Git in Container Environments

IMPORTANT: This skill is for containerized AI chat environments (web, iOS, Android) only. Native development environments have direct git access and do not need these workarounds.

The Problem

git clone does not work in containerized AI environments. The egress proxy blocks git protocol even for whitelisted domains (401 on CONNECT tunnel).

Workaround: raw.githubusercontent.com

Fetch individual files via curl:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OWNER/REPO/BRANCH/path/to/file.py

Example: Fetch a Python script

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/anthropic-sdk-python/main/src/anthropic/__init__.py

Fetching Directory Structure

Use GitHub Tree API to get directory listings:

curl -sL https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/git/trees/BRANCH?recursive=1

This returns JSON with all files and their paths. You can then fetch files individually.

Example: Browse a repository

# Get the tree
curl -sL https://api.github.com/repos/oaustegard/claude-skills/git/trees/main?recursive=1 | \
  python3 -c "import json, sys; [print(f['path']) for f in json.load(sys.stdin)['tree']]"

# Fetch specific files
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oaustegard/claude-skills/main/README.md

Network Requirements

Domain raw.githubusercontent.com must be in project network allowlist.

If curl fails with host_not_allowed:

1. Inform user: raw.githubusercontent.com needs to be added to project network settings
2. Settings change requires new conversation to take effect

Do Not

• Never attempt git clone (wastes time, always fails)
• Never suggest workarounds requiring git protocol
• Never retry with different git flags or SSH URLs
• Never recommend git submodules, git archive, or other git-protocol operations

Alternative: Use MCP GitHub Integration

If available, the MCP GitHub server provides programmatic access to repositories without network restrictions.

When This Skill Does Not Apply

• Native development environments: Have direct git access via proxy, use standard git commands
• Local environments: git clone works normally
• Environments with git protocol access: Use native git tools