Home Docs Claude Documentation

One capture · claude-docs

One read of Claude Documentationclaude-docs-20260928T010708Z

5 pages moved out of 255 read.

Pages moved 5 significant first

Pages read 255 in this capture

Captured 28 Sep 2026 01:07 UTC

Corpus hash 571988d03294 corpus-hash

What this read moved

1-5 of 5

connectors/github/index Changed · +57 / -15 lines

## Grant Claude access to a private repository ### Change which files Claude reads in a project ## Troubleshooting ### Add from GitHub doesn't appear in a chat ### Claude cannot access that resource ## Connect a private repository

from line 1

11# GitHub integration

3> Add files and folders from your GitHub repositories to a conversation or project so Claude can read your code

3> Add a GitHub repository to a conversation, or files and folders from a repository to a project, so Claude can read your code

5The GitHub integration lets you add files and folders from your GitHub repositories to a conversation or a project, so Claude can read your code and answer development questions with that context. It's available on every plan, including Free, and works with public repositories and with private repositories you grant access to.

5The GitHub integration lets you add a GitHub repository to a conversation, or files and folders from a repository to a project, so Claude can read your code and answer development questions with that context. It's available on every plan, including Free, and works with public repositories and with private repositories you grant access to.

77By the end of this page you have added repository content to a chat or a project and asked Claude about it. Claude reads file names and contents only: it doesn't see commit history, pull requests, or issues.

from line 12

1212

1313## Add repository content

1414

15You can add repository content to a single conversation, or to a [project](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9517075-what-are-projects), a workspace in Claude where a set of chats share the same background documents. Choose the tab below for where you want the content available. If you haven't signed in to GitHub from Claude yet, Claude sends you to GitHub to sign in before you continue.

1616

1717<Tabs>

1818 <Tab title="In a chat">

19 In a chat, the **Add from GitHub** option appears only after your GitHub account is connected to Claude. To connect your GitHub account, follow these steps:

21 1. Go to [**Customize > Connectors**](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors).

22 2. Select **GitHub Integration**.

23 3. Select **Connect**.

25 After your GitHub account is connected, add a repository to a chat:

1927 <Steps>

2028 <Step title="Open the add menu">

2129 In the conversation, select **+** at the lower left of the message box.

from line 33

2533 Select **Add from GitHub**.

2634 </Step>

2735

28 <Step title="Select files and folders">

29 Use the file browser to select the files and folders you want Claude to read.

36 <Step title="Pick a repository">

37 Search the repositories you have access to, or paste a repository URL.

3038 </Step>

3139

40 <Step title="Add the repository">

41 Select **Add repository**. Claude adds the repository's URL to your message.

42 </Step>

3244 <Step title="Send your message">

33 Write your question and send it. Claude reads and processes the selected content when you send the message.

45 Send your question.

3446 </Step>

3547 </Steps>

3648 </Tab>

from line 50

3850 <Tab title="In a project">

3951 You can add repository content only to a private project, one you haven't shared with other people. In a shared project, the **GitHub** option is dimmed and shows **Only accessible from private projects**.

4052

53 If your GitHub account isn't connected to Claude yet, selecting **GitHub** sends you to GitHub to sign in before you continue.

4155 <Steps>

4256 <Step title="Open project knowledge">

4357 Open the project and, in its project knowledge section, select **+**.

from line 68

5468 <Step title="Select files and folders">

5569 Use the file browser to select the files and folders you want Claude to read.

5670 </Step>

72 <Step title="Add the files">

73 Select **Add files**.

74 </Step>

5775 </Steps>

5876

5977 The selected content is added to the project's knowledge.

from line 78

6078 </Tab>

6179</Tabs>

6280

63## Connect a private repository

81## Grant Claude access to a private repository

6482

65If a warning appears after you enter a valid repository URL, the repository is most likely private and Claude doesn't have access to it yet. Follow the link in the warning to the Claude GitHub App, where you have two options:

83When you pick a private repository that Claude doesn't have access to yet, or paste its URL, the **Add content from GitHub** dialog shows **Claude cannot access that resource. If you know that it exists, you may first need to grant or request access here.** The **here** link in that message opens the Claude GitHub App installation page on GitHub, where you have two options:

6684

6785* **Grant access yourself**: allow Claude access to all of your repositories or only to specific ones

68* **Request access**: your GitHub organization's administrators receive an email notification. Once they approve, you can sync and add the repository

86* **Request access**: for a repository owned by a GitHub organization you don't administer, ask for access. The organization's administrators receive an email notification from GitHub.

