables at runtime
• Bandwidth limits on free tier (100GB/month soft limit)
• Build time: typically 30–90 seconds after push

Deployment Steps

1. Ensure repo exists (create if needed)
2. Push HTML/CSS/JS files to gh-pages branch
3. Enable GitHub Pages via API (source: gh-pages branch, path: /)
4. Wait 30–90 seconds for Pages to build
5. Return live URL to user

Approval Required

Requires owner approval (low risk — public static content only).