A new direction for GitHub SDKs
GitHub is shifting away from the static, hand-maintained Octokit SDKs toward generated clients built with Microsoft’s Kiota. Two new SDKs are now shipping: one for Go and one for .NET. The intent is to keep pace with an evolving API surface while devoting engineering time to harder problems than copy-pasting endpoint definitions.
Why generated clients
Maintaining separate SDKs by hand means every endpoint change or new model becomes a manual chore, and SDK users inevitably end up waiting on releases. By generating SDK code from GitHub’s OpenAPI description, the team can push out updated models and API coverage almost immediately. This also frees maintainers to hand-tune the specific edge cases that generated output cannot reasonably handle on its own.
Generating with Kiota
Kiota is a command-line tool that turns OpenAPI definitions into idiomatic client code. After evaluating several generative approaches, GitHub settled on it as the generation engine for a few practical reasons. It aligns with the project’s goal of using modern, efficient, and flexible tooling, and it produces comprehensive, well-structured clients that still allow for curated customizations in places that matter. GitHub also credits the Kiota team for helping the Octokit community work through the integration.
Go and .NET first
Go and .NET are the first languages to receive this treatment. Go brings efficiency and scalability to the table, while .NET offers broad applicability in enterprise and cross-platform scenarios. Together, they represent the first wave of a broader push toward more diverse developer support.
More than endpoint coverage
The generated models give the SDKs a comfortable margin of coverage—nearly 100% of the current REST API. But broad API coverage is only part of the goal. The real purpose is to push users out of spent time dealing with client internals and back into application logic. Generated code handles what is already known about the API surface, so future work can focus on what is still missing or ill-defined for developers.
A continuous conversation
The SDKs are rolling out for public feedback and contribution. GitHub is actively inviting input to guide the next iteration of the SDK landscape. Developers can join the discussion in the Octokit organization—and watch for further announcements as the generated SDK story continues.