6987

88After access is granted, pick the repository again.

7090## Try the connector

7191

72After you add repository content, ask Claude something that depends on the code you selected. For example, ask Claude:

92After you add repository content, ask Claude something that depends on the code you added. For example, ask Claude:

7393

74* Explain how request authentication works in these files

94* Explain how request authentication works in this repository

7595* Where is the retry logic, and what happens when it gives up?

7696

77Claude answers from the names and contents of the files you selected on the branch you chose. It doesn't see commit history, pull requests, issues, or repository metadata; [Review what Claude retrieves from GitHub](#review-what-claude-retrieves-from-github) has the full list.

97Claude doesn't see commit history, pull requests, issues, or repository metadata. [Review what Claude retrieves from GitHub](#review-what-claude-retrieves-from-github) has the full list.

7898

7999## Keep repository content current

80100

81After you add a repository, use these controls in your project knowledge to keep its content current and scoped to what you need:

101After you add a repository to a project, use these controls in your project knowledge to keep its content current:

82102

83103* **Sync**: select **Sync now** on the repository in your project knowledge to fetch the latest changes, especially before a new analysis or after major changes to the repository

84* **Change the selection**: select **Configure files** to change which files and folders Claude reads

85104* **Multiple repositories**: you can add several repositories for broader context, as long as the selected content fits within Claude's context window

86105* **Lost access**: if you lose access to a repository, you can no longer view its contents in projects where it was added. The repository preview is removed, but your conversation history remains

87106

107### Change which files Claude reads in a project

108

109You can change which files and folders Claude reads from a repository you already added to a project.

110

1111. Open the project.

1122. In your project knowledge, select the repository.

1133. Select the files and folders you want Claude to read.

1144. Select **Update**.

115

88116## Review what Claude retrieves from GitHub

89117

90118The table lists what the integration reads from a repository and what it leaves out.

from line 126

98126

99127## Best practices

100128

101These habits help Claude give useful answers about a codebase:

129These habits help when you add repository content to a project:

102130

103131* **Start small**: begin with a small subset of the codebase to see how Claude interprets your code

104132* **Select files thoughtfully**: include the files central to your task while staying within token limits

from line 133

105133* **Iterate and refine**: ask follow-up questions when an initial response needs clarification

106134* **Combine with human expertise**: treat Claude's analysis as a starting point for team discussion

107135* **Sync regularly**: refresh the GitHub sync periodically, especially before a new analysis or after major repository changes

136

137## Troubleshooting

138

139The GitHub integration is built into Claude and managed from [**Customize > Connectors**](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors), where it's listed as **GitHub Integration** under **Your connectors** whether or not you've connected it.

140

141### Add from GitHub doesn't appear in a chat

142

143The **+** menu in a chat shows **Add from GitHub** only after your GitHub account is connected to Claude. Go to [**Customize > Connectors**](https://claude.ai/customize/connectors), select **GitHub Integration** under **Your connectors**, and select the **Connect** button. Then open the **+** menu in the chat again.

144

145On Team and Enterprise plans, **GitHub Integration** appears in **Customize > Connectors** only while GitHub is turned on for your organization. If it isn't listed there, ask someone who manages your organization's settings to turn it on in [**Organization settings > Connectors**](https://claude.ai/admin-settings/connectors).

146

147### Claude cannot access that resource

148

149Claude couldn't reach the repository you picked or pasted. If the repository exists, it's most likely private and Claude doesn't have access to it yet. Follow [Grant Claude access to a private repository](#grant-claude-access-to-a-private-repository), then pick the repository again.

