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Fix: Replace git clone with zip download in dev-template

IMPLEMENTATION RULES: Before implementing this plan, read and follow:

Status: Active​

Goal: Fix dev-template hanging on fresh machines by replacing git clone with curl + zip download.

Last Updated: 2026-02-19

GitHub Issue: #63

Investigation: INVESTIGATE-dev-template-zip-download-fix.md

Priority: High — dev-template is broken on fresh machines

Problem​

dev-template.sh uses git clone to fetch templates. On fresh machines, git's credential helper can hang waiting for auth. All errors are hidden by 2>/dev/null.

Phase 1: Replace git clone with curl + zip — ✅ DONE​

Tasks​

  • 1.1 Rename clone_template_repo() to download_templates() and replace the implementation:

    Current (line 86):

    if ! git clone --quiet $TEMPLATE_REPO_URL 2>/dev/null; then

    New:

    TEMPLATE_ZIP_URL="https://github.com/$TEMPLATE_OWNER/$TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME/archive/refs/heads/main.zip"
    ZIP_FILE="$TEMP_DIR/templates.zip"

    if ! curl -fsSL "$TEMPLATE_ZIP_URL" -o "$ZIP_FILE"; then
        echo "❌ Failed to download templates"
        echo ""
        echo "   URL: $TEMPLATE_ZIP_URL"
        echo "   Check your internet connection and try again."
        rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
        exit 1
    fi

    if [ ! -s "$ZIP_FILE" ]; then
        echo "❌ Downloaded file is empty"
        rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
        exit 1
    fi

    if ! unzip -q "$ZIP_FILE" -d "$TEMP_DIR/"; then
        echo "❌ Failed to extract templates"
        rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
        exit 1
    fi

  • 1.2 Update TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME references throughout the script. The zip extracts to urbalurba-dev-templates-main/ (with -main suffix). Change the variable after extraction:

    TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME="urbalurba-dev-templates-main"

    This variable is used in:

    • scan_templates() line 147: "$TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME/templates"/*
    • clone_template_repo() line 92: "$TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME/templates"
    • select_template() line 281: "$TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME/templates/$TEMPLATE_NAME"
    • copy_template_files() line 353: "$TEMPLATE_REPO_NAME/urbalurba-scripts"

  • 1.3 Ensure unzip is available — it's pre-installed in the devcontainer base image. Add a check at the top alongside the dialog check.

Validation​

bash .devcontainer/manage/dev-template.sh --help
# Or run dev-template in a devcontainer without gh auth configured — should not hang

Phase 2: Improve detect_github_info() error handling — ✅ DONE​

Tasks​

  • 2.1 Add git repo check before calling git remote:

    if ! git rev-parse --git-dir >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "❌ Not inside a git repository"
        echo "   Run this command from the root of your project."
        exit 1
    fi

  • 2.2 Improve error messages with specific causes:

    • No remote: suggest git remote add origin
    • Non-GitHub remote: show the URL and explain it needs to be a GitHub URL
    • Can't parse username: show the URL format expected

  • 2.3 Print the detected remote URL for debugging:

    echo "   Remote: $GITHUB_REMOTE"

Validation​

Test with:

  • No git repo (should show clear error)
  • Git repo with no remote (should show clear error)
  • Git repo with GitHub remote (should work)

Acceptance Criteria​

  • No git clone in the script — uses curl + unzip
  • Works on fresh machines without git auth configured (verified on fresh Windows devcontainer)
  • Clear error messages on download failure (no hanging, no suppressed errors)
  • detect_github_info() gives specific errors for each failure mode
  • Template scanning, menu, selection, and file copying all work as before
  • Existing menu system unchanged (flat list with WEB_SERVER/WEB_APP/OTHER)
  • TEMPLATE_INFO format unchanged (4 fields)
  • Direct selection still works: dev-template typescript-basic-webserver

Files to Modify​

  • .devcontainer/manage/dev-template.sh — replace download method and improve error handling