github.readme
stable Standard
README file descriptor of a GitHub repository (name, path, links).
GET /v1/github/readme
What you get#
One GitHub record in Onekey's unified shape, in data. If the record does not exist you get a 404 not_found and are not charged.
Also known as: /github/repo/readme on APIs that nest their paths. See Alternatives and equivalents.
What it costs#
- Standard · 1 credit for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
- Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).
- Free if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).
Parameters#
| Name | Type | Required | Default | What it is | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
owner | string | yes | (required) | GitHub user or organisation login | max 39 chars; must match [a-z0-9](?:[a-z0-9-]{0,38}); trimmed, leading @ removed, lowercased |
repo | string | yes | (required) | Repository name | max 100 chars; must match [a-z0-9_-][a-z0-9._-]{0,99}; trimmed, lowercased |
Request#
curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/github/readme?owner=facebook&repo=react" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Try it
Add your key to run this call right here. No key? Get one free. The key stays in this tab.
Recorded response#
A real GitHub response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are null.
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"entity": {
"name": "README.md",
"url": "https://github.com/react/react/blob/main/README.md"
},
"ext": {
"path": "README.md",
"downloadUrl": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/react/react/main/README.md",
"size": 5317,
"sha": "88f8e827b0255cf639043c83833c7a0c40ec0991"
}
},
"metadata": {
"platform": "github",
"endpoint": "readme",
"cached": false,
"stale": false,
"age_s": 0,
"fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
"credits_charged": 1,
"request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
},
"error": null
}Field mapping#
How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's unified schema. Fields the source lacks come back as null.
| Source path | Onekey field | Transform |
|---|---|---|
name | entity.name | - |
path | ext.path | - |
html_url | entity.url | safeUrl |
download_url | ext.downloadUrl | safeUrl |
size | ext.size | toNumber |
sha | ext.sha | - |
Caching and freshness#
- Fresh for about 1 hour. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
- Between 1 hour and 1 day the cached copy is still served instantly and marked
stale: truewhile Onekey refreshes it in the background. - If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 3 days more (marked stale).
- A "not found" is remembered for 5 minutes and is free.
- The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.
What can go wrong#
| Status | Code | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | unauthorized | Check the x-api-key header. |
| 402 | insufficient_credits | Add credits; your balance must cover the price. |
| 404 | not_found | That record does not exist. Free; do not retry. |
| 422 | invalid_params | Fix the parameters using the table above. Free. |
| 429 | rate_limited | Wait Retry-After seconds, then retry. |
| 502 | upstream_error | The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff. |
See Errors for the full list and retry guidance.
Status: stable (verified against the live source).