Configure Git Repository

Set up a Git repository with appropriate configuration for the project type.

When to Use

•Initializing version control for a new project
•Adding .gitignore for a specific language/framework
•Setting up branch protection and conventions
•Configuring commit hooks

Inputs

•Required: Project directory
•Required: Project type (R package, Node.js, Python, general)
•Optional: Remote repository URL
•Optional: Branch strategy (trunk-based, Git Flow)
•Optional: Commit message convention

Procedure

Step 1: Initialize Repository

bash

cd /path/to/project
git init
git branch -M main

Step 2: Create .gitignore

R Package:

gitignore

# R artifacts
.Rhistory
.RData
.Rproj.user/
*.Rproj

# Environment (sensitive)
.Renviron

# renv library (machine-specific)
renv/library/
renv/staging/
renv/cache/

# Build artifacts
*.tar.gz
src/*.o
src/*.so
src/*.dll

# Documentation build
docs/
inst/doc/

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

Node.js/TypeScript:

gitignore

node_modules/
dist/
build/
.next/
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
*.log
npm-debug.log*
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
.vscode/
.idea/
coverage/

Python:

gitignore

__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*.egg-info/
dist/
build/
.eggs/
.venv/
venv/
.env
*.log
.mypy_cache/
.pytest_cache/
htmlcov/
.coverage
.DS_Store
.idea/
.vscode/

Step 3: Create Initial Commit

bash

git add .gitignore
git add .  # Review what's being added first with git status
git commit -m "Initial project setup"

Step 4: Connect Remote

bash

# Add remote
git remote add origin git@github.com:username/repo.git

# Push
git push -u origin main

Step 5: Set Up Branch Conventions

Trunk-based (recommended for small teams):

•main: production-ready code
•Feature branches: feature/description
•Bug fixes: fix/description

bash

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/add-authentication

# After work is done, merge or create PR
git checkout main
git merge feature/add-authentication

Step 6: Configure Commit Conventions

Conventional Commits format:

code

type(scope): description

feat: add user authentication
fix: correct calculation in weighted_mean
docs: update README installation section
test: add edge case tests for parser
refactor: extract helper function
chore: update dependencies

Step 7: Set Up Pre-Commit Hooks (Optional)

Create .githooks/pre-commit:

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Run linter before commit

# For R packages
if [ -f "DESCRIPTION" ]; then
  Rscript -e "lintr::lint_package()" || exit 1
fi

# For Node.js
if [ -f "package.json" ]; then
  npm run lint || exit 1
fi

bash

chmod +x .githooks/pre-commit
git config core.hooksPath .githooks

Step 8: Create README

bash

# Minimal README
echo "# Project Name" > README.md
echo "" >> README.md
echo "Brief description of the project." >> README.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "Add README"

Validation

• .gitignore excludes sensitive and generated files
• No sensitive data (tokens, passwords) in tracked files
• Remote repository connected and accessible
• Branch naming conventions documented
• Initial commit created cleanly

Common Pitfalls

•Committing before .gitignore: Add .gitignore first. Files already tracked aren't affected by later .gitignore entries.
•Sensitive data in history: If secrets are committed, they remain in history even after deletion. Use git filter-repo or BFG to clean.
•Large binary files: Don't commit large binaries. Use Git LFS for files > 1MB.
•Line endings: Set core.autocrlf=input on Windows/WSL to prevent CRLF/LF issues.

Related Skills

•commit-changes - staging and committing workflow
•manage-git-branches - branch creation and conventions
•create-r-package - Git setup as part of R package creation
•setup-wsl-dev-environment - Git installation and SSH keys
•create-github-release - creating releases from the repository
•security-audit-codebase - check for committed secrets