Ghgrab

Name: Ghgrab
Author: akillness

akillness/oh-my-skills

136 installs
40 repo stars
Updated August 4, 2026
akillness/oh-my-skills

Pull READMEs, issues, or repo snapshots from GitHub into the session when evaluating libraries, examples, or OSS candidates.

About

Automates fetching structured content from GitHub repositories—such as READMEs, file trees, or targeted paths—so agents can quickly inspect OSS options, examples, and documentation without manual cloning during early research.

GitHub content extraction
Faster repo reconnaissance
README and metadata capture
Reduces manual clone-and-read
Feeds compare-and-shortlist workflows

Ghgrab by the numbers

136 all-time installs (skills.sh)
Ranked #199 of 733 Git & Pull Requests skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)

npx skills add https://github.com/akillness/oh-my-skills --skill ghgrab

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Installs	136
repo stars	★ 40
Last updated	August 4, 2026
Repository	akillness/oh-my-skills ↗

What it does

Pull READMEs, issues, or repo snapshots from GitHub into the session when evaluating libraries, examples, or OSS candidates.

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

ghgrab

Use this skill when users need to quickly fetch selected files/folders/release assets from GitHub in terminal workflows.

When to use

"GitHub에서 파일 몇 개만 가져오고 싶다"
Full clone is too heavy for one-off extraction
Need interactive repository navigation/search from CLI
Need release artifact download without browser

Instructions

Step 1: Verify availability and install path

command -v ghgrab || true

If missing, choose one installer:

# npm
npm install -g @ghgrab/ghgrab

# cargo
cargo install ghgrab

# pipx
pipx install ghgrab

Then verify:

ghgrab --help

Step 2: Start in interactive mode or open a target repo directly

# interactive home
ghgrab

# open repo directly
ghgrab https://github.com/OWNER/REPO

Step 3: Use selective download flow

Navigate/search inside repository tree
Select only required files/folders
Download into current working directory (or tool prompt target)
Prefer small, explicit selections over bulk pulls

Step 4: Release artifact mode

When user needs binary assets from GitHub Releases, use ghgrab release selection mode (OS/arch-aware options if shown by tool).

Step 5: Automation guardrails

Confirm destination path before writing files
Prefer non-destructive paths (new folder) when unsure
Log selected source repo and destination in run notes for reproducibility

Examples

# Browse then cherry-pick files
ghgrab https://github.com/rust-lang/rust

# Start home and search repos interactively
ghgrab

Pitfalls

Installing multiple package-manager variants can shadow binary paths; check which ghgrab.
Private repositories require valid GitHub auth/session context.
Avoid using ghgrab as a substitute for full repo history operations (use git clone when history/branch operations are required).

{
  "skill_name": "ghgrab",
  "evals": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "prompt": "I only need two files from a huge GitHub repo, do not clone the whole thing",
      "expected_output": "Uses ghgrab selective-download workflow (interactive or direct URL) and avoids full clone guidance.",
      "assertions": [
        "Recommends ghgrab for selective file/folder retrieval",
        "Includes direct repo URL mode or interactive mode",
        "Avoids defaulting to full git clone"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "prompt": "ghgrab command is not found on my machine",
      "expected_output": "Provides install options (npm/cargo/pipx) and verification command.",
      "assertions": [
        "Lists at least one valid install command",
        "Includes verification with ghgrab --help or equivalent",
        "Mentions path/binary check when multiple installers exist"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": 3,
      "prompt": "Need latest release asset from GitHub without opening browser",
      "expected_output": "Routes to ghgrab release artifact flow and emphasizes destination confirmation.",
      "assertions": [
        "Mentions release artifact retrieval mode",
        "Includes destination-path confirmation or non-destructive write guard",
        "Keeps answer in terminal-first workflow"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

N:ghgrab
D:Search and selectively download files or folders from GitHub repositories via terminal using ghgrab, without full clone. Covers install, interactive browse, and release artifact retrieval.
G:ghgrab github cli file-download selective-fetch terminal
U[6]:
  Install and verify ghgrab quickly on developer machines
  Fetch specific files/folders without full repository clone
  Start from interactive home or direct repository URL
  Use release artifact download flow when binaries are needed
  Keep automation runs reproducible with source/destination logging
  Apply non-destructive destination/path checks before download
S[6]{n,action,details}:
  1,Detect availability,Check whether ghgrab exists in PATH and identify install method if missing
  2,Install if needed,Use npm cargo or pipx then verify with ghgrab --help
  3,Open target context,Launch interactive home or pass repository URL directly
  4,Select and download,Choose only required files/folders and download intentionally
  5,Handle release assets,Use release selection flow for binary/download artifacts
  6,Record reproducibility,Capture source repo selected assets and destination path in run notes
R[6]:
  Prefer selective pull over full clone when history is unnecessary
  Confirm output destination before any write side effects
  Avoid destructive overwrite paths unless explicitly requested
  Check binary shadowing when multiple installers are used
  Treat private repository access as auth-dependent
  Route history-sensitive tasks to git clone instead of ghgrab
E[2]{desc,in,out}:
  "Selective repo fetch","Get two config files from a large GitHub repo without cloning everything","Uses ghgrab on a direct repo URL and downloads only selected files"
  "Release artifact pull","Download the latest release binary for my platform","Uses ghgrab release selection path and records chosen artifact plus destination"