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The GitHub integration lets you add a GitHub repository to a conversation, or files and folders from a repository to a project, so Claude can read your code and answer development questions with that context. It’s available on every plan, including Free, and works with public repositories and with private repositories you grant access to. By the end of this page you have added repository content to a chat or a project and asked Claude about it. Claude reads file names and contents only: it doesn’t see commit history, pull requests, or issues.
If you want Claude to edit code, run commands, and open pull requests in your repository, see Claude Code.

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Add repository content

You can add repository content to a single conversation, or to a project, a workspace in Claude where a set of chats share the same background documents. Choose the tab below for where you want the content available.
In a chat, the Add from GitHub option appears only after your GitHub account is connected to Claude. To connect your GitHub account, follow these steps:
  1. Go to Customize > Connectors.
  2. Select GitHub Integration.
  3. Select Connect.
After your GitHub account is connected, add a repository to a chat:
1

Open the add menu

In the conversation, select + at the lower left of the message box.
2

Choose GitHub

Select Add from GitHub.
3

Pick a repository

Search the repositories you have access to, or paste a repository URL.
4

Add the repository

Select Add repository. Claude adds the repository’s URL to your message.
5

Send your message

Send your question.

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Grant Claude access to a private repository

When you pick a private repository that Claude doesn’t have access to yet, or paste its URL, the Add content from GitHub dialog shows Claude cannot access that resource. If you know that it exists, you may first need to grant or request access here. The here link in that message opens the Claude GitHub App installation page on GitHub, where you have two options:
  • Grant access yourself: allow Claude access to all of your repositories or only to specific ones
  • Request access: for a repository owned by a GitHub organization you don’t administer, ask for access. The organization’s administrators receive an email notification from GitHub.
After access is granted, pick the repository again.

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Try the connector

After you add repository content, ask Claude something that depends on the code you added. For example, ask Claude:
  • Explain how request authentication works in this repository
  • Where is the retry logic, and what happens when it gives up?
Claude doesn’t see commit history, pull requests, issues, or repository metadata. Review what Claude retrieves from GitHub has the full list.

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Keep repository content current

After you add a repository to a project, use these controls in your project knowledge to keep its content current:
  • Sync: select Sync now on the repository in your project knowledge to fetch the latest changes, especially before a new analysis or after major changes to the repository
  • Multiple repositories: you can add several repositories for broader context, as long as the selected content fits within Claude’s context window
  • Lost access: if you lose access to a repository, you can no longer view its contents in projects where it was added. The repository preview is removed, but your conversation history remains

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Change which files Claude reads in a project

You can change which files and folders Claude reads from a repository you already added to a project.
  1. Open the project.
  2. In your project knowledge, select the repository.
  3. Select the files and folders you want Claude to read.
  4. Select Update.

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Review what Claude retrieves from GitHub

The table lists what the integration reads from a repository and what it leaves out.

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Best practices

These habits help when you add repository content to a project:
  • Start small: begin with a small subset of the codebase to see how Claude interprets your code
  • Select files thoughtfully: include the files central to your task while staying within token limits
  • Iterate and refine: ask follow-up questions when an initial response needs clarification
  • Combine with human expertise: treat Claude’s analysis as a starting point for team discussion
  • Sync regularly: refresh the GitHub sync periodically, especially before a new analysis or after major repository changes

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Troubleshooting

The GitHub integration is built into Claude and managed from Customize > Connectors, where it’s listed as GitHub Integration under Your connectors whether or not you’ve connected it.

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Add from GitHub doesn’t appear in a chat

The + menu in a chat shows Add from GitHub only after your GitHub account is connected to Claude. Go to Customize > Connectors, select GitHub Integration under Your connectors, and select the Connect button. Then open the + menu in the chat again. On Team and Enterprise plans, GitHub Integration appears in Customize > Connectors only while GitHub is turned on for your organization. If it isn’t listed there, ask someone who manages your organization’s settings to turn it on in Organization settings > Connectors.

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Claude cannot access that resource

Claude couldn’t reach the repository you picked or pasted. If the repository exists, it’s most likely private and Claude doesn’t have access to it yet. Follow Grant Claude access to a private repository, then pick the repository again.

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Next steps