Project: GitHub Setup

This project establishes the repository you will use for every subsequent module in the course. By the end you will have a GitHub repo with a README, a .gitignore, branch protection, and a feature-branch workflow you will repeat in every project that follows.

Create Your Repository

1. Sign in to github.com (create a free account if you do not have one).

2. Click New repository (the + menu in the top-right corner).

3. Name the repository something descriptive — sec-llm-service works well.

4. Set visibility to Private (you will share it with instructors via collaborator invite).

5. Check Add a README file so the repo initializes with a default branch.

6. Click Create repository.

Add a .gitignore

Create a .gitignore at the repository root. At minimum it should exclude:

# Python virtual environment
venv/

# Byte-compiled files
__pycache__/

# Environment variables / secrets
.env

# Amplify build output (added later in the course)
amplify_outputs.json

Commit the file to your default branch before continuing.

Enable Branch Protection

Branch protection prevents direct pushes to your main branch and requires pull requests for every change — the same workflow used in professional teams.

1. In your repository, go to Settings > Branches.

2. Under Branch protection rules, click Add rule.

3. Set Branch name pattern to main.

4. Enable Require a pull request before merging.

5. (Recommended) Enable Require status checks to pass before merging once you add CI later in the course.

6. Click Create.

With this rule active you cannot push directly to main; all changes flow through pull requests.

Feature-Branch and Pull Request Workflow

Every project in this course follows a feature-branch workflow:

1. Create a branch from main for the work you are about to do:

   git checkout main
   git pull origin main
   git checkout -b feature/sec-cik-module

2. Make commits as you work. Keep commits small and descriptive:

   git add src/cik_lookup.py
   git commit -m "feat: add ticker_to_cik lookup function"

3. Push the branch to GitHub:

   git push -u origin feature/sec-cik-module

4. Open a pull request on GitHub comparing your feature branch into main. Write a short description of what changed and why.

5. Review and merge. Once you are satisfied the code is correct, merge the pull request on GitHub. Delete the feature branch after merging to keep the branch list clean.

Repeat this cycle for every project module. The habit of branching, committing with clear messages, and merging through a PR is the single most transferable workflow skill in this course.

Commit Message Conventions

Use short, imperative-mood subject lines:

Pattern	Example
feat: <what>	feat: add quarterly_filing helper
fix: <what>	fix: handle missing CIK gracefully
docs: <what>	docs: add API usage notes to README
refactor: <what>	refactor: extract SEC URL builder

Keep the subject under 72 characters. If more context is needed, add a blank line followed by a body paragraph.