Clone Software Repo

Clone Software Repo → 3-Software

Single-shot skill: take a GitHub link, clone it into 02_Programs/3-Software/ with the defenses this vault needs (it lives inside Google Drive, and HTTPS git auth is broken here). Output is a tight "what landed + how to run it" summary.

When to use

User pastes a GitHub URL (or owner/repo) and wants it on local disk to work with terminal agents. NOT for: re-cloning the GPT Chain _initiatives-software repos (that's [[gpt-chain-refresh]]), or creating a brand-new project from scratch (that's a Lovable/scaffold flow).

Environment facts (must honor)

• HTTPS auth is broken → always clone over SSH. The script rewrites https://github.com/OWNER/REPO → git@github.com:OWNER/REPO.git automatically. See [[reference-github-https-broken-use-ssh]].
• Vault is inside Google Drive → Drive flips permission bits and can corrupt .git over time. The script sets git config core.fileMode false and runs git fsck right after clone. See [[project-code-repos-under-gdrive-corrupt]].
• Target is always 02_Programs/3-Software/. Existing repos there (e.g. distilledbrew, preview-canvas-studio) are cloned as plain subfolders — no companion vault page is required.

Workflow

Step 1 — Run the clone script

bash .claude/skills/clone-software-repo/scripts/clone-to-software.sh  [target-name]

• Accepts https://github.com/OWNER/REPO[.git], git@github.com:OWNER/REPO.git, bare OWNER/REPO, or a …/tree/BRANCH link (branch is honored).
• [target-name] is optional — defaults to the repo name. Use it to avoid a name clash or rename on disk.
• Add --dry-run to print the parsed owner/repo/target without cloning (use it if the URL looks unusual before committing).
• The script refuses to overwrite an existing folder (exit 3) — never clobber.

The script prints a final block: path, branch, latest commit, stack/install, whether .env and agent docs (AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md) are present.

Step 2 — Report to the user

Relay a tight summary:

| Field | Value | |---|---| | Repo | owner/repo | | Landed at | 02_Programs/3-Software/ | | Branch · latest | main · sha "msg" | | Install | e.g. bun install | | Has .env / agent docs | yes/no |

Then the obvious next step: cd "02_Programs/3-Software/" && , and (if no .env but an .env.example exists) note they'll need to fill secrets. If the repo has no AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md, offer to scaffold one so terminal agents have context (don't auto-create).

Failure modes

• Bad/unparseable URL (exit 2): show what was passed; ask for a clean owner/repo or full github.com link.
• Target exists (exit 3): don't overwrite. Offer a different [target-name], or confirm before removing the old one.
• Clone failed (exit 4): almost always SSH key / access (private repo, wrong org). Confirm ssh -T git@github.com works and the user has access; HTTPS is NOT a fallback here.
• fsck corrupt right after clone (exit 5): Drive interfered mid-clone. Remove the partial dir and retry; if it recurs, clone OUTSIDE Drive and symlink, or mark the folder available-offline first.

Notes

• No commits, installs, or dev servers are run by this skill — it clones + configures + reports. The user runs install/dev themselves (or asks next).
• Multiple repos: invoke once per URL (keeps each clone's output clean). For a batch, loop the script over the list in one Bash call.

Related

• [[reference-github-https-broken-use-ssh]] · [[project-code-repos-under-gdrive-corrupt]]
• 02_Programs/3-Software/SETUP_MAPPING.md — optional richer per-project vault structure if a repo graduates to a tracked project
• Sibling: [[gpt-chain-refresh]] (refresh existing cloned repos)

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: TheVeller
• Source: TheVeller/claude-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.