Navigating GitHub

First-time GitHub setup and interactive git learning. Get set up, then learn by doing.

Table of Contents

1. Overview — 2. Prerequisites — 3. Instructions — 4. Modes — 5. Examples — 6. Output — 7. Resources

Overview

Problem: Getting started with GitHub is the #1 barrier for people building with AI. Beginners stall at setup, don't understand commits vs pushes vs PRs, and have nobody to walk them through it hands-on. AI coding tools can run git commands, but they don't teach you what those commands mean or guide you through setup from scratch.

Solution: Walk users through GitHub setup step by step, then teach git and GitHub through 9 progressive hands-on lessons on their actual project. Every lesson uses do-then-explain: run the command, see the result, then understand why. Adapts language and depth to skill level automatically.

Prerequisites

• Terminal access with git installed
• gh CLI installed (Setup handles installation if missing)
• GitHub account (Setup handles creation if missing)

Instructions

Step 1 — Route

Determine mode from the user's request. Act immediately — no preamble.

1. No .git/ directory OR gh auth status fails → Setup (check with test -d .git and gh auth status)
2. Keywords "teach", "learn", "what are", "how do", "explain", "lesson" → Learn
3. Keywords "set up", "new repo", "init", "get started" → Setup
4. Generic ("help me with github") → check environment, route to Setup if no repo, otherwise offer lesson menu

Step 2 — Infer Skill Level

Each mode runs git status as part of its normal operation. Infer level from those signals — no extra commands:

• Only main branch + short/vague commit messages → Beginner
• A few branches + descriptive commits → Intermediate
• Branch naming conventions + conventional commits → Advanced
• Complex history, multiple remotes, CI configured → Expert

Only ask via AskUserQuestion when signals are genuinely ambiguous. Read ${CLAUDESKILLDIR}/references/skill-assessment-guide.md for the full adaptive behavior matrix. Apply: