read-github

am-will/codex-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026

MDX-style export adds YAML metadata + attribution linking explainx.ai and this canonical listing URL.

$npx skills add https://github.com/am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github
0 commentsdiscussion
summary

Read and search GitHub repository documentation through the gitmcp.io MCP service.

  • Converts GitHub URLs to gitmcp.io endpoints and provides CLI access via scripts/gitmcp.py for fetching docs, searching documentation semantically, and searching code via GitHub API
  • Four core tools available per repository: fetch full documentation, semantic search within docs, exact-match code search, and fetch external URLs referenced in documentation
  • Tool names are dynamically generated and prefixed
skill.md

Read GitHub Docs

Access GitHub repository documentation and code via the gitmcp.io MCP service.

URL Conversion

Convert GitHub URLs to gitmcp.io:

  • github.com/owner/repogitmcp.io/owner/repo
  • https://github.com/karpathy/llm-councilhttps://gitmcp.io/karpathy/llm-council

CLI Usage

The scripts/gitmcp.py script provides CLI access to repository docs.

List Available Tools

python3 scripts/gitmcp.py list-tools owner/repo

Fetch Documentation

Retrieves the full documentation file (README, docs, etc.):

python3 scripts/gitmcp.py fetch-docs owner/repo

Search Documentation

Semantic search within repository documentation:

python3 scripts/gitmcp.py search-docs owner/repo "query"

Search Code

Search code using GitHub Search API (exact match):

python3 scripts/gitmcp.py search-code owner/repo "function_name"

Fetch Referenced URL

Fetch content from URLs mentioned in documentation:

python3 scripts/gitmcp.py fetch-url owner/repo "https://example.com/doc"

Direct Tool Call

Call any MCP tool directly:

python3 scripts/gitmcp.py call owner/repo tool_name '{"arg": "value"}'

Tool Names

Tool names are dynamically prefixed with the repo name (underscored):

  • karpathy/llm-councilfetch_llm_council_documentation
  • facebook/reactfetch_react_documentation
  • my-org/my-repofetch_my_repo_documentation

Available MCP Tools

For any repository, these tools are available:

  1. fetch_{repo}_documentation - Fetch entire documentation. Call first for general questions.
  2. search_{repo}_documentation - Semantic search within docs. Use for specific queries.
  3. search_{repo}_code - Search code via GitHub API (exact match). Returns matching files.
  4. fetch_generic_url_content - Fetch any URL referenced in docs, respecting robots.txt.

Workflow

  1. When given a GitHub repo, first fetch documentation to understand the project
  2. Use search-docs for specific questions about usage or features
  3. Use search-code to find implementations or specific functions
  4. Use fetch-url to retrieve external references mentioned in docs
how to use read-github

How to use read-github on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • Active project directory or workspace where you want to add read-github
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/am-will/codex-skills --skill read-github

The skills CLI fetches read-github from GitHub repository am-will/codex-skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/read-github

Reload or restart Cursor to activate read-github. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /read-github) or your agent's skill management interface.

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.463 reviews
  • Pratham Ware· Dec 28, 2024

    I recommend read-github for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Layla Rao· Dec 28, 2024

    Registry listing for read-github matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Layla Nasser· Dec 16, 2024

    I recommend read-github for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Aanya Verma· Dec 12, 2024

    Keeps context tight: read-github is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Lucas Diallo· Dec 12, 2024

    Useful defaults in read-github — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Zara Yang· Dec 8, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: read-github is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Aditi Verma· Nov 27, 2024

    read-github has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Hiroshi Desai· Nov 19, 2024

    read-github fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • Layla Kim· Nov 15, 2024

    read-github reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Isabella Huang· Nov 3, 2024

    We added read-github from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

showing 1-10 of 63

1 / 7