Installing the GitHub App

FlagShark integrates with GitHub through a GitHub App. This guide walks you through the installation process and explains the permissions FlagShark needs.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A GitHub account with access to the repositories you want to monitor
• Admin or owner permissions on the GitHub organization (for organization-wide installation)
• Or admin access to individual repositories (for personal/single-repo installation)

Installation Steps

Step 1: Start the Installation

Visit the FlagShark Dashboard and sign in with your GitHub account. If you don't have an account yet, one will be created automatically.

Step 2: Authorize the GitHub App

Click "Connect GitHub" to begin the installation process. You'll be redirected to GitHub to authorize the FlagShark app.

Step 3: Choose Installation Scope

GitHub will ask you where to install the app:

• All repositories - FlagShark will have access to all current and future repositories
• Select repositories - Choose specific repositories to monitor

We recommend starting with select repositories and expanding later as needed.

Step 4: Review Permissions

FlagShark requests the following permissions:

Permission	Access Level	Purpose
Repository contents	Read	Analyze code for feature flags
Pull requests	Read & Write	Post comments, create cleanup PRs
Webhooks	Read	Receive notifications when PRs are opened
Metadata	Read	List repositories and basic info

These are the minimum permissions needed for FlagShark to function. We never store your source code—we only analyze diffs during PR events.

Step 5: Complete Installation

Click "Install" to authorize FlagShark. You'll be redirected back to the FlagShark dashboard where you can:

• See your connected repositories
• Configure detection settings
• View any flags already detected

Verifying the Installation

To verify FlagShark is working correctly:

1. Open a pull request in one of your connected repositories
2. Add a feature flag to any file
3. Check that FlagShark posts a comment on the PR

If you don't see a comment within a few minutes, check the Troubleshooting guide.

Managing the Installation

Adding More Repositories

To add more repositories after initial setup:

1. Go to Settings → Repositories in the FlagShark dashboard
2. Click "Manage GitHub App"
3. Select additional repositories from the GitHub settings page

Removing Repositories

To stop monitoring a repository:

1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Applications → FlagShark
2. Click Configure
3. Deselect the repository you want to remove

Uninstalling Completely

To completely remove FlagShark:

1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Applications → FlagShark
2. Click Uninstall

Note: Uninstalling will remove all FlagShark data associated with your repositories.

Security Considerations

FlagShark is designed with security in mind:

• No code storage - We only analyze PR diffs, never storing full source code
• Minimal permissions - We request only the permissions we need
• Encrypted connections - All data is transmitted over HTTPS
• SOC 2 compliance - Our infrastructure follows security best practices

For more details, see our Security page.

Next Steps

Now that FlagShark is installed:

• Complete the quickstart to see flag detection in action
• Configure your settings for your specific flag providers
• Set up branch protection for better flag tracking