Gitea feature guide
Checked October 16, 2026. This guide separates platform features from services the hosting cooperative has actually documented.
Repository tabs
| Tab | What it is for | Stash setup |
|---|---|---|
| Code | Git files, branches, diffs, history, clone/download | README and reusable project scaffolding proposed in PR #1. |
| Issues | Problems, ideas, labels, milestones, dependencies and time tracking | Existing labels retained; Kind/Experiment added. Templates are in PR #1. |
| Pull requests | Review branch changes before merging | PR #1 is linked to the workbench in Review. |
| Actions | Run checks and other workflows on a runner | Enabled; no workflows yet; repository settings show no available runners. |
| Packages | Publish and consume packages linked to the repository | Available, empty. Packages belong to their user/organization owner. |
| Projects | Kanban columns containing issues and pull requests | Stash workbench created with a Review stage. |
| Releases | Tagged versions, release notes and artifacts | Available, empty until there is a meaningful version. |
| Wiki | Git-backed handbook separate from code | Home and this guide. |
| Activity | Pulse, contributors, code frequency and recent commits | Read-only reporting; distinct from the audit log. |
Settings map
- Repository: description, website, feature tabs, mirror options, merge styles, and archive/transfer controls. Keep ordinary experiments on branches. Do not set up a mirror without checking the source's publication rights and history.
- Collaborators: named access grants. Public reading does not require adding collaborators.
- Webhooks: send repository events to another service. Choose a specific destination, minimal events, and signature verification when an integration is needed.
- Branches and tags: protection rules. Avoid requiring a nonexistent CI check or an approval a solo maintainer cannot obtain.
- Deploy keys: machine access. Public cloning does not require a new key or token.
- Actions / General: enablement and token permissions. Read-only defaults suit validation; write permissions should be deliberate.
- Actions / Runners: machines that execute jobs. Verify operator, labels, trust, isolation, capacity and costs.
- Actions / Secrets: protected configuration for a named integration. Never place secrets in issues or source files.
- Actions / Variables: non-secret workflow configuration. Add values only when a workflow uses them.
- Audit log: security-related events when server recording is enabled. An empty log does not prove no activity occurred.
Differences worth knowing coming from GitHub
Git history remains portable. Gitea Actions uses familiar workflow concepts, but compatibility is incomplete; review workflows before copying them. An enabled Actions tab does not provide compute on its own. Projects here are Kanban boards rather than a promise of every GitHub Projects view or automation. Packages have owner-level relationships. Do not assume GitHub Pages-style website hosting is included.
The co-op documents public reading and membership-linked sign-in. Outside contributors may need membership to participate through this instance.
Costs and shared compute
The co-op publishes sliding-scale dues starting at $5 USD/month, with $15 suggested. Membership includes $15/month of shared AI chat/API credit. Extra non-expiring credit packs start at $5. These are inference allowances, not documented CI minutes or GPU-hours.
No Git-specific hosting surcharge, repository/LFS/package quota, CI-minute price, or general-purpose GPU-job service was established from the reviewed public docs. Do not assume unlimited capacity.
A member-operated Gitea runner could supply build/test capacity if the co-op permits it. It would not automatically contribute to an AI inference pool. Shared runners execute other people's code: isolation, operator trust, secrets handling, fair-use limits and maintenance need a deliberate design. The public docs leave infrastructure ownership and institutional compute contributions open for discussion; no self-service hardware donation program was verified.