Bulk GitHub Repository Starring

Automate starring all public repositories from any GitHub user with a single command.

When to use

• User asks to star all repos from a specific GitHub user
• Bulk appreciation for open source contributors
• Discovering and saving all projects from a creator
• Automation workflows for GitHub engagement

Required tools / APIs

• GitHub CLI (gh) with authentication
• No external API keys required (uses GitHub CLI token)

Install GitHub CLI:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install -y gh

# macOS
brew install gh

# Alpine (Docker)
apk add github-cli

# Login required
gh auth login

Skills

star_all_user_repos

Star all public repositories from a GitHub user.

# Star all repos from a user
USER="besoeasy"
repos=$(gh repo list $USER --limit 100 | grep "^$USER/" | cut -f1)

for repo in $repos; do
  echo "Starring: $repo"
  gh api -X PUT /user/starred/$repo
done

echo "Starred $(echo "$repos" | wc -l) repositories"

Node.js:

async function starAllUserRepos(username) {
  const { execSync } = require('child_process');
  
  // Get all repos for user
  const output = execSync(`gh repo list ${username} --limit 100 --json nameWithOwner`, { encoding: 'utf8' });
  const repos = JSON.parse(output);
  
  let starred = 0;
  for (const repo of repos) {
    const [owner, name] = repo.nameWithOwner.split('/');
    try {
      execSync(`gh api -X PUT /user/starred/${owner}/${name}`, { stdio: 'inherit' });
      console.log(`✓ Starred: ${repo.nameWithOwner}`);
      starred++;
    } catch (err) {
      console.error(`✗ Failed to star ${repo.nameWithOwner}:`, err.message);
    }
  }
  
  console.log(`\nCompleted: ${starred}/${repos.length} repositories starred`);
  return starred;
}

// Usage
// starAllUserRepos('besoeasy');

star_with_filter

Star repos matching specific criteria (e.g., stars threshold, topic).

# Star only repos with >100 stars
USER="besoeasy"
MIN_STARS=100

gh repo list $USER --limit 100 --json nameWithOwner,stargazerCount | \
jq -r ".[] | select(.stargazerCount >= $MIN_STARS) | .nameWithOwner" | \
while read repo; do
  echo "Starring: $repo ($(gh api /repos/$repo | jq -r '.stargazers_count') stars)"
  gh api -X PUT /user/starred/$repo
done

Rate limits / Best practices

• GitHub API: 5000 requests/hour for authenticated users
• Add delays between requests: sleep 0.5 to avoid rate limits
• Respect GitHub ToS - don't use for spam or manipulation
• Consider starring selectively rather than bulk for better curation

Agent prompt

You can bulk star GitHub repositories. When a user asks to star all repos from a GitHub user:

1. Verify GitHub CLI is authenticated: gh auth status
2. Get the list: gh repo list <username> --limit 100
3. Star each using: gh api -X PUT /user/starred/<owner>/<repo>
4. Report count of starred repositories

Always confirm the exact username before executing.
Never star private repos (not accessible via public API anyway).

Troubleshooting

Error: "gh: command not found"

• Install GitHub CLI first using package manager

Error: "not logged in"

• Run gh auth login and follow browser authentication

Error: "API rate limit exceeded"

• Wait 1 hour for rate limit reset
• Use sleep 1 between requests to slow down

Error: "Not Found"

• Verify the username is correct
• Check if user exists: gh user view <username>

See also

• random-contributor — find contributors to appreciate
• file-tracker — track file changes in starred repos