git-notes

git-notes is a Claude Code skill for compiling project memory from a git repository's history. It reads PRs, commits, issues, and reviews, extracts auditable facts, and renders a wiki that explains what the project is and why it became that way.

This is not a changelog or PR summary generator. The output is organized around project concepts: modules, decisions, features, and domain concepts.

Repository layout

• skill/ - the Claude Code skill package. skill/SKILL.md is the entrypoint.
• TECH_SPEC.md - technical spec.
• scripts/install-claude-code-skill.sh - installer for the personal Claude Code skills directory.

Requirements

• Claude Code.
• Git.
• GitHub CLI (gh) authenticated for repositories you want to analyze.
• A local checkout of the target repository.

Install for Claude Code

Claude Code loads personal skills from ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md. After cloning this repository, install git-notes into your personal Claude Code skills directory:

./scripts/install-claude-code-skill.sh

If this is the first time ~/.claude/skills/ has been created while Claude Code is already running, restart Claude Code so it starts watching the new directory.

By default the script creates this symlink:

~/.claude/skills/git-notes -> <this-repo>/skill

Use a copied install instead of a symlink when you want a fixed snapshot:

./scripts/install-claude-code-skill.sh --copy

Manual personal install:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
ln -s "$(pwd)/skill" ~/.claude/skills/git-notes

For local development inside this repository, you can also create a project-local symlink:

mkdir -p .claude/skills
ln -s ../../skill .claude/skills/git-notes

The .claude/ directory is ignored by git because it is local Claude Code configuration.

Use

Open Claude Code in the target repository you want to analyze, then invoke:

/git-notes

Use /git-notes for first-time setup, status, review queue walkthrough, lint, bootstrap, and partial rebuild routing.

For incremental sync after setup:

/git-notes compile

The skill writes state into the target repository:

• git-notes.yaml - per-repo config, committed.
• facts/ - auditable fact IR, committed.
• wiki/ - compiled human-readable wiki, committed.
• reviews/pending.yaml - human review queue, committed.
• events/cache/ - fetch cache, ignored by git.

Development

Edit the skill under skill/. If you installed with the default symlink method, Claude Code sees those edits through the installed skill path. If you installed with --copy, rerun the install script after changing the skill.

Claude Code skill reference: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills