github-url-intercept
GitHub URL Intercept
CRITICAL: This skill activates AUTOMATICALLY when you see ANY
github.comURL. Do NOT useweb_fetch,curl, or any browser-based fetch on GitHub URLs. Doing so wastes 1-2.5 MILLION tokens on HTML that provides no useful data.
MANDATORY BEHAVIOR: Parse the URL → Route to API → Return structured JSON.
Quick Reference (Copy-Paste Commands)
When you see a GitHub URL, use these commands immediately:
SCRIPTS_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-.claude}/skills/github/scripts"
# PR URL → Use this
python3 "$SCRIPTS_DIR/pr/get_pr_context.py" --pull-request {n} --owner {owner} --repo {repo}
# Issue URL → Use this
python3 "$SCRIPTS_DIR/issue/get_issue_context.py" --issue {n} --owner {owner} --repo {repo}
# File/blob URL → Use this
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path}?ref={ref}
# Commit URL → Use this
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/commits/{sha}
# Comment fragment (#discussion_r{id}) → Use this
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/comments/{id}
Triggers
| Phrase | Action |
|---|---|
Any github.com URL in user input (even bare URL pasted alone) |
Parse URL type and route to API |
analyze / research / scan + GitHub URL |
Route based on URL type |
| URL + question (e.g., "...#r123 what's the tracking issue?") | Extract fragment, call specific API |
| Multiple GitHub URLs in one prompt | Process each URL, batch API calls |
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- Any
github.comURL appears in user input (automatic activation) - User pastes a PR, issue, commit, file, or actions URL
- User asks to "analyze" or "review" a GitHub link
Use github instead when:
- Performing mutations (creating PRs, posting comments, adding labels)
- Operating on the current repository without a URL
URL Patterns (Detailed Reference)
| Pattern | Example | Why Intercept |
|---|---|---|
github.com/.../pull/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123 |
PR HTML is 5-10MB |
github.com/.../pull/.../checks |
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123/checks?check_run_id=... |
CI checks page bloat |
github.com/.../pull/.../files or /changes |
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123/files#r123456 |
Diff view with comment fragment |
github.com/.../issues/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/456 |
Issue HTML is 2-5MB |
github.com/.../actions/runs/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/actions/runs/123/job/456 |
Workflow run page bloat |
github.com/.../blob/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/blob/main/file.py |
File page has nav bloat |
github.com/.../tree/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/main/src |
Directory listing bloat |
github.com/.../commit/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/commit/abc123 |
Commit page overhead |
github.com/.../compare/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...feat |
Diff page overhead |
github.com/.../discussions/ |
https://github.com/owner/repo/discussions/789 |
Discussion page bloat |
Fragment #discussion_r{id} |
Review comment ID in /changes or /files URL |
Extract ID, call API directly |
Fragment #issuecomment-{id} |
Issue comment ID | Extract ID, call API directly |
Fragment #pullrequestreview-{id} |
Review ID | Extract ID, call API directly |
Fragment #r{id} (short form) |
Review comment in /changes#r123 |
Same as #discussion_r{id} |
Decision Flow
GitHub URL detected in user input
│
├─ Has fragment (#pullrequestreview-, #discussion_r, #issuecomment-)?
│ Yes → Extract ID, use gh api for specific comment/review
│
├─ Is /pull/{n}?
│ Yes → get_pr_context.py --pull-request {n} --owner {o} --repo {r}
│ (or get_pr_review_comments.py / get_pr_review_threads.py for comments)
│
├─ Is /issues/{n}?
│ Yes → get_issue_context.py --issue {n} --owner {o} --repo {r}
│
├─ Is /blob/{ref}/{path} or /tree/{ref}/{path}?
│ Yes → gh api repos/{o}/{r}/contents/{path}?ref={ref}
│
├─ Is /commit/{sha}?
│ Yes → gh api repos/{o}/{r}/commits/{sha}
│
└─ Is /compare/{base}...{head}?
