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docs/openagents-cli/import-github.md

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Import a GitHub repository

Import copies one accepted GitHub snapshot into a new OpenAgents repository. It does not create a mirror or continue synchronizing with GitHub.

Prerequisites

You need:

  • An OpenAgents account connected to GitHub.
  • A current GitHub connection with the repo and read:org grants.
  • Read access to the source GitHub repository.
  • An eligible destination namespace that matches the GitHub source owner.
  • An active GitHub organization administrator membership for an organization destination.

If your existing GitHub connection lacks the required grants, reconnect it before importing.

Import in the browser

  1. Sign in to OpenAgents with GitHub.
  2. Open /repositories.
  3. Select Import from GitHub.
  4. Choose a repository from the bounded GitHub repository list.
  5. Confirm the matching destination namespace.
  6. Keep the source name or enter a different destination repository name.
  7. Choose Private or Public. Private is the default, even when the GitHub source is public.
  8. Review any Git LFS warning.
  9. Select Import repository.

The import page shows the accepted snapshot and bounded lifecycle state. It does not expose raw Git output or a GitHub token.

Import with the CLI

Import a repository into its matching namespace:

openagents repo import OpenAgentsInc/example

By default, the destination keeps the source repository's GitHub visibility. Use --public or --private only when you want to override it.

Choose a different destination name:

openagents repo import OpenAgentsInc/example --name example-copy

Create a public destination explicitly:

openagents repo import OpenAgentsInc/example --public

You can state the matching organization explicitly:

openagents repo import OpenAgentsInc/example --namespace OpenAgentsInc

The --namespace value must match the GitHub source owner in this release. You cannot import SOURCE/repository directly into an unrelated namespace.

The CLI waits up to 300 seconds by default. It writes state changes, elapsed time, and a five-second heartbeat to standard error while it waits. Pass --wait-timeout 0 to return after the server accepts the durable import. A client timeout does not cancel the server-side import.

Run one import without a global installation:

npx --yes @openagentsinc/cli@latest repo import OWNER/REPOSITORY

Pin the package version for a reproducible qualification run:

npx --yes @openagentsinc/cli@0.2.1 \
  --profile staging \
  repo import OWNER/REPOSITORY \
  --private \
  --wait-timeout 300

In a headless agent process, start the resumable login before the import:

npx --yes @openagentsinc/cli@latest --json auth login
# The agent shows you the URL and code. After you approve the request:
npx --yes @openagentsinc/cli@latest --json auth login --resume

The first command returns immediately, so the agent does not need streaming shell output. Install the CLI globally before you run auth setup-git; a saved Git helper cannot call the temporary executable after npx exits.

Import a large repository

OpenAgents imports every accepted branch and tag at depth 1 by default. This shallow snapshot preserves each current tip and its files without copying the source repository's full history. It makes repositories with years of history available much faster and bounds the first transfer by current content rather than commit count.

OpenAgents keeps the resulting Git bundle on disk and streams it to and from the durable forge WAL in 1 MiB chunks. The application does not read the complete bundle into the BEAM heap. The default server limits allow a bundle up to 20 GiB and an import to run for up to six hours.

The CLI's --wait-timeout controls only how long that client waits. It does not change or cancel the server import. For a large repository, accept the operation immediately and check it separately:

openagents repo import OWNER/REPOSITORY --wait-timeout 0
openagents repo view OWNER/REPOSITORY

The repository page reports queued, copying, storing, ready, and failed states. Server logs record every stage and the bundle byte count. A bundle over the server limit fails with import_too_large; an operation over the server time limit fails with import_timeout.

Large imports still need enough temporary disk for the shallow Git objects and the bundle. Git LFS objects remain outside the import.

Verify the first production import

Use a small private GitHub repository for the first production import. Include a second branch and an annotated tag so you can verify the accepted ref snapshot. If the repository uses Git LFS, expect OpenAgents to preserve the pointer files without copying the LFS objects.

  1. Install the qualified CLI version:

    npm install --global @openagentsinc/cli@0.2.1

  2. Sign in to production and confirm the selected account:

    openagents --profile production auth login
openagents --profile production auth status

  3. Start one private import and wait for the durable result:

    openagents --profile production repo import OWNER/REPOSITORY --private --wait-timeout 300

  4. Confirm that the repository is ready, then clone it:

    openagents --profile production repo view OWNER/REPOSITORY
openagents --profile production repo clone OWNER/REPOSITORY

  5. Compare the cloned branch and tag tips with the accepted GitHub snapshot. Confirm that the clone contains one commit of history per imported tip and that a later GitHub commit does not appear in the OpenAgents copy.

The release process does not create a production repository automatically. An authenticated operator starts the first production import explicitly.

What the import copies

Copied Not copied
Current commit and file tree at every accepted ref, with depth 1 Full Git history before each accepted tip
refs/heads/* branches Pull requests and reviews
refs/tags/* tags Actions workflows, runs, and secrets
The source default branch Releases and repository settings
Submodule pointer commits Wikis and Git LFS objects

OpenAgents freezes the accepted branch and tag map before copying data. It verifies that same ref snapshot before marking the repository ready. The destination records those commits as shallow boundaries, so normal cloning and new commits work without the omitted ancestry. A GitHub commit created after acceptance is not part of the import.

Git LFS pointer files remain in Git history, but OpenAgents does not copy the referenced LFS objects. Download or migrate those objects separately before you rely on the imported repository.

After the import

OpenAgents becomes the source of truth for the new repository. Later GitHub changes do not flow to OpenAgents, and OpenAgents pushes do not flow back to GitHub. The repository page labels the result as imported once and records the source and accepted snapshot.

Clone and work with the destination as a normal OpenAgents repository:

openagents repo clone OpenAgentsInc/example
cd example
git push

Next steps