Gitingest
TRIGGER CONDITIONS
USE when user message contains:
github.com/URL- "look at this repo" or "analyze this codebase"
- Questions about third-party library internals
SKIP when:
- URL is user's own project
- User just wants to clone/fork
Convert GitHub repos into text format using the CLI. By default, gitingest writes to digest.txt; use -o - to stream to stdout.
STREAMING ONLY (HARD DEFAULT)
ALWAYS stream to stdout with -o -. DO NOT:
- Clone repos locally
- Write output files (
-o file.txt) - Redirect to disk (
> out.txt) - Create temp files
Only write to disk if user EXPLICITLY requests it.
# CORRECT: streams to stdout (recommended default)
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo -o -
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo -i "*.ts" -o -
# WRONG - writes to disk (avoid unless user asks)
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo -o output.txt
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo > dump.txt
Gitingest CLI Commands for External Codebase Analysis
Key lesson: Always search broadly first (-i ".ts" for TypeScript, -i ".py" for Python, etc.) before narrowing down. The commands are powerful, but your search scope determines what you find.
Installation
pipx install gitingest
Linux Notes
- If
pip install --userfails with PEP 668 error, usepipx install gitingestinstead. - If
gitingest: command not foundafterpipx install, ensure~/.local/binis on PATH. Runpipx ensurepath, restart your shell, then verifycommand -v gitingest. - Verify:
gitingest --helporpipx list | grep gitingest
Default Usage (Streaming to stdout)
# Stream output directly (no file created)
gitingest https://github.com/username/repo -o -
# Capture in variable for processing
output=$(gitingest https://github.com/username/repo -o -)
Private Repositories
# Set token as environment variable
export GITHUB_TOKEN=github_pat_...
gitingest https://github.com/username/private-repo -o -
# Or pass directly
gitingest https://github.com/username/private-repo --token github_pat_... -o -
Subdirectories
# Analyze only specific part of repo
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo/tree/main/src -o -
Basic Usage
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo -o -- Get full repo overview (stdout)gitingest https://github.com/user/repo --include-submodules -o -- Include submodules
File/Content Search
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo -i "pattern" -o -- Search files containing patterngitingest https://github.com/user/repo -i "*filename*" -o -- Find files by name/globgitingest https://github.com/user/repo -i "path/to/file" -o -- Get specific file content
Filtering
gitingest https://github.com/user/repo -e "pattern" -o -- Exclude files matching patterngitingest https://github.com/user/repo -i "*.ts" -e "node_modules/*" -o -- Include TS files, exclude node_modules
Key Options
-o -or--output -: Stream to stdout (no temp file)--tokenor-t: GitHub token for private repos--include-submodules: Include git submodules--include-gitignored: Include files normally ignored by .gitignore
Output Structure
The CLI returns formatted text with:
- Summary: File count, size, token count
- Tree: Directory visualization
- Content: All code combined and formatted