repo-analyzer_skill

Overview

This skill analyzes GitHub repositories to produce a concise health assessment focused on structure, documentation, dependencies, and contribution patterns. It is designed for fast codebase understanding and practical recommendations to improve maintainability and onboarding. Use it to get a prioritized view of repository quality without diving into source-level details.

How this skill works

The analyzer verifies access and then inspects repository metadata, key files (README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, .github/workflows), and directory layout. It extracts documentation quality cues, dependency manifests (package.json, go.mod, requirements.txt), and contributor/activity metrics via the GitHub API or gh CLI. Results are compiled into a structured health report with findings, scores, and actionable recommendations.

When to use it

• Onboarding to a new codebase to quickly assess readiness for contribution
• Pre-engagement checks before automated or autonomous agents run long workflows
• Periodic health checks for maintenance, dependency, and documentation drift
• Evaluating open-source projects for adoption or integration
• Prioritizing cleanup work for developer experience improvements

Best practices

• Confirm gh CLI is installed and authenticated before running any analysis
• Define analysis scope (structure, docs, deps, contributions) up front to avoid unnecessary data access
• Ask the user about private repos or multiple targets rather than guessing
• Prefer API queries for metadata and fall back to local clone parsing on failures
• Store intermediate checkpoints so partial results are recoverable on errors

Example use cases

• Generate a one-page health report before planning a refactor sprint
• Check documentation coverage and missing contributor guides for a release checklist
• Identify outdated or high-risk dependencies prior to upgrading runtime environments
• Measure recent activity and contributor distribution to decide whether to adopt a project
• Validate that CI/workflows and license files exist for compliance reviews