gclone

Lightweight GitHub private repository clone CLI for macOS.

PyPI package: codesyariah-gclone. The command remains gclone.

gclone is a simple command-line tool built with Python that makes cloning private GitHub repositories easier without manually putting a Personal Access Token (PAT) into the Git URL.

Features

• Clone private GitHub repositories
• Store GitHub credentials securely in macOS Keychain
• No GitHub CLI required
• No PAT in Git remote URLs
• No plaintext credential file
• Simple owner/repository syntax
• Automatically clone repositories into ~/Projects
• Automatically open the cloned project in VS Code
• Built using Python standard library and native macOS tools

Requirements

• macOS
• Python 3
• Git
• GitHub account with access to the repository
• GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT)

Installation

From PyPI

python3 -m pip install --user --upgrade codesyariah-gclone

Verify the installation:

gclone help

From source

Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/gclone.git
cd gclone

Make the installer executable:

chmod +x install.sh

Run the installer:

./install.sh

Reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc

Verify the installation:

which gclone

Expected:

/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/bin/gclone

Then:

gclone help

Authentication

Before cloning a private repository, configure your GitHub credential:

gclone auth

You will be asked for:

GitHub username:
GitHub Personal Access Token:

The PAT is entered securely and is not displayed in the terminal.

The credential is stored in the macOS Keychain.

Check authentication status:

gclone auth --status

Example:

✓ GitHub credential ditemukan.
  Username : your-github-username
  Token    : ********

Clone a Repository

The simplest way to clone a repository:

gclone owner/repository

Example:

gclone wanguntechno/fe-wangun-compro

The repository will be cloned into:

~/Projects/fe-wangun-compro

After cloning, gclone displays:

• Repository location
• Current branch
• Git remote URL

It also offers to open the project automatically in VS Code.

Explicit Clone Command

You can also use:

gclone clone owner/repository

Example:

gclone clone wanguntechno/fe-wangun-compro

Custom Clone Directory

Specify a custom directory:

gclone clone owner/repository --dir ~/Work

Example:

gclone clone wanguntechno/fe-wangun-compro --dir ~/Work

Open in VS Code

After cloning, gclone can automatically open the project using the code command.

Example:

Buka project di VS Code? [Y/n]: Y
✓ VS Code dibuka.

Make sure the VS Code code command is available in your PATH.

Check:

which code

Logout

Remove the stored GitHub credential from macOS Keychain:

gclone logout

Example:

✓ Credential 'your-github-username' berhasil dihapus.

Security

gclone is designed to avoid putting the GitHub PAT directly into the repository URL.

Recommended

https://github.com/owner/repository.git

Not recommended

https://<PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN>@github.com/owner/repository.git

The Git remote created by gclone does not contain the PAT.

For example:

git remote -v

returns:

origin  https://github.com/wanguntechno/fe-wangun-compro.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/wanguntechno/fe-wangun-compro.git (push)

The PAT is stored separately using macOS Keychain.

Available Commands

gclone owner/repository
gclone clone owner/repository
gclone clone owner/repository --dir ~/Projects
gclone auth
gclone auth --status
gclone auth --verify
gclone logout
gclone help

Project Structure

gclone/
├── gclone.py
├── pyproject.toml
├── LICENSE
├── install.sh
└── README.md

gclone.py

Main CLI application.

Responsible for:

• CLI commands
• Git clone
• GitHub credential handling
• macOS Keychain integration
• VS Code integration

install.sh

Installation script that:

• Creates the local executable directory
• Installs gclone
• Creates the CLI launcher
• Adds ~/.local/bin to the shell PATH

README.md

Project documentation.

How It Works

The basic workflow is:

gclone owner/repository
          │
          ▼
   Read credential
   from Keychain
          │
          ▼
      Git clone
          │
          ▼
   Private GitHub
    repository
          │
          ▼
    ~/Projects/repo
          │
          ▼
      VS Code

The Git remote remains clean and does not contain the PAT.

Roadmap

Planned improvements:

• GitHub credential verification
• Support GitHub repository URLs
• Clone specific branches
• --no-code option
• Repository access checking
• Recent repositories
• Open previously cloned repositories
• Git repository status
• Improved interactive CLI
• Modular project architecture

License

MIT License.