GitHub Research Maintainer

Purpose

Make a research repository credible, discoverable, and easy to evaluate. The skill focuses on README structure, release hygiene, issue/PR handling, honest status language, and GitHub profile presentation.

When To Use

Use this skill when the user wants to publish a research repo, improve a GitHub project, prepare a release, respond to issues, or make a project more attractive to stars and followers without spam.

Inputs

Repository path or GitHub URL.
Paper link or project goal.
Current README, release notes, issues, or PRs.
Optional target audience: researcher, student, recruiter, maintainer, or user.

Workflow

Inspect the README first viewport. It must answer what this is, who it is for, and how to try it.
Check repository truthfulness: official vs unofficial, reproduced vs paper-reported, local test coverage, and missing assets.
Check install path, quick start, examples, screenshots, topics, license, citation, and changelog.
Identify one sharp differentiator that is visible above the fold.
Prepare release notes that list user-visible changes, not internal rambling.
If making external PRs, add the project only where it naturally fits and never ask for stars in other projects' issue threads.
End with a small maintainer checklist.

Output

First-Viewport Diagnosis
Credibility Fixes
README Patch Plan
Release Checklist
Topic Suggestions
External PR Fit

Quality Gates

Do not misrepresent a project as official.
Do not hide unreproduced status when it affects user expectations.
Do not spam issues or PRs for promotion.
Use precise project descriptions and concrete screenshots or examples whenever possible.