Configure Git Repository

Set up Git repo with appropriate config for project type.

When Use

• Initialize version control for new project
• Add .gitignore for specific language/framework
• Set up branch protection, conventions
• Configure commit hooks

Inputs

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

Steps

Step 1: Initialize Repository

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

Got: .git/ directory created. Default branch named main.

If fail: git init fails? Ensure Git installed (git --version). Directory already has .git/? Repo already initialized — skip.

Step 2: Create .gitignore

R Package:

# 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:

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

Python:

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

Got: .gitignore created with entries appropriate for project type. Sensitive files (.Renviron, .env) and generated artifacts excluded.

If fail: Unsure which entries to include? Use gitignore.io or GitHub .gitignore templates as starting point, customize for project.

Step 3: Create Initial Commit

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

Got: First commit created containing .gitignore and initial project files. git log shows one commit.

If fail: git commit fails with "nothing to commit"? Ensure files staged with git add. Fails with author identity error? Set git config user.name and git config user.email.

Step 4: Connect Remote

# Add remote
git remote add origin [email protected]:username/repo.git

# Push
git push -u origin main

Got: Remote origin configured. git remote -v shows fetch and push URLs. Initial commit pushed to remote.

If fail: Push fails with "Permission denied (publickey)"? Configure SSH keys (see setup-wsl-dev-environment). Remote already exists? Update with git remote set-url origin <url>.

Step 5: Set Up Branch Conventions

Trunk-based (recommended for small teams):

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

# 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

Got: Branch naming convention established, documented. Team members know which prefix to use for each type of work.

If fail: Branches already named inconsistently? Rename with git branch -m old-name new-name, update any open PRs.

Step 6: Configure Commit Conventions

Conventional Commits format:

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

Got: Commit message convention documented, agreed by team. Future commits follow type: description format.

If fail: Team members not following convention? Enforce with commit-msg hook that validates format (see Step 7).

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

Create .githooks/pre-commit:

#!/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

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

Got: Pre-commit hook runs automatically on each git commit. Linting errors block commit until fixed.

If fail: Hook does not run? Verify core.hooksPath set (git config core.hooksPath), hook file executable (chmod +x).

Step 8: Create README

# 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"

Got: README.md committed to repo. Project has minimal but informative landing page on GitHub.

If fail: README.md already exists? Update rather than overwrite. Use usethis::use_readme_md() in R projects for template with badges.

Checks

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

Pitfalls

• Committing before .gitignore: Add .gitignore first. Files already tracked aren't affected by later .gitignore entries.
• Sensitive data in history: Secrets committed 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.

See Also

• 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 repo
• security-audit-codebase - check for committed secrets