Pushing Your Capstone to GitHub — Step by Step

# Pushing Your Capstone to GitHub — Step by Step This is the exact workflow to take your capstone notebook and get it onto a public GitHub repo — all using VS Code's interface. ## Step 1 — Create the GitHub repo 1. Go to github.com → new repo (or `github.com/new`). 2. Name: descriptive, kebab-case. e.g. `saas-churn-analysis`. 3. Description: 1 sentence — "Churn and retention analysis for a fictional SaaS company, capstone for Topfolio Data Analyst track." 4. Set to **Public**. (Recruiters can't see private repos.) 5. **Don't** initialize with a README from GitHub — we'll add ours locally. 6. Click "Create repository". GitHub now shows you a setup page. You'll see an HTTPS URL — `https://github.com/your-username/saas-churn-analysis.git`. Save this. ## Step 2 — Set up your local folder Make sure your capstone folder has: - Your notebook(s) (.ipynb files) - A README.md (write one — a good template is in the lessons above) - A .gitignore (template below) - Any small supporting data files (large datasets — keep them out of git) ### Create a .gitignore Inside your project folder, create a file named `.gitignore` with: ``` .ipynb_checkpoints/ __pycache__/ .DS_Store .env venv/ data/raw/ *.pkl ``` These patterns tell Git to ignore temporary and sensitive files. ## Step 3 — Initialize Git in VS Code 1. Open your capstone folder in VS Code 2. Open the Source Control panel (`Ctrl + Shift + G`) 3. Click **"Initialize Repository"** 4. VS Code creates a `.git` folder — you're now tracking the project ## Step 4 — Stage and commit locally 1. In the Source Control panel, you'll see all your files under "Changes" 2. Click the `+` icon next to each file (or "Stage All Changes" `+` at the top) 3. Type a commit message in the box above: `"Initial capstone: SaaS churn analysis"` 4. Click the checkmark icon (or press `Ctrl + Enter`) Your files are now committed locally. ## Step 5 — Publish to GitHub 1. In the Source Control panel, click the **"Publish Branch"** button 2. VS Code prompts you to sign in to GitHub (one-time OAuth in your browser) 3. VS Code shows the repo URL you created in Step 1 — paste it 4. Choose **Public** visibility (private repos can't be seen by recruiters) 5. VS Code pushes your code and confirms success **One-time note:** The first time, VS Code handles the OAuth authentication. After that, publishing and pushing work automatically. ## Step 6 — Verify Go to `github.com/your-username/saas-churn-analysis`. You should see: - Your files listed - Your commit message - Your notebook rendered in the browser — click on it to confirm cells display correctly ## Step 7 — Link from your Topfolio profile In your Topfolio settings, add the repo URL to your GitHub profile field. It'll show on your public portfolio page. ## Step 8 — Add a topic + a description On your GitHub repo page: - Click the gear icon next to "About" (top-right of the file list) - Description: 1-line "what is this" - Add 2-3 topics: `data-analysis`, `python`, `saas-metrics`, `topfolio` Topics make the repo searchable when recruiters browse GitHub. ## The recurring workflow Every time you update your notebook after the initial push: 1. Open the Source Control panel 2. See your changes listed 3. Type a meaningful commit message: `"added cohort retention section"` 4. Click the checkmark to commit 5. Click the **sync** icon in the status bar (bottom-left) to push Aim for 3+ commits across the capstone build, not 1 giant commit at the end. Consistent commit history shows real work. ## Common mistakes - **Forgot to set the repo public.** Recruiters can't see private repos. - **Committed the API key accidentally.** If this happens, rotate the key immediately — it's now exposed. Clean the history with BFG Repo-Cleaner. - **One giant final commit.** Looks like you copied from somewhere. Smaller commits = visible process in your GitHub contribution graph. - **No README.** A repo without a README looks abandoned. Write one — the template from these lessons covers it. ## Takeaway This workflow takes 10 minutes the first time. After that, the commit + sync loop is 30 seconds per session. Every working session, do it. Your GitHub contribution graph becomes part of your portfolio.