[FEATURE] Auto-sync Projects GitHub connector via webhook

[spxrogers]

Problem Statement

Problem

The GitHub connector for claude.ai Projects requires manual "Sync now" clicks to pull the latest repo state into project knowledge. This means:

• Every new chat that depends on recent code starts with stale data unless the user remembers to sync
• Multi-device workflows (commit from laptop, chat on mobile) break because mobile has no obvious sync affordance
• There's no way to programmatically trigger a sync from a CI pipeline, Claude Code session, or other tool

The mental model of "connect your repo and it just works" falls apart at the first git push.

Proposed Solution

Subscribe the Claude GitHub App to the push webhook event for connected repos, and trigger an incremental sync of the currently selected files/folders when a push lands on the configured branch.

The building blocks already exist:

• The Claude GitHub App already has repo read access (that's how manual Sync works today)
• GitHub already sends push webhooks to installed apps — no additional user config required
• The file selection config (paths, branch) is already stored per project

Minimum viable version: per-project toggle — "auto-sync on push to <branch>." Default off to avoid surprising quota behavior for users on large repos.

Alternatives Considered

• Status quo (manual Sync now): fine for stable reference material, broken for active projects
• Polling: wasteful and laggier than webhooks; GitHub rate limits would bite
• CLI claude project sync command: covered by [FEATURE] Sync files between Claude Code and Claude web project knowledge claude-code#25983, solves an adjacent problem but requires the user to invoke it — same manual-step problem in a different shell
• Third-party GitHub Action hitting an undocumented sync endpoint: fragile, no one wants to maintain this

Impact

Closes the loop on the most-cited workflow gap in Projects + GitHub threads (see #98, anthropics/claude-code#25983, anthropics/claude-code#29885). Turns Projects from "snapshot of my repo as of whenever I last remembered" into "live view of my repo." Removes the context switch between IDE / Claude Code and the Project UI just to hit a button.

[localden]

Thanks for the suggestion. The Projects GitHub integration currently syncs on demand. We are noting the feedback about wanting automatic synchronization.

[johiahross]

Sharing a workaround in case it helps others who land here looking to sync from mobile before auto-sync ships.
If you're on a device with an active stylus — Samsung S Pen, and very likely Apple Pencil or similar — you can reach the "Sync now" control on a phone, even though it's effectively hidden for touch users.
The reason it's hidden: the Sync icon only surfaces on hover, and a fingertip registers as a coarse, non-hovering pointer, so the browser never shows it. A stylus registers as a fine, hovering pointer, which is enough to bring the icon up.
Steps on Android (Chrome), tested on a Galaxy S23 Ultra:

1. In Chrome, open the three-dot menu and turn on "Desktop site." The GitHub connector card doesn't appear in the default mobile layout — desktop view is what surfaces it.
2. Pull the S Pen out.
   Refresh the page so it loads already detecting the pen.
3. Scroll down to the GitHub connector card in project knowledge (it sits below the chat list in this view).
4. Hold the pen tip just above the card without touching the screen.
5. The Sync icon appears — tap it, and it syncs normally.

Not a fix for the underlying gap, but a real stopgap for stylus users on mobile, which is a fair number of people across Samsung and Apple devices.