Skill

git-reference-manager

Safely introduce external Git repositories as reference materials. Responsible for managing the `_reference` directory, ensuring external code is read-only and does not pollute the project's version control.

Install

npx claudepluginhub joshuarweaver/cascade-content-creation-misc-1 --plugin indenscale-typedown

Tool Access

This skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.

Preview

This skill provides guidance on how to formally introduce external repositories into a project for reading and learning. This is crucial for understanding third-party library architectures or finding best practices.

Supporting Assets

SKILL.zh.md

SKILL.md

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Stats

Stars9

Forks0

Last CommitJan 4, 2026

Actions

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Git Reference Manager

Core Rules

Isolation Principle: Reference code must be strictly isolated within the _reference/ directory. It is strictly forbidden to commit it to the main project's Git history.

Standard Workflow

When you need to reference an external repository (e.g., anthropics/skills or pandas), you must strictly follow these three steps in order:

1. Prepare Sandbox

First, ensure the dedicated directory for storing reference materials exists.

Check: Does the _reference directory exist in the project root?
Action: If not, create it.
```
mkdir -p _reference
```

2. Secure Boundary

Before pulling any code, you must ensure that Git ignores this directory.

Check: Does the .gitignore file contain _reference/?

Action: If not, append it to the end of the file.

# Check
grep "_reference/" .gitignore
# Append (if missing)
echo -e "\n# External References\n_reference/" >> .gitignore

3. Fetch References

Clone the target repository into a subdirectory within the sandbox.

Naming: Use the repository name as the subdirectory name.

Action: Use git clone.

git clone <REPO_URL> _reference/<REPO_NAME>

Note: Deep history is not required; it is recommended to use --depth 1 to save time and space.
```
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/anthropics/skills.git _reference/anthropics_skills
```

Best Practices

Read-Only Mode: Treat all files under _reference/ as read-only. Do not modify them unless it is for testing certain changes (but be aware that changes will be lost).
Search via grep: Use grep or ripgrep to search for code patterns within the reference directory.
Discard Anytime: Since these files are ignored by git and can be re-cloned, you can delete them at any time to free up space after finishing your task.

Example

User Request: "I want to see how React's source code handles Hooks."

Agent Execution:

mkdir -p _reference
grep "_reference" .gitignore || echo "_reference/" >> .gitignore
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/facebook/react.git _reference/react
Start reading _reference/react/packages/react-reconciler/...