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Now Page Auto-Update with GitHub Actions

This guide explains how to set up automatic updates for your "Now" page using GitHub Actions and ZhipuAI (智谱 AI).

Overview​

The automation workflow:

  1. Triggers weekly (every Monday) or manually
  2. Fetches your recent GitHub activity (commits, issues, PRs)
  3. Generates content using ZhipuAI GLM-4 model
  4. Updates both English and Chinese Now pages
  5. Commits and pushes changes automatically

Prerequisites​

  • GitHub repository with Actions enabled
  • ZhipuAI API key (free tier available)

Setup​

1. Get ZhipuAI API Key​

  1. Visit 智谱AI开放平台
  2. Register and verify your account
  3. Navigate to API Keys in your dashboard
  4. Create a new API key
Free Tier

ZhipuAI offers a free tier with GLM-4-Flash model, which is sufficient for this use case.

2. Add GitHub Secret​

  1. Go to your repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
  2. Click New repository secret
  3. Name: ZHIPU_API_KEY
  4. Value: Your ZhipuAI API key
  5. Click Add secret

3. Workflow Configuration​

The workflow file is located at .github/workflows/update-now.yml:

name: Auto Update Now Page

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * 1'  # Every Monday at UTC 00:00
  workflow_dispatch:      # Manual trigger

jobs:
  update-now:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
      - run: pip install zhipuai requests PyGithub
      - run: python .github/scripts/generate-now-page.py
        env:
          ZHIPU_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ZHIPU_API_KEY }}
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

How It Works​

Content Generation​

The Python script (generate-now-page.py) performs these steps:

  1. GitHub Activity Collection

    • Fetches commits from the last 30 days
    • Lists recently updated repositories
    • Gathers open issues and pull requests

  2. AI Content Generation

    • Sends activity data to ZhipuAI GLM-4-Flash
    • Generates structured content in both languages
    • Falls back to template if API fails

  3. File Updates

    • Updates docs/start-here/now.md (English)
    • Updates i18n/zh-Hans/.../now.md (Chinese)

Prompt Engineering​

The AI prompt is designed to:

  • Focus on AWS, Edge Computing, AI/ML, IoT topics
  • Infer projects from repository activity
  • Maintain a professional but friendly tone
  • Use emojis for visual appeal

Customization​

Change Schedule​

Edit the cron expression in update-now.yml:

schedule:
  - cron: '0 0 1 * *'  # Monthly (1st of each month)
  - cron: '0 0 * * 0'  # Weekly (Sundays)

Modify Content Focus​

Edit the prompt in generate-now-page.py:

prompt = f"""
...
- Topics: AWS, Edge Computing, AI/ML, IoT  # Change this
...
"""

Add More Sections​

Extend the prompt to include additional sections:

prompt += """
### Reading List
- Include books or articles you're reading

### Goals for Next Month
- What you plan to accomplish
"""

Manual Trigger​

To run the workflow manually:

  1. Go to Actions tab in your repository
  2. Select Auto Update Now Page
  3. Click Run workflow
  4. Optionally check Force update

Troubleshooting​

API Rate Limits​

ZhipuAI has rate limits on the free tier. If you hit limits:

  • Reduce update frequency
  • Consider upgrading to paid tier

No Changes Detected​

If the workflow runs but doesn't commit:

  • The AI might have generated identical content
  • Check workflow logs for details

Permission Issues​

Ensure the workflow has write permissions:

permissions:
  contents: write

Cost​

ServiceCost
ZhipuAI GLM-4-FlashFree (with limits)
GitHub ActionsFree (public repos)