It also applies to this situation: 1. Create a private repo R 2. Create a private fork F of R 3. Push commits to the fork F 4. Make R public T

It also applies to this situation: 1. Create a private repo R 2. Create a private fork F of R 3. Push commits to the fork F 4. Make R public The commits pushed to F prior to R being made public will become de facto public, even though F has always been a private fork. The post makes clear that commits pushed to F after R is made public are placed into a separate, private fork network. So basically, if you ever intend to open source anything, never do it to an existing private repo. Always start a from-scratch repo to be the root of your new public project.