Using GitHub

Practical guide for working with GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, and code through Fp Switchboard.

Quick Tips

Always provide owner AND repo params (e.g., owner:"octocat", repo:"hello-world")
Issues and PRs share the same number sequence per repository
File content is returned decoded (not Base64)
Use sha parameter when updating files to prevent conflicts
Rate limit: 5,000 requests/hour, 30/minute for search

Common Gotchas

Secret Detection Blocks Writes Critical

All write operations are scanned for secrets like API keys, tokens, and passwords. Operations are blocked if secrets are detected.

	Example
Wrong	Committing a file containing `ghp_abc123...` or AWS keys
Correct	Remove all secrets; use environment variables instead

Read-Only vs Full Access Critical

Users connect with either Read-only (default) or Full Access. Write operations fail in read-only mode. Suggest reconnecting with Full Access if write fails.

Each repo has one number sequence shared between issues and PRs. Issue #5 might actually be a PR.

Always Specify owner/repo Critical

Most GitHub tools require both owner (username or org) and repo name.

	Example
Wrong	`github_list_issues({repo: "my-app"})`
Correct	`github_list_issues({owner: "octocat", repo: "hello-world"})`

File Updates Require sha Important

When updating a file, provide the sha of the current version to prevent conflicts.

	Example
Wrong	`github_update_file` without sha
Correct	First `github_get_file` to get sha, then `github_update_file` with that sha

Error: 409 Conflict - sha required

Multi-Step Patterns

Create Pull Request

github_get_repo to get default branch name
github_create_branch from default branch
github_create_file or github_update_file with changes
github_create_pr from new branch to base branch

Code Review

github_get_pr to see PR details and description
github_list_pr_files to see changed files
github_get_file for each file to review code
github_create_pr_review with approval or changes requested

Update File Safely

github_get_file to get current content and sha
Modify content as needed
github_update_file with new content and sha from step 1

ID Format Reference

ID Type	Format	Example
Repository	owner/repo	`octocat/hello-world`
Issue/PR Number	Integer	`42`
SHA	40-char hex	`a1b2c3d4e5f6...`
Branch	String	`main`, `feature/login`
Gist ID	20-char hex	`aa5a315d61ae9438b18d`

Example Prompts

“List open issues on the switchboard repo”
“Create a branch called feature/new-api”
“Show the contents of README.md”
“Create a pull request from feature/login to main”
“Search for issues labeled ‘bug’ in the project”

Rate Limits

Endpoint	Limit
General API	5,000/hour
Search API	30/minute
Content creation	80/minute