Repository Upstream Field

The create-repository request now has one field for each kind of source. base_repo is a one-time copy of a Code Storage repository; upstream is a lasting link to an external Git host. Set at most one of the two. A request with both returns 400.

base_repo takes name, ref, and auth.token. The token needs git:read on the source repository. ref accepts a branch, a tag, or a commit SHA. It defaults to the HEAD of the source.

curl "$PIERRE_API_BASE_URL/repos" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PIERRE_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "repo_name": "my-project",
    "base_repo": {
      "name": "template-repo",
      "ref": "main",
      "auth": { "token": "'"$SOURCE_TOKEN"'" }
    }
  }'

{
  "repo_name": "my-project",
  "message": "Repository 'NSIZAW55paRNvTbRYvvu4' created successfully"
}

The new repository has one branch at the source commit, with the history of that commit. It keeps no link to the source.

upstream takes provider, owner, and name. Set host for a self-hosted provider. For a public GitHub repository, set access to public. Code Storage then needs no GitHub App, and it syncs only when you ask:

curl "$PIERRE_API_BASE_URL/repos" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PIERRE_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "repo_name": "hello-world",
    "upstream": {
      "provider": "github",
      "owner": "octocat",
      "name": "Hello-World",
      "access": "public"
    }
  }'

{
  "repo_name": "hello-world",
  "message": "Repository 'rX8TDSb7Oq7JLbl5stQBt' created successfully"
}

A read of the repository returns its upstream:

curl "$PIERRE_API_BASE_URL/repos/hello-world" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PIERRE_TOKEN"

{
  "repo_name": "hello-world",
  "default_branch": "master",
  "created_at": "2026-10-06T20:34:45Z",
  "upstream": {
    "provider": "github",
    "owner": "octocat",
    "name": "Hello-World"
  }
}

The response also has base_repo, with the same value as upstream. It is deprecated. Read upstream instead.

The old form of base_repo, with provider and operation, still works. It is deprecated. Move a sync to upstream, and keep name in upstream.name. Move each other field to its replacement:

See the API reference for repos.create, and the guides for forks, GitHub Sync, and Generic Sync.