Yes → gh api repos/{o}/{r}/compare/{base}...{head}
Process
Phase 1: URL Detection and Parsing
| Step | Action | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Detect github.com URL in user input | URL pattern matched |
| 1.2 | Extract owner/repo from path | Both values non-empty |
| 1.3 | Identify URL type (pull, issues, blob, tree, commit, compare) | Type classified |
| 1.4 | Extract fragment ID if present | Fragment parsed or null |
Phase 2: Route Selection
| Step | Action | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Check if github skill script exists for URL type | Script path resolved |
| 2.2 | If script exists → use github skill (primary route) | Script invocation planned |
| 2.3 | If no script → use gh api (fallback route) | API command constructed |
| 2.4 | For fragments → always use gh api with specific endpoint | Endpoint includes ID |
Phase 3: Execution
| Step | Action | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Execute selected command | Command runs without error |
| 3.2 | Receive structured JSON response | Success: true for scripts |
| 3.3 | Parse relevant fields for user query | Response processed |
URL Routing Table
Primary: Use GitHub Skill Scripts
| URL Pattern | Script | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
/pull/{n} |
get_pr_context.py |
--pull-request {n} --owner {o} --repo {r} |
/pull/{n} (with diff) |
get_pr_context.py |
--pull-request {n} --include-diff |
/pull/{n} (review comments) |
get_pr_review_comments.py |
--pull-request {n} |
/pull/{n} (review threads) |
get_pr_review_threads.py |
--pull-request {n} |
/pull/{n} (CI status) |
get_pr_checks.py |
--pull-request {n} |
/issues/{n} |
get_issue_context.py |
--issue {n} --owner {o} --repo {r} |
Script location: .claude/skills/github/scripts/
Fallback: Raw gh Commands
Use only when no script exists for the operation:
| URL Pattern | API Call |
|---|---|
/pull/{n}#pullrequestreview-{id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/pulls/{n}/reviews/{id} |
/pull/{n}#discussion_r{id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/pulls/comments/{id} |
/pull/{n}/files#r{id} or /changes#r{id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/pulls/comments/{id} |
/pull/{n}#issuecomment-{id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/issues/comments/{id} |
/pull/{n}/checks |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/check-runs?head_sha=... or use get_pr_checks.py |
/issues/{n}#issuecomment-{id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/issues/comments/{id} |
/actions/runs/{run_id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/actions/runs/{run_id} |
/actions/runs/{run_id}/job/{job_id} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/actions/jobs/{job_id} |
/blob/{ref}/{path} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/contents/{path}?ref={ref} |
/tree/{ref}/{path} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/contents/{path}?ref={ref} |
/commit/{sha} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/commits/{sha} |
/compare/{base}...{head} |
gh api repos/{o}/{r}/compare/{base}...{head} |
URL Parsing Pattern
Extract owner, repo, and resource from GitHub URLs:
https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/pull/{number}
https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{number}
https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/blob/{ref}/{path}
https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/tree/{ref}/{path}
https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/commit/{sha}
https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/compare/{base}...{head}
Fragment extraction (when present):
#pullrequestreview-{id}→ Review ID#discussion_r{id}→ Discussion comment ID#issuecomment-{id}→ Issue comment ID
Why This Matters (CRITICAL)
Fetching GitHub HTML is catastrophic for your context window:
| Method | Response Size | Token Cost | Time | Usability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ❌ HTML fetch | 5-10 MB | 1-2.5M tokens | 10-30s | UNUSABLE - HTML noise, no structured data |
| ✅ API call | 1-50 KB | 250-12K tokens | 0.5-2s | Clean JSON with exactly what you need |
| ✅ Script | 1-50 KB | 250-12K tokens | 0.5-2s | Structured output, error handling |
Impact: 100-1000x reduction in token consumption.
If you fetch GitHub HTML directly, you will:
- Consume your entire context window on ONE page
- Get no useful structured data (just HTML soup)
- Be unable to process subsequent user requests
- Need to start a new conversation
ALWAYS use this skill when you see a GitHub URL.
