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title GitHub App Setup

GitHub App Setup

For production use, we recommend using a GitHub App instead of personal access tokens for better security, rate limits, and permissions management.

Why Use a GitHub App?

  • Better Rate Limits: 5,000 requests/hour per repository (vs 1,000 for PAT)
  • Fine-grained Permissions: Only grant what's needed
  • Better Security: Scoped to specific repositories
  • Audit Trail: Track all app activities
  • No User Association: Operates independently

Creating the App

1. Create the App

  1. Go to your organization settings: https://github.com/organizations/QuantEcon/settings/apps
  2. Click "New GitHub App"
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Name: quantecon-style-guide-bot
    • Homepage URL: https://github.com/QuantEcon/action-style-guide
    • Webhook: Uncheck "Active" (we don't need webhooks)

2. Set Permissions

Repository Permissions

  • Contents: Read & Write (for creating branches and committing)
  • Issues: Read (for reading issue comments)
  • Pull Requests: Read & Write (for creating PRs and comments)
  • Metadata: Read (automatically granted)

Where can this GitHub App be installed?

Select "Only on this account" (for QuantEcon organization).

3. Generate Private Key

  1. After creating the app, scroll down to "Private keys"
  2. Click "Generate a private key"
  3. Save the downloaded .pem file securely

4. Install the App

  1. Go to "Install App" in the left sidebar
  2. Click "Install" next to your organization
  3. Select repositories:
    • Choose "Only select repositories"
    • Select your lecture repositories (e.g., lecture-python-programming.myst)
  4. Click "Install"

5. Get App Credentials

You'll need:

  • App ID: Found in app settings (e.g., 123456)
  • Installation ID: Found in installation URL (e.g., https://github.com/settings/installations/98765)
  • Private Key: The .pem file you downloaded

Using the App in Workflows

Recommended: actions/create-github-app-token

name: Style Guide Check
on:
  issue_comment:
    types: [created]

jobs:
  review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Generate token
        id: generate-token
        uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1
        with:
          app-id: ${{ secrets.APP_ID }}
          private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}

      - name: Run style guide checker
        uses: QuantEcon/action-style-guide@v0.7
        with:
          mode: 'single'
          github-token: ${{ steps.generate-token.outputs.token }}
          anthropic-api-key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          comment-body: ${{ github.event.comment.body }}

Manual Token Generation

For more control, generate the token manually:

- name: Generate App Token
  id: app-token
  run: |
    TOKEN=$(curl -X POST \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer $(ruby -e "require 'jwt'; puts JWT.encode({iat: Time.now.to_i, exp: Time.now.to_i + 60, iss: '${{ secrets.APP_ID }}'}, OpenSSL::PKey::RSA.new('${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}'), 'RS256')")" \
      -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
      https://api.github.com/app/installations/${{ secrets.INSTALLATION_ID }}/access_tokens | jq -r .token)
    echo "::add-mask::$TOKEN"
    echo "token=$TOKEN" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

- name: Use token
  uses: QuantEcon/action-style-guide@v0.7
  with:
    github-token: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}

Setting Up Secrets

  1. Go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
  2. Add repository secrets:
    • APP_ID — Your GitHub App ID
    • APP_PRIVATE_KEY — Contents of the .pem file
    • INSTALLATION_ID — Installation ID (optional, usually auto-detected)

Testing the Setup

  1. Create a test issue in your repository
  2. Comment: @quantecon-style-guide test-lecture
  3. Verify:
    • The workflow triggers
    • A branch is created
    • A PR is opened
    • Labels applied correctly

Troubleshooting

"Resource not accessible by integration"

  • Cause: Missing repository permission
  • Fix: Go to app settings → Permissions → Grant required permission

"Bad credentials"

  • Cause: Invalid or expired token
  • Fix: Regenerate private key, update secret

"Not Found"

  • Cause: App not installed on repository
  • Fix: Go to app → Install App → Select repository

Rate Limits

Token type Limit
GitHub App 5,000 requests/hour per repo
User access token 15,000 requests/hour

Check current rate limit:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" https://api.github.com/rate_limit

Security Best Practices

  1. Rotate Keys Regularly — Generate new private keys periodically
  2. Minimum Permissions — Only grant necessary permissions
  3. Scope Installation — Install only on required repositories
  4. Monitor Activity — Review app activity logs regularly
  5. Secure Storage — Store private key in GitHub Secrets, never commit