GitHub-Claude Integration Guidance

I have an existing PHP-based project on GitHub and want to bring Claude into the workflow so I can squeeze more execution speed out of the code. My goal is to understand the setup and day-to-day usage myself, not hand the work off, so I’m after a mentor-style collaboration conducted in clear, fluent English.

Here’s what I need from you:

• Walk me through connecting Claude (Claude Instant or Claude 2, whichever you consider best for this use case) to my private GitHub repo, covering API keys, branch protection, and any security best practices.
• Show me prompt-engineering techniques and repository conventions that help Claude identify hotspots and suggest optimisations aimed specifically at runtime performance.
• Review a couple of representative files with me, explain why Claude’s suggestions matter, and help me measure the speed gains.
• Leave me with a concise checklist or cheat sheet so I can keep refining the code long after our sessions end.

We’ll do this live over screen-share or recorded walkthroughs—whatever lets me ask questions in real time. If you have sample scripts, GitHub Actions, or extension templates that accelerate the process, all the better.

I expect this to be a short engagement spread over one or two focused sessions, with follow-up Q&A available by chat.