Set Up OpenHands for a Repository
SkillAI & modelsSet 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.
No other account needed.
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.exampleto.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.mdat repo root with real commands (not boilerplate).openhands/setup.shwith the project's actual install/bootstrap commands.openhands/pre-commit.shmirroring the CI lint/test checks.github/workflows/pr-review.ymlwith valid YAML
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 143
- Forks
- 83
- Last commit
- Sep 2026
Advanced
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setup-openhands- Source
- github.com/openhands/extensions