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Getting Started with GitHub

A super simple guide for non-technical users who've never used GitHub before.

What Is GitHub?

Think of GitHub as Google Docs for code and files—but better.

  • Multiple people can work on the same files
  • Every change is tracked (you can always undo)
  • Nothing gets lost or overwritten
  • You can see who changed what and when

You don't need to be a programmer to use GitHub. Many teams use it for documentation, policies, and collaborative writing.

Key Concepts (Plain English)

Term What It Actually Means
Repository (repo) A project folder. Contains all your files.
Commit Saving your changes with a note about what you did.
Push Uploading your saved changes to GitHub.
Pull Downloading the latest changes from GitHub.
Branch A separate copy where you can experiment without affecting the main version.
Clone Copying a repo from GitHub to your computer.

That's it. Those 6 terms cover 90% of what you'll do.

Two Ways to Use GitHub

Option A: The Website (Easiest)

You can do everything through github.com without installing anything:

  • Read files
  • Edit files (small changes)
  • Upload files
  • See change history

Best for: Browsing, small edits, reading documentation.

Option B: From Your Computer (More Powerful)

Install the GitHub CLI tool to work with files locally:

  • Edit files in your preferred apps
  • Make bigger changes
  • Work offline
  • Use Claude Code to help

Best for: Regular contributors, larger projects, using Claude Code.

Option A: Using the GitHub Website

Viewing Files

  1. Go to the repository URL (e.g., github.com/company/project-name)
  2. Click on any file to read it
  3. Click folders to navigate into them
  4. Use the search bar to find specific files

Editing Files Online

  1. Navigate to the file you want to edit
  2. Click the pencil icon (top right of the file content)
  3. Make your changes
  4. Scroll down to "Commit changes"
  5. Write a brief description of what you changed
  6. Click Commit changes

Done! Your changes are saved to GitHub.

Creating New Files Online

  1. In the repo, click Add file → Create new file
  2. Type a filename (include the folder path if needed, like docs/my-file.md)
  3. Write your content
  4. Scroll down and commit with a description

Uploading Files

  1. In the repo, click Add file → Upload files
  2. Drag and drop your files
  3. Commit with a description

Option B: Using GitHub from Your Computer

This method is more powerful and lets you use Claude Code to help with your work.

Step 1: Install GitHub CLI

Open Terminal and run:

brew install gh

If you don't have Homebrew installed, install it first:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Windows: Open PowerShell and run winget install GitHub.cli, then restart PowerShell.

Step 2: Log Into GitHub

In your terminal, run:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts:

  1. Choose GitHub.com
  2. Choose HTTPS
  3. Choose Login with a web browser
  4. Copy the one-time code shown
  5. Press Enter to open GitHub in your browser
  6. Paste the code and authorize

You're now connected.

Step 3: Clone a Repository

"Cloning" copies a GitHub repo to your computer.

  1. Navigate to where you want the project:

    cd ~/Documents

  2. Clone the repo:

    gh repo clone owner/repo-name

    For example:

    gh repo clone mycompany/policies

  3. Enter the project folder:

    cd repo-name

Now you have all the files on your computer.

Step 4: Make Changes

Edit files however you like:

  • Use any text editor (TextEdit, VS Code, etc.)
  • Use Claude Code: just run ccd in the project folder

Step 5: Save and Upload Your Changes

After making changes, you need to:

  1. Stage your changes (tell Git what to save)
  2. Commit them (save with a description)
  3. Push them (upload to GitHub)

The easy way—ask Claude Code:

Commit my changes with a message describing what I did, then push to GitHub

Claude will handle all the steps for you.

The manual way:

git add .
git commit -m "Updated the expense policy document"
git push

Step 6: Get the Latest Changes

Before starting work, always get the latest version:

git pull

This downloads any changes others have made.

Common Tasks

See What's Changed

git status

Shows files you've modified, added, or deleted.

See Change History

git log --oneline

Shows a list of recent commits (changes).

Undo Changes You Haven't Saved Yet

git checkout -- filename

Reverts a file to the last saved version.

Create a Branch (Safe Experimentation)

git checkout -b my-experiment

Now you're on a separate branch. Changes here won't affect the main version until you merge them.

Using Claude Code with GitHub

Once you've cloned a repo, Claude Code becomes incredibly powerful. Here's what you can do:

Navigate to your project folder:

cd ~/Documents/my-project

Start Claude Code:

ccd

Ask Claude to help:

  • "What files are in this project?"
  • "Show me the README"
  • "Update the employee handbook to include the new PTO policy"
  • "Create a new document called quarterly-goals.md"
  • "Commit my changes and push to GitHub"

Claude handles all the Git commands for you. You just describe what you want in plain English.

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" or "Authentication failed"

  • Run gh auth login again
  • Make sure you're logged into the right GitHub account

"Repository not found"

  • Check the spelling of the repo name
  • Make sure you have access (ask your admin)

"Your branch is behind"

  • Run git pull to get the latest changes
  • If there are conflicts, ask Claude Code: "Help me resolve these Git conflicts"

"Changes not showing on GitHub"

  • Make sure you committed AND pushed
  • Run git status to see what needs to be done

Best Practices

  1. Pull before you start — Always run git pull before making changes
  2. Commit often — Save your work in small chunks, not one giant change
  3. Write clear commit messages — "Updated Q1 budget figures" is better than "changes"
  4. Don't commit sensitive data — Keep passwords and API keys out of GitHub. See API Keys & Environment Variables for how to use .env files and .gitignore to keep secrets safe

Need Help?

The best way to learn is to experiment. You can't really break anything—Git's history feature means everything can be undone.

When in doubt, ask Claude Code:

  • "What's the current status of this Git repo?"
  • "Help me push my changes to GitHub"
  • "Explain what this Git error means"

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