Clone and create

Two things you’ll do often

Clone - Download existing projects from GitHub
Create - Start new projects and upload them

Let’s learn both.

Cloning a repository

Cloning means downloading a project from GitHub to your computer.

Example: Clone an AI project

Let’s clone a real project to see how it works:

Pro tip: Instead of using cd to navigate:Mac: Right-click a folder in Finder > Services > New Terminal at Folder (or hold Option and right-click > “Open in Terminal”)Windows: Right-click a folder in File Explorer > “Open in Terminal” (or Shift + right-click > “Open PowerShell window here”)This opens the terminal already in that folder!

HTTPS (Recommended)
SSH

# Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows)
# Navigate to where you want the project
cd ~/Documents  # Mac
cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents  # Windows

# Clone using HTTPS URL
git clone https://github.com/openai/openai-quickstart-python.git

# Go into the project
cd openai-quickstart-python

# Open in VS Code (see note below if this doesn't work)
code .

# Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows)
# Navigate to where you want the project
cd ~/Documents  # Mac
cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents  # Windows

# Clone using SSH URL
git clone [email protected]:openai/openai-quickstart-python.git

# Go into the project
cd openai-quickstart-python

# Open in VS Code (see note below if this doesn't work)
code .

If code . doesn’t work, you need to enable it first:Mac:

Open VS Code
Press Cmd + Shift + P
Type “Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH”
Press Enter
Restart your terminal

Windows:

During VS Code installation, check “Add to PATH”
If you missed it, reinstall VS Code and check that option
Or manually: Right-click project folder > “Open with Code”

That’s it! You now have the entire project on your computer.

What just happened?

Git downloaded all files
Git downloaded all history
You can now run, modify, and learn from this code

Always clone into a sensible location. I recommend having a projects or repos folder in your Documents.

Creating your own repository

Let’s put your python-for-ai project on GitHub.

Critical: Before pushing to GitHub, create a .gitignore file! This prevents uploading your .venv folder, which can be gigabytes in size and cause push failures.

Step 0: Create .gitignore file

Before anything else, create a .gitignore file in your project:

# .gitignore - tells Git what NOT to track
.venv/
.env
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.DS_Store

Save this file in your project root. Git will now ignore these files.

Step 1: Create on GitHub

Go to github.com
Click the green “New” button (or + icon > “New repository”)
Fill in:
- Repository name: python-for-ai
- Description: “Learning Python for AI development”
- Public/Private: Choose Private for now
- Don’t add README, .gitignore, or license
Click “Create repository”

Step 2: Connect your local project

GitHub will show you commands. Choose based on your authentication method:

HTTPS (Recommended)
SSH

# Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows)
# Navigate to your python-for-ai folder
cd ~/Documents/python-for-ai  # Mac
cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents\python-for-ai  # Windows

# Initialize Git in your project
git init

# Add all your files
git add .

# Create your first commit
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Rename branch to main
git branch -M main

# Connect to GitHub with HTTPS (use YOUR username)
git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/python-for-ai.git

# Push your code
git push -u origin main

# Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows)
# Navigate to your python-for-ai folder
cd ~/Documents/python-for-ai  # Mac
cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents\python-for-ai  # Windows

# Initialize Git in your project
git init

# Add all your files
git add .

# Create your first commit
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Rename branch to main
git branch -M main

# Connect to GitHub with SSH (use YOUR username)
git remote add origin [email protected]:YOUR-USERNAME/python-for-ai.git

# Push your code
git push -u origin main

When you push, GitHub will ask for your username and the personal access token (not your password!). VS Code will remember it.

The daily workflow

Once your project is on GitHub:

# Make changes to your code...

# Save changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Upload to GitHub
git push

That’s 90% of what you’ll do with Git!

Common tasks

Clone with VS Code UI

Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P
Type “Git: Clone”
Paste the repository URL
Choose where to save it
VS Code opens the project automatically

Private vs Public repos

Private: Only you can see it (good for learning)
Public: Anyone can see it (good for portfolio)
You can change this later in Settings

The .gitignore file

# .gitignore - tells Git what NOT to track
.venv/
.env
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.DS_Store

Add this file to keep junk out of your repo. The .venv/ folder can be several gigabytes!

Practice exercise

Try this:

Clone any Python project that interests you
Create a new repo for one of your practice scripts
Make a change, commit, and push

What’s next?

VS Code makes Git even easier with visual tools. Let’s explore those.

VS Code Git

Use Git without the terminal

Introduction

Git & GitHub

Environment & secrets

Code quality

Modern Python

Two things you’ll do often

Cloning a repository

Example: Clone an AI project

What just happened?

Creating your own repository

Step 0: Create .gitignore file

Step 1: Create on GitHub

Step 2: Connect your local project

The daily workflow

Common tasks

Practice exercise

What’s next?

VS Code Git

Introduction

Git & GitHub

Environment & secrets

Code quality

Modern Python

​Two things you’ll do often

​Cloning a repository

​Example: Clone an AI project

​What just happened?

​Creating your own repository

​Step 0: Create .gitignore file

​Step 1: Create on GitHub

​Step 2: Connect your local project

​The daily workflow

​Common tasks

​Practice exercise

​What’s next?

VS Code Git

Two things you’ll do often

Cloning a repository

Example: Clone an AI project

What just happened?

Creating your own repository

Step 0: Create .gitignore file

Step 1: Create on GitHub

Step 2: Connect your local project

The daily workflow

Common tasks

Practice exercise

What’s next?