https://github.com/brett-buskirk/huginn
A little CLI for running a personal GitHub estate — dashboard, conventions audit, repo scaffolding, and routine chores. Bash + gh.
https://github.com/brett-buskirk/huginn
automation bash cli developer-tools devops gh-cli git github
Last synced: about 15 hours ago
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A little CLI for running a personal GitHub estate — dashboard, conventions audit, repo scaffolding, and routine chores. Bash + gh.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/brett-buskirk/huginn
- Owner: brett-buskirk
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-07-01T22:18:00.000Z (26 days ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-07-04T20:23:13.000Z (23 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-07-04T22:03:28.666Z (23 days ago)
- Topics: automation, bash, cli, developer-tools, devops, gh-cli, git, github
- Language: Shell
- Homepage:
- Size: 200 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
- Roadmap: ROADMAP.md
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README
# huginn
A little CLI for running a personal GitHub **estate** — a folder full of repos — from one place.
Named for Odin's raven that flies the realms and reports back what it sees.
`huginn` gives you an at-a-glance dashboard of every repo, audits them against a shared convention,
scaffolds new repos to that standard, and handles the routine chores (sync, labels, open PRs).
> **Note:** built for my own workflow, but **config-driven and self-contained** — `huginn init`
> detects sensible defaults (your `gh` login, git identity, `~/github-repos`), and it ships default
> guardrail templates (`templates/`) so it works out of the box. Point `HUGINN_CONVENTIONS` at your
> own `repo-conventions` repo to override the built-in standard. See the [Roadmap](ROADMAP.md) for
> what's next.
## Install
Requirements: `bash`, `git`, [`gh`](https://cli.github.com) (authenticated), `jq`.
```bash
git clone git@github.com:brett-buskirk/huginn.git ~/github-repos/huginn
ln -s ~/github-repos/huginn/huginn ~/.local/bin/huginn # ~/.local/bin must be on your PATH
huginn init # write a config with detected defaults
```
`huginn` manages the repos in **`$HUGINN_ROOT`** (default `~/github-repos`).
## Commands
```
create
new [opts] scaffold a new repo to the full standard
inspect
status [--fetch] at-a-glance dashboard (branch · dirty · ahead/behind · flags)
[--public|--private] filter the dashboard by repo visibility
prs open PRs across the estate
branches [--prune] stray local branches; prune merged ones
doctor [repo] [--fix] audit repos vs your conventions; --fix the safe gaps
operate
sync pull every repo to its default branch (ff-only, skips dirty)
apply apply the label taxonomy to a repo (web|k8s|infra)
reference / navigate
conventions [topic] look up the standard (labels · ruleset · suite · doc)
open [page] open a repo (or prs/settings/rules) on GitHub
help this menu
```
Run **`huginn help`** for details and options on any command. For a one-page reference to
every command, option, and behavior, see the [**cheat sheet**](CHEATSHEET.md).
## How it works
- **Fast and local by default** — git operations only. Network (`gh`) is used only where noted
(`doctor`, `prs`, `new`, `apply`).
- **Conventions, with a fallback** — huginn ships default templates in `templates/`, so `new`,
`apply`, and `conventions` work out of the box. Point `HUGINN_CONVENTIONS` at your own
`repo-conventions` repo (`labels.json`, `ruleset.json`, `apply-conventions.sh`, `docs-suite.json`)
to override them.
- **Document suite** — `doctor` checks each managed repo carries the required docs (README · LICENSE ·
CHANGELOG · ROADMAP · CONTRIBUTING), `new` scaffolds them, and `conventions suite` lists them. The
set is defined in `docs-suite.json`.
- **Exemptions** — repos that aren't code projects (a profile repo, personal/creative repos, or repos
managed elsewhere) are skipped everywhere. Listed in `exemptions.json` and merged with the
`HUGINN_FAMILY` env var.
- **Respects `NO_COLOR`** and non-TTY output.
## Configuration
Settings resolve **environment variable → config file → smart default**. Run `huginn init` to write
a config with detected defaults, then edit it. Config file:
`${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/huginn/config` (override with `HUGINN_CONFIG`).
| Key / env var | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `HUGINN_OWNER` | your `gh` login | GitHub owner of the estate repos |
| `HUGINN_ROOT` | `~/github-repos` | directory of repos to manage |
| `HUGINN_EMAIL` | your git email | commit email for `new` / `doctor --fix` |
| `HUGINN_NAME` | your git name | committer name |
| `HUGINN_FAMILY` | _(none)_ | space-separated repos to exclude, merged with `exemptions.json` |
| `HUGINN_CONVENTIONS` | `repo-conventions` | dir under `HUGINN_ROOT` with `labels.json`/`ruleset.json`/`docs-suite.json`/`exemptions.json` |
Commands that use conventions (`new`, `apply`, `conventions`, `doctor --fix`) fall back to the
bundled `templates/` when no conventions repo is present, so they work out of the box.
## Backstory
huginn is the estate-management tool behind the "GitHub AI Overlord" — the orchestrating agent in a
piece I wrote on running AI coding agents with a chain of command:
[*I Built an Org Chart for My AI Agents*](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-built-org-chart-my-ai-agents-brett-buskirk-h0iic/).
## License
[MIT](LICENSE) © 2026 Brett Buskirk