About

The About tab is the default view when you open a repository. It provides a high-level overview of the repository’s purpose and data model.

Two-Column Layout

The About tab uses a two-column layout. The main content area on the left displays the README and data dictionary. A narrower sidebar on the right shows repository metadata.

README

The left column leads with the repository’s README, rendered as Markdown with full GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) support — including tables, task lists, and fenced code blocks.

The README is stored as Content/Readme — a well-known instance of the built-in Content shape. The same content is accessible via wh repo content get <org/repo> --kind readme, client.repo.getReadme, and GET /{org}/{repo}/readme.md.

Editing the README

If you have write access, an edit button appears above the README. Clicking it switches to a Markdown editor where you can:

• Write or revise the content in a plain Markdown textarea.
• Save your changes, which are committed automatically with an appropriate message (e.g., “Update README”).

If the repository does not yet have a README, authorized users see a prompt to create one.

Data Dictionary

Below the README, the data dictionary section lists every shape defined in the repository alongside its fields and types — a quick reference for understanding the data model without leaving the About tab.

Each shape entry collapses by default. The summary row shows:

• Shape name — the identifier used in commits and assertions.
• Description — a short inline summary, when the shape definition includes one.
• Component badge — the source component, when the shape was installed via a component.
• Version badge — the current version of the shape definition (e.g. v3).
• Instance count — the total things and assertions for this shape, when greater than zero.
• Field count — the number of fields the shape defines.

Expand an entry to see the field grid: each field’s name, type (e.g. string, number, boolean), and description. When the shape has matching things or assertions, jump-to buttons appear at the bottom of the expanded view. Clicking one navigates to the Things or Assertions tab filtered to that shape via ?tab=things&shape=<name> or ?tab=assertions&shape=<name> — both query parameters are required, since shape alone doesn’t switch away from the default About tab.

Sidebar

The right column displays:

• Description — The repository’s description, with an edit button for authorized users.
• Created — The date the repository was created.

CLI Equivalents

• To list shapes from the terminal, use wh shape list.
• To inspect shape fields from the terminal, use wh shape view <name>.
• To inspect repository-level schema context, use wh repo describe [org/repo].
• README content is stored as Content/Readme; fetch it with wh repo content get org/repo --kind readme, edit it with wh repo content set org/repo --kind readme --file readme.md, or view version history with wh thing history Content/Readme.
• See Content Shape for the full CLI, SDK, MCP, and raw HTTP fetch matrix.