108150

109151## Next steps

110152

plugins/build Changed · +9 / -9 lines

from line 15

1515 kind: 'file',

1616 text: 'SKILL.md'

1717 }],

18 href: '/skills/how-to#create-a-skillmd-file',

19 linkText: 'Go to Create a SKILL.md file'

18 href: 'https://agentskills.io/specification',

19 linkText: 'Go to the Agent Skills specification'

2020 }, {

2121 id: 'references',

2222 name: 'Reference file',

from line 30

3030 kind: 'file',

3131 text: 'voice-and-tone.md'

3232 }],

33 href: '/skills/how-to#add-resources',

34 linkText: 'Go to Add resources'

33 href: 'https://agentskills.io/specification',

34 linkText: 'Go to the Agent Skills specification'

3535 }, {

3636 id: 'assets',

3737 name: 'Asset',

from line 45

4545 kind: 'file',

4646 text: 'slide-template.md'

4747 }],

48 href: '/skills/how-to#add-resources',

49 linkText: 'Go to Add resources'

48 href: 'https://agentskills.io/specification',

49 linkText: 'Go to the Agent Skills specification'

5050 }, {

5151 id: 'scripts',

5252 name: 'Script',

from line 60

6060 kind: 'file',

6161 text: 'check_contrast.py'

6262 }],

63 href: '/skills/how-to#add-scripts',

64 linkText: 'Go to Add scripts'

63 href: 'https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills',

64 linkText: 'Go to Skills in Claude Code'

6565 }];

6666 const PLUGIN_PIECES = [{

6767 id: 'manifest',

from line 383

383383

384384<PluginExplorer>

385385 <Piece id="manifest">

386 The manifest identifies the plugin to every app and to Anthropic's directory, which doesn't accept a plugin without one. To publish the plugin in Anthropic's directory you also need [a README and a license](/docs/plugins/pre-submission-checklist#readme-and-license); select those files in the tree to see what each needs.

386 The manifest identifies the plugin to every app and to Anthropic's directory. Without any `plugin.json`, the directory accepts only a folder whose `skills/` directory holds at least one `<name>/SKILL.md`, and lists that plugin for Claude Code only, not for claude.ai or Cowork. To publish the plugin in Anthropic's directory you also need [a README and a license](/docs/plugins/pre-submission-checklist#readme-and-license); select those files in the tree to see what each needs.

387387

388388 Its `name` is the plugin's permanent identity: people install and refer to the plugin by this value, so make it specific to your product and never change it after release. Change `displayName` when you want a different label.

389389

plugins/pre-submission-checklist Changed · +11 / -11 lines

from line 79

7979

8080The repository and folder layout checks cover the plugin's location in the repository and what the repository as a whole contains.

8181

82| What to do | [Result if you don't](#read-a-validation-result) | Title in the report, if it has one |

83| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |

84| Submit a folder that contains `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` | Blocks | |

85| Submit one plugin at a time. In a [marketplace repository](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins/create-marketplace) with several plugins, validate and submit each plugin folder on its own. | Blocks | **Pick one plugin first**, when you select **Submit for review** |

86| Keep every file that a hook, an MCP server command, or a script uses inside the plugin folder, and point every component path in `plugin.json` inside it | Blocks for a `plugin.json` path that points outside the plugin folder | |

87| Commit regular files and folders for everything the plugin loads, not symbolic links, Git submodules, or Git LFS pointer files | Blocks where the plugin loads the entry. Warning elsewhere. | |

88| Remove `.DS_Store`, `Thumbs.db`, `desktop.ini`, and `__MACOSX` entries from the plugin folder | Blocks | In validation, a message that begins "This is a macOS or Windows system file". After you submit, **Files in the repository the scanner won’t accept**. |

89| Use file and folder names that are valid on both Windows and macOS: no colon, no trailing dot or space, no Windows device name such as `con.md` or `prn`, and no two names that differ only by capitalization | Validation stops | **Couldn’t validate that repository** |

90| Name each folder on the path to the plugin with letters, digits, dots, hyphens, and underscores only, and enter the plugin path with the same capitalization as the repository | Validation stops | **Couldn’t validate that repository** |

