bulk-github-repo-sync-action

🔄 Sync GitHub repositories from source to target organizations using mirror cloning. Creates target repositories if they don't exist, with support for visibility control, Actions disabling, and archiving.

What's new

Please refer to the release page for the latest release notes.

Features

• 🔄 Mirror cloning - Complete repository sync including all branches and tags
• 🏗️ Automatic repository creation - Creates target repos if they don't exist
• 👁️ Visibility control - Set repository visibility per repo (private/public/internal)
• 🚫 GitHub Actions management - Disable Actions on target repositories
• 📦 Repository archiving - Archive repositories after sync (with smart unarchive/re-archive)
• 🌐 Multi-server support - Sync between GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Server
• 📊 Post-run analysis - Detailed sync summary with statistics

Example Usage

Tip

This example uses personal access tokens for simplicity. See the GitHub Apps section below for the recommended approach using GitHub Apps.

- uses: actions/checkout@v6
- name: Bulk GitHub Repository Sync
  uses: joshjohanning/bulk-github-repo-sync-action@v2
  with:
    repo-list-file: repos.yml
    source-github-token: ${{ secrets.SOURCE_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    target-github-token: ${{ secrets.TARGET_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    overwrite-repo-visibility: true # overwrite repo visibility with what is in yml file; defaults to false
    force-push: false # force push to target repos (overwrites history); defaults to false
    ### only needed if either your source or target is NOT github.com
    # target-github-api-url: https://ghes.domain.com/api/v3 # API URL for GHES
    # source-github-api-url: https://api.github.com # only needed if source is not github.com

Repository List Format

The repository list uses YML format with per-repository configuration:

repos:
  - source: source-org/source-repo-1
    target: target-org/target-repo-1
    visibility: private # Optional: private, public, or internal (defaults to private)
    disable-github-actions: true # Optional: disable Actions on target repo (defaults to true)
    archive-after-sync: false # Optional: archive repo after sync (defaults to false)

Sample Configuration

See sample file.

Usage with GitHub Apps (recommended)

You can use a personal access token, but it is recommended to use GitHub Apps instead:

Note

Required GitHub App Permissions:

• Source App: Repository Read access to contents
• Target App: Repository Read and Write access to administration, contents, and workflows

- uses: actions/checkout@v6
# source
- uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v3
  id: source-app-token
  with:
    app-id: ${{ vars.SOURCE_APP_ID }}
    private-key: ${{ secrets.SOURCE_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    owner: ${{ github.repository_owner }}
# target
- uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v3
  id: target-app-token
  with:
    app-id: ${{ vars.TARGET_APP_ID }}
    private-key: ${{ secrets.TARGET_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    owner: joshjohanning-emu
- name: Bulk GitHub Repository Sync
  uses: joshjohanning/bulk-github-repo-sync-action@v2
  with:
    repo-list-file: repos.yml
    source-github-token: ${{ steps.source-app-token.outputs.token }}
    target-github-token: ${{ steps.target-app-token.outputs.token }}
    overwrite-repo-visibility: true # overwrite repo visibility with what is in yml file; defaults to false
    # force push to target repos (overwrites history); defaults to false
    # target-github-api-url: https://ghes.domain.com/api/v3 # only needed if target is GHES

Configuration Options

Per-Repository Settings (YML)

Setting	Description	Default
source	Source repository in owner/repo format	-
target	Target repository in owner/repo format	-
visibility	Repository visibility (private/public/internal)	private
disable-github-actions	Disable GitHub Actions on target repository	true
archive-after-sync	Archive repository after successful sync	false

Action Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
repo-list-file	YML file with repository configurations	Yes	-
source-github-token	GitHub PAT for source repositories	Yes	-
target-github-token	GitHub PAT for target repositories	No	(uses source token if not specified)
source-github-api-url	Source GitHub API URL (e.g., https://api.github.com or https://ghes.domain.com/api/v3). Instance URL is auto-derived.	No	${{ github.api_url }}
target-github-api-url	Target GitHub API URL (e.g., https://api.github.com or https://ghes.domain.com/api/v3). Instance URL is auto-derived.	No	${{ github.api_url }}
overwrite-repo-visibility	Force update visibility of existing repos	No	false
force-push	Force push to target repositories (overwrites history)	No	false

Local Command Line Usage

You can also run the script directly:

export SOURCE_GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_abc
export TARGET_GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xyz
node src/index.js --file=repos.yml

Sample Output

=== SYNC SUMMARY ===
Total repositories: 5
✅ Successful: 5
❌ Failed: 0
🆕 Created: 2
🔄 Updated: 3
👁️  Visibility updated: 1
📦 Archived: 2