Public
Periodic empty GitHub autocommits every 15-20 min
automationcrongithub
Val Town is a collaborative website to build and scale JavaScript apps.
Deploy APIs, crons, & store data – all from the browser, and deployed in milliseconds.
Periodically pushes a genuinely empty commit (no file changes) to your GitHub
repo, roughly every 15–30 minutes. No "activity update" banners — just clean,
empty commits with generic messages like chore: housekeeping.
- Runs on a 15-minute cron (the fastest a Free Val Town account allows).
- Each run decides whether to commit based on a random roll and how long it's been since the last commit, so the actual gaps vary — usually 15–30 min, sometimes more, never past ~45 min.
- Empties are made through the GitHub Git Data API: it reuses the current commit's tree, creating a new commit with zero file changes.
Set these environment variables on the val:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
GITHUB_TOKEN | GitHub personal access token with repo scope |
GITHUB_OWNER | GitHub username or org that owns the repo |
GITHUB_REPO | Repository name |
GITHUB_BRANCH | Branch to autocommit to (optional, defaults to main) |