Create your first project

A Guard project groups the repositories and optional websites that make up one product boundary. Initial checks, activity, reports, members, and later automation use that boundary to keep evidence and ownership understandable.

Before you start

Complete Before you connect a repository, then make sure at least one GitHub App installation or healthy GitLab connection can list the target repository.

Know who will own the project and review its results. Website linking is optional and can be added later.

Select project resources

1. Open the projects page and choose New project.
2. Choose GitHub or GitLab.
3. Select one or more repositories that belong to the same product.
4. If the product has a live website, enable Got a website? We can audit it too.
5. Enter the exact website URL and select Which repos does it power. A website must be linked to at least one selected repository.

The setup sheet separates repositories already present in a project from repositories that are available to add. It also preserves your selections while an external GitHub installation tab is open.

Start with the smallest scope that still represents the product. You can add repositories and websites after the initial results make the project boundary clear.

Name the project

Guard proposes a project name from the first selected repository. Use the edit control beside Project name to replace it with the product or system name your team recognizes.

Project names must be distinct for the current owner. If Guard reports that the name already exists, choose a name that describes the actual boundary rather than adding an arbitrary number.

Create and confirm

Select Done, let’s go or Create project after choosing at least one repository. Setup validates required website links, duplicate website URLs, repository limits, and the project name before it saves anything.

After the project and repositories are persisted, Guard connects each repository, records the optional website, and dispatches the initial published audit actions. The confirmation reports Checks started when the batch has been sent.

With one repository, Guard may take you directly to that repository dashboard. With several repositories, the project view provides the shared overview. In both cases, activity should show explicit queued, running, completed, or failed work rather than fabricated results.

What happens after creation

The setup batch attempts every currently published audit action for each selected repository. Base diagnostics provides repository orientation, while the other audits answer score-bearing health questions. These runs finish independently, so one report may be ready before another.

Guard groups notifications when a setup batch contains several tasks and sends a result message after the group completes. The dashboard remains the source of truth if an email is delayed or filtered.

Continue with Understand the first scan before interpreting incomplete cards or deciding which improvement to run first.