GitHub Profile README Generator

What this tool is used for

• Setting up a profile README for the first time without hand-writing the layout.
• Producing a consistent set of skill and social badges.
• Getting a structure you then trim to what you actually want to say.
• Adding stats badges without looking up each service's URL format.
• Refreshing a profile that has gone stale.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a profile README appear?

Create a repository whose name is exactly your username — `octocat/octocat` — make it public, and add a `README.md`. GitHub then renders it at the top of your profile. The repository name must match your username character for character, or nothing shows.

Which Markdown features work there?

GitHub Flavored Markdown, plus a limited set of inline HTML — `<img>`, `<a>`, `<details>`, `<table>`, alignment attributes. Scripts, styles, iframes and `onclick` handlers are stripped, so anything interactive has to be an image or a link.

Do the stats and badge images cost anything?

They are third-party services rendering an SVG per view, and they go down. Every image is also proxied through GitHub's Camo cache, which means a badge can show a stale value for a while — and that your profile depends on someone else's uptime.

Can I show light and dark variants?

Yes, with the `prefers-color-scheme` media attribute on a `<picture>` element — GitHub supports it in Markdown. It is the one reliable way to stop a transparent-background image from disappearing for half your visitors.

What actually makes a profile README worth reading?

What you work on and how to reach you, in the first two lines. Trophy walls and animated typing banners scroll a recruiter past the only sentence they needed. Treat it as a business card, not a dashboard.

How does a profile README get published?

By creating a repository named exactly after your username and putting a README.md at its root. The name match is what GitHub keys on, which is why a repository named anything else shows nothing on the profile.

Common errors and gotchas

• Creating the repository under the wrong name, since it must exactly match your username.
• Filling the page with badges and stats but no sentence about what you actually do.
• Depending on third-party stats services that rate-limit or disappear.
• Leaving placeholder links to social accounts you do not have.
• Omitting alt text on badge images, which leaves screen-reader users with nothing.