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Overview

cloneit is designed to download specific GitHub directories or files without cloning the entire repository. This page covers the fundamental usage patterns to get you started.

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Command Syntax

The basic syntax for cloneit is: 
cloneit [OPTIONS] <url>...

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Arguments

  • <url>... - URL to the GitHub directory or file (required)
  • You can pass a single URL or multiple comma-delimited URLs

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Options

  • -h, --help - Print help information
  • -V, --version - Print version information
  • -z, --zip - Download and zip the directory or file
  • -q, --quiet - Disable verbose logging

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Basic Workflow

When you run cloneit, it follows these steps:
  1. Validates the URL - Ensures the GitHub URL is properly formatted
  2. Downloads content - Fetches the file or directory from GitHub
  3. Creates structure - Preserves the directory structure locally
  4. Zips (optional) - If -z flag is used, creates a zip archive
cloneit uses the GitHub API to fetch content, which means you can download specific parts of a repository without cloning everything.

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Common Use Cases

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Download a Repository

Download an entire repository: 
cloneit https://github.com/alok8bb/cloneit
This downloads the repository into a cloneit directory in your current location.

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Download a Subdirectory

Download only a specific folder from a repository: 
cloneit https://github.com/alok8bb/cloneit/tree/master/src
This downloads only the src directory, preserving its structure.

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Download a Single File

Download an individual file: 
cloneit https://github.com/alok8bb/cloneit/tree/master/src/main.rs
The file will be downloaded to your current directory.

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Output and Logging

By default, cloneit provides verbose output showing:
  • Progress indicator (e.g., [1/3])
  • Current step (validating, downloading, etc.)
  • Individual files being downloaded (marked with +)
  • Success confirmation

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Quiet Mode

To suppress informational output and only show warnings: 
cloneit -q https://github.com/alok8bb/cloneit
Quiet mode is useful when using cloneit in scripts or automation where you only want to see errors.

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GitHub API Authentication

For higher rate limits and access to private repositories, you can provide a GitHub token: 
export GITHUB_TOKEN=your_github_token_here
cloneit https://github.com/username/private-repo
Without authentication, you’re limited to 60 requests per hour by GitHub’s API rate limiting.

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Directory Structure

When downloading directories, cloneit:
  • Creates a root directory named after the repository or target folder
  • Preserves the complete nested directory structure
  • Downloads all files recursively
  • Maintains file names and extensions

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Next Steps

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