GitHub Wiki How-To

github-wiki-how-to.md

How do I clone a GitHub wiki?

Any GitHub wiki can be cloned by appending wiki.git to the repo url, so the clone url for the repo https://myorg/myrepo/ is: [email protected]:myorg/myrepo.wiki.git (for ssh) or https://github.com/my/myrepo.wiki.git (for https).

You make edits, and commit and push your changes, like any normal repo. This wiki repo is distinct from any clone of the project repo (the repo without wiki.get appended).

How do I add images to a wiki page?

You need to clone the wiki repo and edit it on your system.

Add images to an images directory (or subdirectory below it) in your wiki repo. For example: images/project-architecture/project-architecture-overview.png.

In your wiki page markup, embed an image link in the following format:

[[/images/path/to/image.ext|ALT TEXT]]

Note the leading / in the path. You don't need it if all your wiki docs and image files are located at the top level of the wiki (like when you use the online wiki editor), but if you are working with a clone of the wiki, then you can organize files in subdirectories; and in that case, absolute or relative path specifiers are critical so that the path to the image resolves correctly when editing a doc that is located in a different subdirectory.

Commit and push your changes.

Note

This is not the same as providing a link to an image that is part of your project repo (not the wiki repo). If you want to link to an image in your project repo, you will need a full URL that looks something like this:

[[https://github.com/username/repository/blob/master/img/octocat.png|alt=octocat]]

See references, below.

How do I add files to a wiki page?

You need to clone the wiki repo and edit it on your system.

Add files to the files directory (or subdirectory below it). For example: files/project-presentation.pdf`.

In your wiki page markup, add the file link in the following format:

[link text](files/path/to/file "ALT TEXT")

For example:

[Project Presentation](files/project-presentation.pdf "Project Presentation PDF")

Commit and push your changes.

See related references

• https://help.github.com/articles/adding-images-to-wikis/
• https://help.github.com/articles/relative-links-in-readmes/

I'd like to post a wiki page that explains some of the math behind my software. And, as such, it would include a fair number of equations. Is there a good way to do that? Using images seems a bit cumbersome. Perhaps I could use a PDF file as a wiki page? Is this kind of thing just too far out-of-scope for what the GitHub wiki system handles?

Nowadays you can just copy image content (Gimp: ctrl+a to select all, then ctrl+shift+c to copy all visible; or get tool like ShareX and set printscreen action to select region and copy output to clipboard OR in Windows you can set Snipping Tool as print screen action) and hit ctrl+v in github editor, just like you'd paste text. This way you don't have to save images. But if you got files, you can drag&drop it onto editor window.

As for cloning the wiki, 2024 way (image attached in way described above!) - you get the link on the very bottom of the right sidebar (one with TOC).