GitHub: Start an import

GitHub migrations.migrationsStartImport: arguments, response, policy and SDK examples.

Operation github.migrations_start_import

Provider route: PUT /repos/{owner}/{repo}/import. Alter supplies the connection’s credentials and routing.

Call through Alter

Install @alter-ai/sdk @alter-ai/github with npm, or alter-sdk-github with pip. Supply your connected customer’s grant ID and the arguments described below.

import { App } from "@alter-ai/sdk";
import { GitHubIntegration } from "@alter-ai/github";

async function execute(input: Parameters<GitHubIntegration["migrations"]["migrationsStartImport"]>[0]) {
  const app = new App({ apiKey: process.env.ALTER_API_KEY! });
  try {
    const provider = new GitHubIntegration(app, { grantId: process.env.PROVIDER_GRANT_ID! });
    const call = await provider.migrations.migrationsStartImport(input);
    const result = await call.wait();
    return result.bodyJson();
  } finally {
    await app.close();
  }
}

import os
from alter_sdk import App
from alter_sdk_github import GitHubIntegration

async def execute(arguments):
    async with App(api_key=os.environ["ALTER_API_KEY"]) as app:
        provider = GitHubIntegration(app, {"grant_id": os.environ["PROVIDER_GRANT_ID"]})
        call = await provider.migrations.migrations_start_import(arguments)
        result = await call.wait()
        return result.body_json()

Input

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
`$`	object	Root	Additional keys: not allowed
`path`	object	Required within parent	Additional keys: not allowed
`path.owner`	string	Required within parent
`path.repo`	string	Required within parent
`body`	object	Required within parent
`body.tfvc_project`	string	Optional	For a tfvc import, the name of the project that is being imported.
`body.vcs`	string	Optional	The originating VCS type. Without this parameter, the import job will take additional time to detect the VCS type before beginning the import. This detection step will be reflected in the response. One of: subversion, git, mercurial, tfvc
`body.vcs_password`	string	Optional	If authentication is required, the password to provide to `vcs_url`.
`body.vcs_url`	string	Required within parent	The URL of the originating repository.
`body.vcs_username`	string	Optional	If authentication is required, the username to provide to `vcs_url`.

Response

Response media type: application/json. The table describes the pinned successful response. Referenced models link to their complete fields.

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
`$`	Model	Root	Expand Start an import — response body

Referenced models: Start an import — response body

Schemas

Start an import — response body

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
`$`	object	Root	A repository import from an external source.
`authors_count`	JSON	Optional
`authors_count (anyOf 1)`	JSON	Alternative
`authors_count (anyOf 1) (anyOf 1)`	integer	Alternative
`authors_count (anyOf 1) (anyOf 2)`	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
`authors_count (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`authors_url`	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
`commit_count`	JSON	Optional
`commit_count (anyOf 1)`	JSON	Alternative
`commit_count (anyOf 1) (anyOf 1)`	integer	Alternative
`commit_count (anyOf 1) (anyOf 2)`	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
`commit_count (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`error_message`	JSON	Optional
`error_message (anyOf 1)`	string	Alternative
`error_message (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`failed_step`	JSON	Optional
`failed_step (anyOf 1)`	string	Alternative
`failed_step (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`has_large_files`	boolean	Optional
`html_url`	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
`import_percent`	JSON	Optional
`import_percent (anyOf 1)`	JSON	Alternative
`import_percent (anyOf 1) (anyOf 1)`	integer	Alternative
`import_percent (anyOf 1) (anyOf 2)`	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
`import_percent (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`large_files_count`	JSON	Optional
`large_files_count (anyOf 1)`	integer	Alternative
`large_files_count (anyOf 2)`	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
`large_files_size`	JSON	Optional
`large_files_size (anyOf 1)`	integer	Alternative
`large_files_size (anyOf 2)`	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
`message`	string	Optional
`project_choices`	array	Optional
`project_choices[]`	object	Each item
`project_choices[].human_name`	string	Optional
`project_choices[].tfvc_project`	string	Optional
`project_choices[].vcs`	string	Optional
`push_percent`	JSON	Optional
`push_percent (anyOf 1)`	JSON	Alternative
`push_percent (anyOf 1) (anyOf 1)`	integer	Alternative
`push_percent (anyOf 1) (anyOf 2)`	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
`push_percent (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`repository_url`	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
`status`	string	Required within parent	Known values: auth, error, none, detecting, choose, auth_failed, importing, mapping, waiting_to_push, pushing, complete, setup, unknown, detection_found_multiple, detection_found_nothing, detection_needs_auth
`status_text`	JSON	Optional
`status_text (anyOf 1)`	string	Alternative
`status_text (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`svc_root`	string	Optional
`svn_root`	string	Optional
`tfvc_project`	string	Optional
`url`	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
`use_lfs`	boolean	Optional
`vcs`	JSON	Required within parent
`vcs (anyOf 1)`	string	Alternative
`vcs (anyOf 2)`	null	Alternative
`vcs_url`	string	Required within parent	The URL of the originating repository.

Policy, approvals and errors

SDK function policy ID: github.migrations_start_import. Catalog operation: migrations/start-import. Rules can name either ID; function rules distinguish managed calls and conservatively cover raw calls sharing the route. Existing grant permissions and policy rules apply. wait() returns an immediate result or waits for a required approval; it never approves the request itself. Persist the approval ID to resume after a restart.

Provider errors retain their response; JSON decoding raises ProviderAPIError for provider failures. ManagedOperationError identifies contract/input/retention errors. See error handling and provider-specific behavior. Sensitive input may be refused before approval storage. A decoding error never resubmits a write.

Pinned headers: {"X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2026-03-10", "User-Agent": "Alter", "Accept": "application/vnd.github+json"}

Official provider source

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