1What FoxPlug reads from GitHub
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| The documentation pages in one folder you name (optional) | only when you press Check docs: the Markdown and text files in that folder (up to 60 files, 300 KB each) are read so they can be compared with what you shipped; nothing outside the folder is read |
| The repositories the token can see | the 10 most recently pushed repositories (owner, collaborator or organization member), of which the first 5 are read; full name, short name and default branch |
| Releases | up to 5 per repository: release id, name or tag name, release notes text (first 4,000 characters), published time |
| Merged pull requests | up to 10 recently updated closed pull requests per repository, kept only if merged: id, title, description text (first 3,800 characters), merged time, repository |
| Closed issues | up to 30 per repository closed since the last check (7 days on the first read): id, title, labels, closed time, link, thumbs-up count. Pull requests and issues closed as not planned are skipped |
| Commits on the default branch | up to 100 per repository since the last check (7 days on the first read): commit message and commit date, grouped into one digest per repository per UTC day, newest 10 days kept |
| Workflow runs (GitHub Actions, only if the owner turns it on) | completed runs of the last 14 days, up to 100 per repository, for the 5 most recently pushed repositories: workflow name, branch, result, start and end time, commit id, link |
| Build health worked out from those runs | whether the default branch is red and since when, success percentage, median minutes of a passing build this week against last week, commits that failed and then passed, the newest run of release or deploy workflows |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in GitHub worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
A pull request is merged
The moment is titled like this: Merged: Add dark mode toggle
You merge a pull request titled Add dark mode toggle in a repository called acme-app. After you press Check for what's new, FoxPlug keeps it as the moment 'Merged: Add dark mode toggle' with the pull request text as its description, then scores it. At 35 or more it gets short posts; a merge named like a dependency bump counts toward the skip line instead.
A release is published
The moment is titled like this: Released v1.4.0 of acme-app
You publish release v1.4.0 of acme-app. The moment is titled 'Released v1.4.0 of acme-app' and its description is the release notes, so the post and the changelog entry can use your own wording.
Commits land on the default branch
The moment is titled like this: 7 commits in acme-app on 2026-11-09
You push seven commits to main in one day. FoxPlug makes one digest for that repository and day, titled '7 commits in acme-app on 2026-11-09', and puts the distinct commit messages in the description. The score reads the commit count in the title.
An issue is closed
The moment is titled like this: Shipped: Dark mode | Fixed: Login loop on Safari | Shipped what 5 people asked for: Dark mode
A closed issue labelled feature becomes 'Shipped: Dark mode'. A feature with two or more thumbs-up becomes 'Shipped what 5 people asked for: Dark mode'. A closed issue labelled bug becomes 'Fixed: Login loop on Safari', which is kept for the changelog and is not a post.
The default branch has been red for 3 or more days (GitHub Actions on)
The moment is titled like this: Your builds have been red for 4 days on acme-app. Fix this first.
After you press Read my builds, FoxPlug sees the last completed runs on acme-app's main branch have all failed since Nov 5. The first card in the Today brief says 'Your builds have been red for 4 days on acme-app. Fix this first.' with the number of failed runs in a row and the date of the first.
Passing builds get much faster (GitHub Actions on)
The moment is titled like this: Builds on acme-app got 52% faster
The busiest workflow on main took a median of 4 min 10 s last week and takes 2 min this week. With at least 6 passing runs in each week, FoxPlug makes the moment 'Builds on acme-app got 52% faster', once per repository per week.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to GitHub. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Shipped at least 2 things in 30 days with at least 2 never announced: the brief picks the highest scoring one as the say line. How the brain decides
- Two or more dependency bumps, migrations or refactors in the last 14 days (matched by name), or two or more changes marked internal, become the skip line. How the brain decides
- Issues with a request label or request wording, plus the people who added a thumbs-up, are matched to what you shipped and become a say line: shipped, N people asked for it, tell them. How the brain decides
- A closed feature is a say line, a closed bug is 'Fixed:' and goes to the changelog only, a bug-only week adds to the skip line. A bug label wins over a feature label. How the brain decides
- Main branch red for 3 or more days is the first card in Today; builds 40 percent faster or more is a post, once per repository per week. How the brain decides
- Under 35 no post is written; 35 and over gets short posts; 80 and over also gets an offer of a full write-up that is never made without a click. How the brain decides
- Nothing is fetched in the background for someone who is not looking; it reads only when the owner presses Build the brief or Check for what's new. How the brain decides
4Set up GitHub in a few steps
Access: fine-grained personal access token pasted into the connect panel (a Connect button with GitHub sign-in also exists in the app). What to give it: fine-grained PAT, read-only repo + metadata.
- Open github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new.
- Name the token (FoxPlug) and choose when it expires.
- Resource owner: pick your own account.
- Repository access: only select repositories, or all repositories.
- Under Permissions, Repository: set Contents to Read-only and Metadata to Read-only. To see issues you closed in private repositories, also set Issues to Read-only.
- To use GitHub Actions reading, also set Actions to Read-only (a classic token needs the repo scope).
- Generate the token, copy it (GitHub shows it once) and paste it into FoxPlug.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Docs check: opening a pull request needs write access to the repository, which the sign-in connection has and a read-only token does not. It is opened only when you press Approve on one draft, from a new foxplug/docs branch, for files inside the docs folder; it is never pushed to your main branch and never merged.
- Looks at the 5 most recently pushed repositories the token can see.
- Releases: 5 per repository; closed pull requests: 10 per repository, merged ones only; closed issues: 30 per repository; commits: 100 per repository, 10 daily digests.
- Window is the time since the last check, or the last 7 days on the first read.
- On the very first read after connecting, only the single newest moment is kept instead of the whole history.
- A moment already seen is never added twice: it is de-duplicated on user, source and the item's own id.
- Issues in private repositories need the token's Issues read-only permission, otherwise they are quietly not read.
- GitHub Actions: last 14 days, 5 repositories, 100 runs per repository; the speed comparison needs 6 passing runs on each side; a red card needs 3 or more days.
- At most 10 updates are written per press of Check for what's new, and Free keeps the day's 5.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Your code files: the docs check reads only Markdown and text pages inside the one folder you name, and only when you press Check docs
- Who reported or who is assigned to an issue, and any comment text
- The contents or diffs of your files (the calls made list repositories, releases, pull requests, issues, commits and workflow runs only)
- Anything it could change: it makes read requests only and never re-runs, cancels or edits a workflow
- Pull request authors, commit authors or reviewers (only the title, body, message and time are taken)
7Questions
Does FoxPlug read my source code?
No. It lists your repositories and reads releases, pull request titles and text, issue titles and labels, commit messages and dates, and (if you turn it on) workflow run results. It does not call anything that returns file contents or diffs.
Does it watch GitHub all the time?
No. Nothing is fetched for your project until you press Check for what's new. GitHub Actions has its own switch and its own Read my builds button, and reads nothing until you press that.
Can I use a read-only token?
Yes, that is what the connect steps ask for: a fine-grained token with Contents and Metadata set to Read-only. Add Issues read-only to see closed issues in private repositories, and Actions read-only for build health.
Why did it only create one update when I first connected?
On the first read after connecting, each connector keeps just the single newest moment instead of back-filling your whole history. Later presses of Check for what's new add what is new since then.
Do GitHub Issues and GitHub Actions need separate connections?
No. Both are read through the GitHub connection you already made. Issues come with the same read; Actions has a Turn on switch in the app and needs the token to allow Actions read-only.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.