Archive entire GitHub wikis

Archiving an entire GitHub wiki involves cloning it to your local system and optionally converting or storing it in another format for safekeeping or offline use. Here’s how you can do that step-by-step.

Step 1: Clone the Wiki Repository

Every GitHub wiki is its own Git repository. You can clone it using Git:

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git clone https://github.com/USERNAME/REPO.wiki.git

Replace USERNAME and REPO with the actual GitHub username and repository name.

This will download the entire wiki repository, including all .md (Markdown) files and version history.

Step 2: Backup the Wiki Locally

Once cloned, you have several options for backing it up:

• Keep as a Git repository: You can zip the folder or push it to a backup Git service (e.g., GitLab, Bitbucket).

• Export to a different format (optional): If you want the wiki in another format (PDF, HTML, etc.), proceed with conversion.

Step 3: Convert Wiki to HTML or PDF (Optional)

Using Pandoc

Install Pandoc to convert Markdown files to HTML, PDF, or DOCX:

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# Convert a single markdown file to HTML
pandoc Home.md -o Home.html

# Convert a single markdown file to PDF
pandoc Home.md -o Home.pdf

To batch convert all .md files in the wiki:

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for file in *.md; do
    pandoc "$file" -o "${file%.md}.pdf"
done

Step 4: Mirror or Push to Another Repository (Optional)

You can push the wiki to another Git repository for redundancy:

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cd REPO.wiki
git remote set-url origin https://gitlab.com/yourname/REPO-wiki-backup.git
git push -u origin master

Step 5: Automate the Backup (Optional)

Set up a cron job or GitHub Action to regularly back up wikis:

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0 2 * * * cd /path/to/wiki && git pull && git push backup-remote

Or use a GitHub Action with a personal access token to automate wiki cloning and uploading to another repo.

Bonus: Tools for Archiving GitHub Wikis

• gh-wikiclone (Python tool): GitHub repo

• wget (for HTML archiving, not ideal for wikis but works if pages are public)

• github-wiki-backup: Ruby-based tool for archiving entire wikis.

Final Notes

• Ensure your GitHub token has appropriate permissions if you’re cloning private repositories.

• Always verify the clone includes all sub-pages and not just Home.md.

This method ensures you have a reliable, restorable copy of any GitHub wiki for long-term use.