Get GitHub Repository Information

Retrieve detailed information about a GitHub repository.

Usage

npx tsx scripts/repo.ts <repository> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
repository	Yes	Repository in format owner/repo or full GitHub URL

Options

Option	Description
--token=TOKEN	GitHub Personal Access Token (optional, overrides GITHUB_TOKEN env var)
--no-cache	Bypass cache and fetch fresh data from API

Output

facebook/react
----------------
Description: A declarative, efficient, and flexible JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
Created: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2023-10-15
Pushed: 2023-10-15

Statistics:
  Stars: 213,456
  Forks: 45,678
  Open issues: 1,234
  Watchers: 7,890

Details:
  Language: TypeScript
  License: MIT
  Private: No
  Fork: No
  Default branch: main

Features:
  Issues: Enabled
  Projects: Enabled
  Wiki: Enabled
  Pages: Disabled

Script Execution (Preferred)

npx tsx scripts/repo.ts <repository> [options]

Options:

• --token=TOKEN - GitHub Personal Access Token (optional, overrides GITHUB_TOKEN env var)
• --no-cache - Bypass cache and fetch fresh data from API

Run from the github-api plugin directory: ~/.claude/plugins/cache/github-api/

Repository API

GET https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
owner	Yes	Repository owner (user or organization)
repo	Yes	Repository name

Examples

Get repository information:

https://api.github.com/repos/facebook/react

Response Format

The response contains comprehensive repository metadata:

• id - Repository ID
• name - Repository name
• full_name - Owner/repo (e.g., "facebook/react")
• owner - Owner object (login, id, avatar_url, type, etc.)
• description - Repository description
• private - Whether the repository is private
• fork - Whether this is a fork
• created_at - Creation timestamp
• updated_at - Last update timestamp
• pushed_at - Last push timestamp
• homepage - Homepage URL
• size - Repository size in kilobytes
• stargazers_count - Number of stars
• watchers_count - Number of watchers
• language - Primary programming language
• languages_url - URL to get all languages
• has_issues - Whether issues are enabled
• has_projects - Whether projects are enabled
• has_wiki - Whether wiki is enabled
• has_pages - Whether GitHub Pages is enabled
• forks_count - Number of forks
• open_issues_count - Number of open issues
• license - License information
• topics - Repository topics
• default_branch - Default branch name

URL Format Support

The script accepts various URL formats:

• owner/repo (simple format)
• https://github.com/owner/repo
• git+https://github.com/owner/repo
• git@github.com:owner/repo
• ssh://git@github.com/owner/repo

All formats are automatically parsed to extract owner and repo.

Authentication

GitHub API rate limits:

• Unauthenticated: 60 requests/hour
• Authenticated: 5,000 requests/hour

To increase your rate limit, provide a GitHub Personal Access Token:

Via environment variable:

export GITHUB_TOKEN=your_token_here
npx tsx scripts/repo.ts facebook/react

Via command-line option:

npx tsx scripts/repo.ts facebook/react --token=your_token_here

Create a token at: https://github.com/settings/tokens

Caching

Repository metadata is cached for 30 minutes. Repository information changes relatively infrequently, so this provides good freshness while improving performance.

Use the --no-cache flag to bypass the cache.

Related

• Use github-readme to fetch the repository README
• Use github-user to get owner profile information
• Use github-rate-limit to check your remaining API quota

Error Handling

Repository not found: Verify the owner and repository name are correct. Private repositories require authentication with appropriate access.

Rate limit exceeded: Use a Personal Access Token to increase your quota, or wait for the quota to reset (hourly).

Authentication errors: Ensure your token is valid and has the necessary permissions (for private repos).

Use Cases

Package Research

Get GitHub information for npm packages:

npx tsx scripts/repo.ts facebook/react
npx tsx scripts/repo.ts vercel/next.js

Repository Stats

Check popularity and activity:

npx tsx scripts/repo.ts nodejs/node --token=$GITHUB_TOKEN

License Information

Check repository license:

npx tsx scripts/repo.ts microsoft/typescript