Claude GitHub Buddy

A Chrome extension that brings a Claude assistant directly into the "Files Changed" section of GitHub PRs, allowing you to ask questions inline about code changes, mark sections for action, and let Claude answer or implement changes at your instruction - all from your browser. Features an in-browser streaming interface for viewing Claude’s live logs, enabling you to redirect it with new prompts if it deviates, or immediately terminate the session if needed.

Features

• Ask Questions: Highlight code in PR diffs and ask Claude questions about it
• Mark for Action: Flag code sections that need changes and give Claude instructions
• Auto-Answer: Claude can answer all your questions in one go via Agent SDK
• Auto-Complete Actions: Claude can implement marked actions directly in the repository
• Inline Display: Answers and actions appear as GitHub-style comments in the PR
• Markdown Files: Questions and actions saved to markdown files for review and version control

Screenshots

Quick Start

⚠️ First Time Setup: See SETUP.md for detailed installation and configuration instructions.

Quick version:

1. Configure Environment

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env with your paths
# - NODE_PATH (find with: which node)
# - HTTP_PORT / WS_PORT
# - PROJECTS_DIR
# - PR_REVIEWS_DIR

2. Install Dependencies

cd server
npm install

3. Start the Server

# Daemon mode (recommended - runs in background)
./launchers/start_server_daemon.command

# Foreground mode (legacy)
./Start Server.command

# Or manual
cd server && node server.js

Server management:

./launchers/server_status.command    # Check if running
./launchers/stop_server.command       # Stop daemon
./launchers/server_logs.command       # View logs

The server runs on http://localhost:13030 (configurable in .env) and handles file I/O and Claude Agent SDK integration.

4. Install the Extension

Chrome/Edge/Brave/Opera:

1. Open chrome://extensions/ (or edge://extensions/ for Edge)
2. Enable "Developer mode" (top-right toggle)
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select the extension/ folder

5. Configure Extension

Open Settings from the extension dropdown menu to configure:

• Server URL: Should match HTTP_PORT in .env (default: http://localhost:13030)
• Projects Directory: Where git repositories are cloned (syncs from .env)
• Questions & Actions Directory: Where markdown files are saved (syncs from .env)
• Agent Permissions: Which tools Claude can use automatically

Usage

Important: Use Unified diff view mode for best results. Split view will work but may provide incomplete context to Claude since line selection is isolated between left/right panes.

Asking Questions

1. Go to any GitHub PR → "Files changed" tab
2. Ensure you're in Unified view (recommended) - toggle at top-right of diff
3. Click line numbers to highlight code (yellow highlight)
4. Click the Claude icon that appears
5. Type your question → "Save Question"
6. Question saved to markdown file

Answering Questions

1. Click "Answer Questions" button in the PR
2. Claude automatically answers all unanswered questions
3. Answers appear inline in the PR

Marking for Action

1. Highlight code in PR diff
2. Click Claude dropdown → "Mark for Action"
3. Give Claude instructions on what to change
4. Action saved to markdown file

Completing Actions

1. Click "Start Actions" button in the PR
2. Claude automatically implements all pending actions
3. Changes committed to the repository
4. Summaries appear in the markdown file

File Structure

claude-github-buddy/
├── extension/              # Browser extension
│   ├── manifest.json       # Extension config
│   ├── scripts/
│   │   ├── content.js      # Main UI logic
│   │   ├── background.js   # Markdown generation
│   │   ├── agent-client.js # Agent SDK client
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── styles/
│   │   └── content.css     # GitHub-native styling
│   └── icons/
├── server/
│   ├── server.js           # HTTP server
│   ├── agent-server.js     # Agent SDK integration
│   ├── git-helper.js       # Repository management
│   └── config.js           # Configuration
└── questions and actions/  # Generated markdown files (gitignored)

Configuration

Full configuration guide: See SETUP.md for detailed setup instructions.