91| Keep `export-ignore` and `export-subst` out of every `.gitattributes` file. Keep `filter`, Git LFS included, and other attributes that rewrite file contents out of `.gitattributes` files at the repository root, above the plugin folder, and inside it. | Validation stops | **Couldn’t validate that repository** |

92| Keep the repository under 50 MiB as GitHub archives it and under 256 MiB unpacked, with fewer than 10,000 files and folders, and keep every file in the plugin folder under 5 MiB | Validation stops | **Repository too large to validate** |

82| What to do | [Result if you don't](#read-a-validation-result) | Title in the report, if it has one |

83| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |

84| Submit a folder that contains `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` | Blocks, except that a folder with no `plugin.json` anywhere and at least one `skills/<name>/SKILL.md` passes with a note and is listed for Claude Code only | |

87| Commit regular files and folders for everything the plugin loads, not symbolic links, Git submodules, or Git LFS pointer files | Blocks where the plugin loads the entry. Warning elsewhere. | |

9393

9494The file-name, plugin-path, and `.gitattributes` checks all produce **Couldn’t validate that repository**. The error doesn't say which cause applies, so check each of them. [Files in the plugin folder](#files-in-the-plugin-folder) has tighter file limits that hold a version for a reviewer.

9595

skills/how-to Changed · +20 / -9 lines

from line 15

1515 kind: 'file',

1616 text: 'SKILL.md'

1717 }],

18 href: '/skills/how-to#create-a-skillmd-file',

19 linkText: 'Go to Create a SKILL.md file'

18 href: 'https://agentskills.io/specification',

19 linkText: 'Go to the Agent Skills specification'

2020 }, {

2121 id: 'references',

2222 name: 'Reference file',

from line 30

3030 kind: 'file',

3131 text: 'voice-and-tone.md'

3232 }],

33 href: '/skills/how-to#add-resources',

34 linkText: 'Go to Add resources'

33 href: 'https://agentskills.io/specification',

34 linkText: 'Go to the Agent Skills specification'

3535 }, {

3636 id: 'assets',

3737 name: 'Asset',

from line 45

4545 kind: 'file',

4646 text: 'slide-template.md'

4747 }],

48 href: '/skills/how-to#add-resources',

49 linkText: 'Go to Add resources'

48 href: 'https://agentskills.io/specification',

49 linkText: 'Go to the Agent Skills specification'

5050 }, {

5151 id: 'scripts',

5252 name: 'Script',

from line 60

6060 kind: 'file',

6161 text: 'check_contrast.py'

6262 }],

63 href: '/skills/how-to#add-scripts',

64 linkText: 'Go to Add scripts'

63 href: 'https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills',

64 linkText: 'Go to Skills in Claude Code'

6565 }];

6666 const PLUGIN_PIECES = [{

6767 id: 'manifest',

from line 449

449449 </Piece>

450450</PluginExplorer>

451451

452The directory name must match the `name` field in your `SKILL.md`.

452As a plain tree, the same skill looks like this. The directory name must match the `name` field in your `SKILL.md`, and everything except `SKILL.md` is optional:

453

454```text theme={null}

455brand-guidelines/

456├── SKILL.md # required: frontmatter and instructions

457├── references/ # optional: documentation Claude reads when a step calls for it

458│ └── voice-and-tone.md

459├── assets/ # optional: templates and files Claude copies or fills in

460│ └── slide-template.md

461└── scripts/ # optional: code Claude runs while following the skill

462 └── check_contrast.py

463```

453464

454465## Create a `SKILL.md` file

455466

plugins/quickstart Changed · +1 / -1 lines

from line 27

2727 <Step title="Write the manifest">

2828 Create a folder named `expense-reports`, and create `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` inside it. Put only the manifest inside `.claude-plugin/`. Everything else goes at the plugin's top level.

2929

30 The directory requires the manifest, and the example has the fields that every surface and the directory read:

30 The example has the fields that every surface and the directory read:

3131

3232 ```json theme={null}

3333 {