This repo outlines the steps to create a Python script that automatically commits changes to a GitHub repository every minute. The script is set up to run as a systemd service on Debian 12, ensuring it starts every time the PC is on.
- Python 3.11
- Git
- GitHub account with SSH key configured, or you could use ghcli tool, you will thank me later for this tool.
- Any Linux Distro
Create a Python script that automates the commit process. Save the script to /path/to/your/project/auto_commit.py.
import os import subprocess import schedule import time from datetime import datetime # Set up your GitHub repository path and commit message REPO_PATH = '/path/to/your/project/' SCRIPT_PATH = '/path/to/your/project/auto_commit.py' # Path to this script COMMIT_MESSAGE = 'Automated commit message' BRANCH_NAME = 'main' # or 'master' based on your branch name LOG_FILE = '/path/to/your/logs/auto_commit.log' # Log file path def add_comment_to_script(): try: with open(SCRIPT_PATH, 'a') as script: script.write(f'# Automated comment added on {datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")}\n') except Exception as e: with open(LOG_FILE, 'a') as log: log.write(f'{datetime.now()} - An error occurred while adding a comment to the script: {e}\n') def git_commit(): try: # Change to the repository directory os.chdir(REPO_PATH) # Add a comment to the script to ensure a new commit add_comment_to_script() # Add changes to staging subprocess.run(['git', 'add', SCRIPT_PATH], check=True) # Commit changes subprocess.run(['git', 'commit', '-m', COMMIT_MESSAGE], check=True) # Push changes to the remote repository result = subprocess.run(['git', 'push', 'origin', BRANCH_NAME], check=True, capture_output=True, text=True) with open(LOG_FILE, 'a') as log: log.write(f'{datetime.now()} - Commit successful\n') except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e: with open(LOG_FILE, 'a') as log: log.write(f'{datetime.now()} - An error occurred: {e}\n') log.write(f'Output: {e.output}\n') log.write(f'Stderr: {e.stderr}\n') # Schedule the commit job to run every minute schedule.every(1).minutes.do(git_commit) if __name__ == "__main__": with open(LOG_FILE, 'a') as log: log.write(f'{datetime.now()} - Service started\n') while True: schedule.run_pending() time.sleep(1)Create and activate a virtual environment to manage the script's dependencies.
cd /path/to/your/project python3 -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # Use activate.fish if you are using the Fish shell pip install scheduleCreate a systemd service file to manage the script as a service. Save the file as /etc/systemd/system/auto_commit.service.
[Unit] Description=Auto Commit Script After=network.target [Service] ExecStart=/path/to/your/project/venv/bin/python /path/to/your/project/auto_commit.py WorkingDirectory=/path/to/your/project StandardOutput=inherit StandardError=inherit Restart=always User=yourusername Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.targetReload systemd to apply the new service configuration and start the service.
sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable auto_commit.service sudo systemctl start auto_commit.service sudo systemctl status auto_commit.serviceMonitor the log file to ensure the script is running correctly and commits are being made.
cat /path/to/your/logs/auto_commit.log-
SSH Authentication: Ensure your SSH key is added to the ssh-agent and that it’s correctly configured in GitHub.
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa # Or the path to your SSH private key ssh -T git@github.com
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Repository State: Ensure your local repository is on the correct branch and not in a detached HEAD state.
cd /path/to/your/project/ git status -
Manual Push: Test pushing manually to ensure there are no issues with the repository or authentication.
cd /path/to/your/project/ git add auto_commit.py git commit -m "Test commit" git push origin main
By following these steps, you can automate the process of committing changes to a GitHub repository every minute using a Python script and systemd. This ensures your GitHub activity graph remains active and updated.
Replace `/path/to/your/project`, `/path/to/your/logs`, and `yourusername` with your actual paths and username as appropriate. This document provides all the necessary commands and code to set up and run the automated commit script.