Environment Variables

Configuration is managed via .env file (copy from .env.example):

Server configuration:

• NODE_PATH - Full path to Node.js binary (required for launchd/daemon mode)
• HTTP_PORT - HTTP server port (default: 13030)
• WS_PORT - WebSocket server port (default: 13031)

Directory configuration:

• PROJECTS_DIR - Where your git repositories are located
• PR_REVIEWS_DIR - Where markdown review files are saved

Git configuration (optional):

• GIT_GITHUB_PROTOCOL - Git protocol for github.com (default: ssh)
• GIT_GITHUB_SSH_KEY - SSH key path (default: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519)

Claude API (required for Agent SDK features):

• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Your Claude API key
• ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID - GCP project ID for Vertex AI (alternative)
• CLOUD_ML_REGION - GCP region for Vertex AI

Example .env:

NODE_PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin/node
HTTP_PORT=13030
WS_PORT=13031
PROJECTS_DIR=/Users/yourusername/Projects
PR_REVIEWS_DIR=/Users/yourusername/claude-github-buddy/questions and actions
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key

Configuration Priority

The server loads configuration in this order (highest priority first):

1. .env file variables
2. server/config.json (UI settings)
3. Hardcoded defaults

Server API

The server exposes these endpoints:

• POST /writeFile - Write markdown file
• POST /readFile - Read markdown file
• GET /listFiles - List all markdown files
• POST /deleteFile - Delete markdown file
• POST /archiveFile - Archive markdown file with timestamp
• GET /getConfig - Get current configuration
• POST /updateConfig - Update configuration
• GET /getDefaultConfig - Get default configuration values
• POST /startSession - Start Agent SDK session
• POST /answerQuestions - Answer questions via Agent SDK
• POST /completeActions - Complete actions via Agent SDK
• GET /health - Server health check

Markdown File Format

Questions File

# Claude PR Review: myorg/myrepo - Feature Implementation

**PR Number:** #123
**Generated:** 2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z

## Question 1

**File:** `src/server.js`
**Lines:** L42-L58
**Code:**
\```javascript
+ async function handleRequest(req, res) {
+   // ...
+ }
\```

**QUESTION:**
Why are we using async here instead of callbacks?

**ANSWER:**
_[Claude, please fill in your answer here]_

Actions File

# Claude Actions: myorg/myrepo

**PR Number:** #123
**Generated:** 2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z

## Action 1

**File:** `src/utils.js`
**Lines:** L15-L20
**Type:** Question-Linked

**ORIGINAL QUESTION:**
Should we add error handling here?

**ORIGINAL ANSWER:**
Yes, we should wrap this in a try-catch block...

**ACTION:**
Add try-catch error handling as suggested

**SUMMARY:**
_[Claude, please fill in your action summary here]_

Troubleshooting

Full troubleshooting guide: See SETUP.md

Server won't start:

# Check configuration
cat .env

# Check port availability
lsof -i :13030

# Verify Node.js installation
node --version  # Should be v16 or higher

# Check logs
./launchers/server_logs.command

Extension can't save files:

• Verify server is running: ./server_status.command
• Check health endpoint: curl http://localhost:13030/health
• Check Chrome DevTools → Console for errors
• Verify server URL in extension settings matches .env port

Agent SDK not working:

• Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in .env file
• Restart server after updating .env
• Check server logs for authentication errors: ./server_logs.command
• Verify API key has sufficient credits

Development

Running in dev mode:

cd server
npm install
node server.js

Extension development:

1. Make changes to extension/ files
2. Go to chrome://extensions/
3. Click reload icon on the extension
4. Refresh GitHub page

Testing Agent SDK:

# Set up environment
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key

# Run server with debug logging
DEBUG=* node server.js

Security Notes

• Server runs locally only (localhost:47382)
• No data sent to external servers except Claude API
• Questions and actions stored locally in markdown files
• Agent SDK requires explicit user action (button click)
• Tool permissions configurable in Settings

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or PR.

For contributors:

1. Copy .env.example to .env and configure for your setup
2. Never commit .env or server/config.json (already gitignored)
3. Update .env.example if adding new configuration options
4. Test setup on a fresh clone to ensure it works for others
5. Update SETUP.md with any new setup steps

Credits

Built with:

• Anthropic Claude Agent SDK
• Chrome Extensions Manifest V3
• GitHub Primer CSS