Set Up OpenHands for a Repository

SkillAI & models

Set up a repository for effective use with OpenHands. Creates AGENTS.md, setup and pre-commit scripts, and a PR review workflow. Designed to run automatically with minimal user intervention. Use when a user wants to configure their repo for OpenHands.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Set Up OpenHands for a Repository skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by openhands/extensions in plugins/onboarding/skills/setup-openhands/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Work through these steps in order.

Step 1: Create AGENTS.md

Run setup-agents-md to generate a root-level AGENTS.md from the repo's actual CI workflows, build files, and documentation.

Step 2: Create .openhands/setup.sh

Create .openhands/setup.sh — a bootstrap script that runs at the start of every OpenHands session. Read the repo's CI workflows, AGENTS.md, and build files to determine the correct commands. The script should:

  • Install dependencies (the project's actual install command)
  • Set required environment variables
  • Run any other bootstrap steps (e.g. copy .env.example to .env)

Keep it idempotent and fast. Use the real commands from CI, not generic examples.

Docs: https://docs.openhands.dev/openhands/usage/customization/repository#setup-script

Step 3: Create .openhands/pre-commit.sh

Create .openhands/pre-commit.sh — runs before every commit OpenHands makes. Read the repo's CI workflows to find the lint and test commands, then mirror them in the script. Exit non-zero on failure so the agent gets immediate feedback instead of waiting for CI.

The script should run the same checks CI runs — if CI runs ruff check and pytest, run those. If it runs cargo clippy and cargo test, run those.

Docs: https://docs.openhands.dev/openhands/usage/customization/repository#pre-commit-script

Step 4: Set up PR review

Run setup-pr-review to create the GitHub Actions workflow and walk the user through configuration.

Step 5: Verify

Confirm all files exist and are correct:

  • AGENTS.md at repo root with real commands (not boilerplate)
  • .openhands/setup.sh with the project's actual install/bootstrap commands
  • .openhands/pre-commit.sh mirroring the CI lint/test checks
  • .github/workflows/pr-review.yml with valid YAML

Signals

GitHub stars
143
Forks
83
Last commit
Sep 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
setup-openhands
Source
github.com/openhands/extensions