# How to Run the awesome-claude-code Repository Locally: A Complete Setup Guide

> Easily run the awesome-claude-code repository locally. Follow this guide to clone the project, set up dependencies, and build all assets with simple commands.

- Repository: [Really Him/awesome-claude-code](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-03-24

---

**To run the awesome-claude-code repository locally, clone the project, install Python dependencies into a virtual environment, and execute `make generate` to build all README variants and SVG assets from the CSV data source.**

The **awesome-claude-code** repository is a fully-automated README generator that transforms structured resource data into multiple documentation styles. Running it locally requires setting up a Python environment and executing the generation pipeline that renders Markdown files and graphical assets from `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv` and configuration files.

## Prerequisites and Environment Setup

### Clone the Repository

Start by cloning the repository and navigating to the project root:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code.git
cd awesome-claude-code

```

### Install Python Dependencies

The project uses a standard Python packaging configuration defined in [`pyproject.toml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/pyproject.toml) at the repository root. Create a virtual environment and install the required packages:

```bash
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

```

This installs the necessary dependencies including any poetry or poetry-core requirements specified in the build system configuration.

## Configuring the Generator

Before running the generator, understand the two primary data sources that drive the output:

- **`THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv`**: The master data table containing all listed resources, categories, and metadata
- **[`acc-config.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/acc-config.yaml)**: Global configuration file defining the root style, selector badges, and generation parameters

### Optional: Configure GitHub API Access

Some validation scripts interact with the GitHub API. To enable full resource validation, export a personal access token:

```bash
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

```

This step is optional unless you plan to run the validation pipeline that checks resource links against live repositories.

## Running the Generation Pipeline

### Using Make Targets

The repository includes a `Makefile` that wraps Python commands for convenience. According to the source code in [`docs/README-GENERATION.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/docs/README-GENERATION.md), the primary targets are:

- **`make generate`**: Calls [`scripts/readme/generate_readme.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/generate_readme.py), sorts the CSV, and writes all README styles under `README_ALTERNATIVES/` plus the root [`README.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/README.md)
- **`make generate-toc-assets`**: Executes [`scripts/readme/helpers/generate_toc_assets.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/helpers/generate_toc_assets.py) to regenerate SVG Table-of-Contents graphics for every sub-category
- **`make add-category`**: Runs [`scripts/categories/add_category.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/categories/add_category.py) to interactively add new categories to [`templates/categories.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/templates/categories.yaml)
- **`make sort`**: Executes [`scripts/resources/sort_resources.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/resources/sort_resources.py) to organize the CSV entries
- **`make validate`**: Runs the resource-link validator located in `scripts/validation/`

Execute the full generation suite:

```bash
make generate

```

### Direct Python Execution

For debugging or custom workflows, invoke the generator directly without Make:

```bash
python -m scripts.readme.generate_readme

```

This entry point reads `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv`, processes the YAML configurations, and renders every README variant plus SVG assets according to the style definitions in `templates/`.

### Understanding the Output Structure

After generation completes, the repository produces:

- **Root README**: [`README.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/README.md) (uses the style defined as `root_style` in [`acc-config.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/acc-config.yaml))
- **Alternative variants**: [`README_ALTERNATIVES/README_EXTRA.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/README_ALTERNATIVES/README_EXTRA.md), [`README_CLASSIC.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/README_CLASSIC.md), [`README_AWESOME.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/README_AWESOME.md), and 44 flat files (`README_FLAT_*.md`)
- **SVG assets**: Written under `assets/` including resource badges, TOC rows, and ticker graphics

## Advanced Operations

### Regenerating TOC Assets

When you add new sub-categories to [`templates/categories.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/templates/categories.yaml), regenerate only the navigation graphics:

```bash
make generate-toc-assets

```

This executes [`scripts/readme/helpers/generate_toc_assets.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/helpers/generate_toc_assets.py) to create updated SVG Table-of-Contents elements.

### Updating the Animated Ticker

The animated repository ticker requires fresh GitHub statistics. Update the data and regenerate the visualization:

```bash
python scripts/ticker/fetch_repo_ticker_data.py   # Updates data/repo-ticker.csv

python scripts/ticker/generate_ticker_svg.py      # Creates assets/repo-ticker*.svg

```

### Validating Resources

Check all resource links for availability:

```bash
make validate

```

This runs the validation scripts that verify URLs in `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv` against live endpoints.

## Customizing and Iterating

To modify the generated output, edit the source files and rerun the pipeline:

1. **Add resources**: Append rows to `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv` with columns for Display Name, Primary Link, Author Name, Author Link, Description, Category, Sub-Category, Active status, and Removal flag
2. **Change styling**: Modify `root_style` in [`acc-config.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/acc-config.yaml) (e.g., change from "extra" to "awesome")
3. **Update categories**: Edit [`templates/categories.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/templates/categories.yaml) or use `make add-category`

After any modification, execute `make generate` to rebuild all assets. The generator classes located in `scripts/readme/generators/` (handling visual, minimal, awesome, and flat styles) will process your changes and output updated files.

## Summary

- **Clone and setup**: Use `git clone` followed by `python3 -m venv .venv` and `pip install -r requirements.txt`
- **Key data files**: `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv` holds resource data; [`acc-config.yaml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/acc-config.yaml) controls styling
- **Primary command**: `make generate` executes [`scripts/readme/generate_readme.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/generate_readme.py) to build all outputs
- **Optional features**: Set `GITHUB_TOKEN` for validation; use `make generate-toc-assets` for navigation graphics
- **Output locations**: Generated files appear in [`README.md`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/README.md), `README_ALTERNATIVES/`, and `assets/`

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What Python version is required to run awesome-claude-code locally?

The repository requires Python 3.x with support for standard packaging tools. The [`pyproject.toml`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/pyproject.toml) file in the root directory defines the build system requirements, and the code in [`scripts/readme/generate_readme.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/generate_readme.py) uses modern Python features compatible with recent stable releases. Use `python3` explicitly when creating your virtual environment to ensure compatibility.

### How do I add a new resource without manually editing files?

While you can directly edit `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv`, the repository also provides structured workflows through the Makefile. After adding a resource row to the CSV with the correct category and sub-category columns, run `make generate` to automatically create the corresponding badge SVGs and insert formatted entries into all README variants, including the style-specific generators in `scripts/readme/generators/`.

### Why is the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable optional?

The `GITHUB_TOKEN` is only required if you execute `make validate` or run the standalone validation scripts in `scripts/validation/` that check resource URLs against the GitHub API. The core generation pipeline in [`scripts/readme/generate_readme.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/generate_readme.py) operates entirely on local files (`THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv` and `templates/`) and does not require API access to produce README files and SVG assets.

### Where are the generated SVG assets stored?

SVG assets are written to the `assets/` directory. This includes resource badges generated from `THE_RESOURCES_TABLE.csv` entries, Table-of-Contents graphics created by [`scripts/readme/helpers/generate_toc_assets.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/readme/helpers/generate_toc_assets.py), and animated ticker files produced by [`scripts/ticker/generate_ticker_svg.py`](https://github.com/hesreallyhim/awesome-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/ticker/generate_ticker_svg.py). The exact filenames correspond to resource identifiers and category slugs defined in the configuration.