Templating

File content can include Go template expressions that are expanded per target repository. This lets you customize values like project names, module paths, and binary names.

Quick Example

files:
  - path: Makefile
    source: ./templates/Makefile

  - path: go.mod
    content: |
      module github.com/<% .Repo.FullName %>
      go 1.24.0

When applied to babarot/my-cli, the go.mod becomes:

module github.com/babarot/my-cli
go 1.24.0

Built-in Variables

Every template has access to the target repository’s metadata:

Variable	Value	Example (babarot/my-cli)
<% .Repo.Name %>	Repository name	my-cli
<% .Repo.Owner %>	Owner name	babarot
<% .Repo.FullName %>	owner/name	babarot/my-cli

Custom Variables

Use vars to define additional variables. Values can themselves reference built-in variables:

files:
  - path: .github/workflows/release.yml
    source: ./templates/release.yml
    vars:
      binary_name: "<% .Repo.Name %>"
      docker_image: "ghcr.io/<% .Repo.FullName %>"

In the template file:

- run: docker build -t <% .Vars.docker_image %> .
- run: ./<% .Vars.binary_name %> --version

Variables are resolved in two passes:

1. vars values are expanded (can reference .Repo only)
2. File content is expanded (can reference both .Repo and .Vars)

Compatibility with Other Template Systems

gh-infra uses <% %> delimiters, which do not conflict with:

• GitHub Actions ${{ }} — preserved as-is
• GoReleaser {{ .Version }} — preserved as-is
• Helm {{ .Release.Name }} — preserved as-is
• Any {{ }} syntax — untouched by gh-infra

files:
  - path: .github/workflows/ci.yml
    content: |
      runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}              # ← GitHub Actions (no conflict)
      env:
        TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}   # ← GitHub Actions (no conflict)
      steps:
        - run: echo "Building <% .Repo.Name %>"  # ← gh-infra (expanded)

No escaping needed.

When Templates Are Applied

Templates are expanded during plan, before the diff comparison. This means:

• plan output shows the expanded content
• apply commits the expanded content
• Each target repository gets its own expansion with the correct .Repo values

Files without <% %> syntax are not processed by the template engine — they pass through unchanged.

Error Handling

If a template references an undefined variable, plan and apply stop with an error:

files:
  - path: Makefile
    content: |
      BINARY = <% .Vars.typo %>   # ← error: undefined key "typo"

Error: template Makefile for babarot/my-cli: template: :1:12:
  executing "" at <.Vars.typo>: map has no entry for key "typo"

This prevents accidentally committing files with missing values.