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GitHub Integration

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Connect GitHub repositories to automatically generate content from your development activity

how-to · beginner · 12m
applies to notra, github-account
by Dominik K. ·

The GitHub integration pulls data from your repositories to generate changelogs, blog posts, social media updates, and more. Notra analyzes pull requests, issues, releases, and commits to create compelling content about your product.

What Notra Accesses

When you connect a GitHub repository, Notra can access:

  • Pull Requests: Titles, descriptions, labels, and merge status
  • Issues: Titles, descriptions, labels, and closure status
  • Releases: Version tags, release notes, and published dates
  • Commits: Commit messages and authors on your default branch
  • Repository metadata: Name, description, and default branch
Warning

Notra has read-only access. We cannot modify your code, create issues, or perform any write operations on your repositories.

Setup Instructions

1

Navigate to Integrations

From your organization dashboard, click Integrations in the sidebar, then select GitHub.

2

Add Repository

Click Add GitHub Integration and enter your repository URL in one of these formats:

  • https://github.com/facebook/react
  • github.com/facebook/react
  • facebook/react

Notra will automatically detect your default branch (usually main or master).

3

Configure Access (Private Repos Only)

For private repositories, you'll need to provide a Personal Access Token:

  1. Go to GitHub Settings → Tokens
  2. Click Generate new token (classic)
  3. Set description to "Notra Integration"
  4. Select the repo scope (full repository access)
  5. Click Generate token
  6. Copy the token and paste it into Notra
Info

Public repositories work without a token. Only provide one if your repository is private.

4

Set Up Webhook (Optional)

After adding your repository, Notra will prompt you to configure a webhook. This enables real-time content generation when events occur.

Copy the Payload URL and Secret from Notra, then:

  1. Go to your repository settings on GitHub
  2. Click Webhooks → Add webhook
  3. Paste the Payload URL
  4. Set Content type to application/json
  5. Paste the Secret
  6. Select "Let me select individual events"
  7. Choose: Pushes and Releases
  8. Click Add webhook
Note

Webhooks enable automatic triggers. Without a webhook, you can still generate content manually or on a schedule.

5

Enable Content Types

Choose which types of content to generate from this repository:

  • Changelog: Release notes from merged PRs and releases
  • Blog Post: Feature announcements and technical deep-dives
  • Twitter Post: Short updates about new releases
  • LinkedIn Post: Professional updates for your network

Toggle each content type on or off based on your needs.

Supported Content Types

Here's what Notra can generate from your GitHub activity:

Changelog

Best for: Release notes, version updates

Automatically generated from merged pull requests and published releases. Organizes changes into features, bug fixes, and improvements.

Blog Post

Best for: Feature announcements, technical explanations

Creates in-depth articles about significant features or releases. Includes context, benefits, and usage examples.

Twitter Post

Best for: Quick announcements, engagement

Short-form updates optimized for Twitter's character limit. Perfect for announcing new releases or features.

LinkedIn Post

Best for: Professional updates, team achievements

Formal updates suitable for professional networks. Highlights product progress and engineering milestones.

Managing Your Integration

Update Repository Settings

You can modify your integration after setup:

  • Change default branch: Update which branch Notra monitors
  • Enable/disable the integration: Temporarily pause content generation
  • Update display name: Customize how the integration appears in your dashboard
  • Toggle content types: Enable or disable specific output types

Update Access Token

If your Personal Access Token expires or is revoked:

  1. Generate a new token on GitHub (same process as initial setup)
  2. Go to your integration settings in Notra
  3. Update the token in the integration configuration

Remove the Integration

To disconnect a repository:

  1. Navigate to the integration in your dashboard
  2. Click the Delete or Remove button
  3. Confirm the removal
Warning

Removing an integration will disable all associated automations. Any scheduled content generation or webhook triggers for this repository will stop working.

Permissions Required

Notra requires these GitHub permissions:

Permission Scope Purpose
Read access Repository contents Access commit messages and file metadata
Read access Pull requests Analyze merged features and changes
Read access Issues Track bug fixes and feature requests
Read access Releases Detect new versions and release notes
Read access Repository metadata Get repository name and description
Info

The repo scope in Personal Access Tokens grants read access to all of the above for private repositories. Public repositories don't require a token.

Webhook Events

If you configured a webhook, Notra listens for these events:

  • Push to default branch: Triggers content generation based on recent commits
  • Release published: Automatically creates release notes and announcements
Note

Webhooks send payloads to Notra in real-time. The webhook secret ensures that requests are coming from GitHub and not malicious actors.

Troubleshooting

Repository Not Found

Problem: Notra can't access your repository

Solutions:

  • Verify the repository URL is correct
  • For private repositories, ensure your Personal Access Token has the repo scope
  • Check that the token hasn't expired
  • Confirm you have access to the repository on GitHub

Webhook Not Working

Problem: Automations aren't triggering when expected

Solutions:

  • Go to your repository's webhook settings on GitHub
  • Check recent deliveries for errors
  • Verify the Payload URL and Secret match what Notra provided
  • Ensure Content type is set to application/json
  • Confirm you selected the correct events (Pushes and Releases)

No Content Generated

Problem: Content isn't being created from repository activity

Solutions:

  • Ensure at least one content type is enabled
  • Check that your automation triggers are properly configured
  • Verify there's been recent activity (merged PRs or published releases)
  • Review your automation settings for the correct repository

Best Practices

1

Use Descriptive PR Titles

Notra uses PR titles and descriptions to understand what changed. Clear, descriptive titles result in better content.

Good: "Add dark mode support to dashboard"

Bad: "Fixed stuff"

2

Write Meaningful Release Notes

When publishing GitHub releases, include details about what's new. Notra enhances these with PR context, but good source material produces better results.

3

Use Labels Consistently

Apply labels like bug, enhancement, and feature to PRs and issues. Notra uses these to categorize changes in changelogs.

4

Keep One Integration Per Repository

Avoid connecting the same repository multiple times unless you need different configurations for different teams.

Next Steps

Set Up Automation

Create triggers to automatically generate content from GitHub events

Manual Generation

Learn how to manually generate content from your repository

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