---
title: "GitHubRepoForker"
id: githubrepoforker
slug: "/githubrepoforker"
description: "This component forks a GitHub repository from an issue URL through the GitHub API."
---

# GitHubRepoForker

This component forks a GitHub repository from an issue URL through the GitHub API.

<div className="key-value-table">

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| **Most common position in a pipeline** | Right at the beginning of a pipeline and before an [Agent](../agents-1/agent.mdx) component that expects the name of a GitHub branch as input |
| **Mandatory init variables** | `github_token`: GitHub personal access token. Can be set with `GITHUB_TOKEN` env var. |
| **Mandatory run variables** | `url`: The URL of a GitHub issue in the repository that should be forked |
| **Output variables** | `repo`: Fork repository path  <br /> <br />`issue_branch`: Issue-specific branch name (if created) |
| **API reference** | [GitHub](/reference/integrations-github) |
| **GitHub link** | https://github.com/deepset-ai/haystack-core-integrations/tree/main/integrations/github |

</div>

## Overview

`GitHubRepoForker` takes a GitHub issue URL, extracts the repository information, creates or syncs a fork of that repository, and optionally creates an issue-specific branch. It's particularly useful for automated workflows that need to create pull requests or work with repository forks.

Key features:

- **Auto-sync**: Automatically syncs existing forks with the upstream repository
- **Branch creation**: Creates issue-specific branches (e.g., "fix-123" for issue #123)
- **Completion waiting**: Optionally waits for fork creation to complete
- **Fork management**: Handles existing forks intelligently

### Authorization

This component requires GitHub authentication with a personal access token. You can set the token using the `GITHUB_TOKEN` environment variable, or pass it directly during initialization via the `github_token` parameter.

To create a personal access token, visit [GitHub's token settings page](https://github.com/settings/tokens). Make sure to grant the appropriate permissions for repository forking and management.

### Installation

Install the GitHub integration with pip:

```shell
pip install github-haystack
```

## Usage

:::info Repository Placeholder

To run the following code snippets, you need to replace the `owner/repo` with your own GitHub repository name.
:::

### On its own

```python
from haystack_integrations.components.connectors.github import GitHubRepoForker

forker = GitHubRepoForker()
result = forker.run(url="https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/123")

print(result)
```

```bash
{'repo': 'owner/repo', 'issue_branch': 'fix-123'}
```