Setup & Installation

Install Read GitHub using the ClawHub CLI or OpenClaw CLI:

clawhub install read-github

If the CLI is not installed:

npx clawhub@latest install read-github

Or install with OpenClaw CLI:

openclaw skills install read-github

View on ClawHub · View on GitHub

What This Skill Does

Read GitHub is a Software Development skill for OpenClaw by am-will.

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

Version History

Latest version: 1.0.1

First published: Jan 21, 2026. Last updated: Jan 21, 2026.

1 version released.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Read GitHub free to use?
Yes. Read GitHub is a free, open-source skill available on the OpenClaw Skills Registry. You can install and use it at no cost, and the source code is publicly available for review and contribution.
What languages/platforms does Read GitHub support?
It runs on any platform that supports OpenClaw, including macOS, Linux, and Windows. As long as you have the OpenClaw runtime installed, Read GitHub will work seamlessly across operating systems.
How do I update Read GitHub?
Run openclaw skills update read-github to get the latest version. OpenClaw will download and apply the update automatically, preserving your existing configuration.
Can I use Read GitHub with other skills?
Yes. OpenClaw skills are composable — you can combine Read GitHub with any other installed skill in your workflows. This allows you to build powerful multi-step automations by chaining skills together.