Get to Know GitHub 6: GitHub Desktop
Slide 14 (Same loop, from a folder on your laptop). 0:43 to 0:45. Slide walk only, no live demo.
What this section has to do
Show that there's a middle option between the browser and the command line. For people who work in files on their laptop all day, Desktop makes the loop feel like saving into a folder. Two minutes, so it's a walk through the slide, not a live demo or a tutorial.
Before Thursday
- Install GitHub Desktop (Windows or Mac), update it to 3.5.5 or newer for commit hook support, and sign in with your GitHub account, so you can answer questions about it.
- No live demo to set up. Walk the slide, using the talking order below.
Slide walk (talking order)
- Clone. Clone your repo and it shows up as a folder in File Explorer or Finder. "It's a normal folder. You open and save files in it like anything else."
- Branch. Current Branch, New branch, give it a name. Do this first, before you change anything, so the edit lands on the new branch.
- Work normally. Then make the edit in your usual editor and save.
- Changes tab. Switch back to Desktop. "Red out, green in. Same view as the Files changed tab in the browser."
- Commit. Write a short summary, hit Commit. "If Gitleaks is set up on your laptop, it runs right here, before the commit is saved, and catches a key before it leaves your laptop. GitHub also checks every push, browser uploads included." Hooks need setting up on each laptop (the template can't do that), and the dev team can help.
- Push origin. "This sends the branch up to GitHub. origin just means the copy on GitHub."
- Preview Pull Request. Then it's the same review and merge we did in the browser. No need to show the PR itself.
Close with: "This is what Claude Desktop and Claude Code are doing under the hood, which is next."
Points to make
- Bypass Commit Hooks exists in Desktop. Don't use it. That's the switch that skips the Gitleaks check on your laptop. GitHub still checks every push.
- Always start a new branch from an up-to-date main. Fetch origin first if Desktop says main is behind.
- Desktop is optional. The browser does everything people need. Desktop is for people who'd rather work in files.
- Commit hooks need Desktop 3.5.5 or newer, and they need setting up on each laptop. The template can't do that part, so ask the dev team.
Who should use which
| You mostly | Use |
|---|---|
| Upload a finished script now and then | The browser |
| Edit scripts often, in a folder on your laptop | GitHub Desktop |
| Already work with Claude Code or Claude Desktop | Let Claude do it. Add a note on what the script is for and request a dev team reviewer |
| Want the command line | Grab time with Timothy |
Likely questions
- "Do I need Git installed separately?" No. Desktop includes what it needs.
- "Where does the folder go?" Desktop asks when you clone. Pick somewhere you'll find it, like Documents/GitHub. Not inside a synced Drive or Box folder, because the sync and Git can fight.
- "What's Fetch origin?" origin just means the copy on GitHub. Fetch origin checks it for changes other people made. Pull origin brings them down.
- "I got a merge conflict." Stop and ask the dev team. It's normal and quick to fix, but not something to learn mid-task.
Done when
People know Desktop exists, what it's for, and that it's the same loop.