Examples
Bare URL Pasted (Most Common!)
Input: "https://github.com/rjmurillo/ai-agents/pull/735/checks?check_run_id=59355308734"
Action:
1. Parse: owner=rjmurillo, repo=ai-agents, pr=735, type=checks
2. Route: python3 "$SCRIPTS_DIR/pr/get_pr_checks.py" --pull-request 735 --owner rjmurillo --repo ai-agents
URL with Question After It
Input: "https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/715/changes#r2656144507 are the graph refactoring items part of Issue 722?"
Action:
1. Extract fragment: r2656144507 (review comment ID)
2. Call: gh api "repos/owner/repo/pulls/comments/2656144507"
3. Answer user's question using the comment content
Multiple URLs in One Prompt
Input: "https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/715#discussion_r123 https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/715#discussion_r456"
Action:
1. Parse each URL
2. Batch: gh api "repos/owner/repo/pulls/comments/123"
3. Batch: gh api "repos/owner/repo/pulls/comments/456"
Research/Analyze Pattern
Input: "analyze https://github.com/modu-ai/moai-adk for insights"
Action:
1. Use deepwiki MCP or gh api to get repo info
2. Call: gh api "repos/modu-ai/moai-adk" (NOT web_fetch!)
CI/Actions Run URL
Input: "https://github.com/owner/repo/actions/runs/20675405338/job/59362398542?pr=740"
Action:
1. Extract: run_id=20675405338, job_id=59362398542
2. Call: gh api "repos/owner/repo/actions/jobs/59362398542"
PR URL → Script
Input: "Review this: https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123"
Action:
python3 "$SCRIPTS_DIR/pr/get_pr_context.py" --pull-request 123 --owner owner --repo repo
File URL → API
Input: "would a hook like https://github.com/ruvnet/claude-flow/blob/main/.claude/settings.json help?"
Action:
gh api "repos/ruvnet/claude-flow/contents/.claude/settings.json?ref=main"
Anti-Patterns (NEVER DO THESE)
| ❌ NEVER | Why It's Catastrophic | ✅ Do This Instead |
|---|---|---|
web_fetch("https://github.com/...") |
5-10 MB HTML, 1-2.5M tokens WASTED | Parse URL, use script or gh api |
curl https://github.com/... |
Same catastrophic result | Use gh CLI for authentication + JSON |
fetch / requests.get on GitHub URLs |
Same catastrophic result | Route through this skill |
gh pr view without --json |
Unstructured text output | Use get_pr_context.py for structured JSON |
| Fetching full page to find one comment | Fetches 5MB to read 500 bytes | Extract fragment ID (#discussion_r...), call specific endpoint |
| Ignoring GitHub URLs in user input | User expects you to understand the link | ALWAYS parse and route |
| Hardcoding owner/repo in commands | Breaks when user shares fork/different repo | Extract from URL path |
RED FLAG PHRASES - If you're about to do any of these, STOP:
- "Let me fetch that page..."
- "I'll retrieve the content from that URL..."
- "Accessing the GitHub page..."
These indicate you're about to waste millions of tokens. Use this skill instead.
Scripts
test_url_routing.py
Routes GitHub URLs to appropriate API access methods with CWE-78 command injection protection.
python3 .claude/skills/github-url-intercept/scripts/test_url_routing.py <github-url>
Related Skills
| Skill | When to Use |
|---|---|
| github | Full PR/issue operations (mutations, reactions, labels) |
| pr-comment-responder | Systematic PR review response |
Verification Checklist
Before processing any GitHub URL:
- Extracted owner/repo from URL path
- Identified URL type (PR, issue, blob, commit, compare)
- Extracted fragment ID if present (#discussion_r, #issuecomment-, #pullrequestreview-)
- Selected appropriate github skill script (primary) or gh command (fallback)
- Did NOT use web_fetch, curl, or browser-based fetch on the URL
- Received structured JSON response with
Success: true(for scripts)
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