Release version 0.57.0

Add GitHub Apps documentation and stdin token example

CHANGES.rst

@@ -1,9 +1,40 @@
 Changelog
 =========
 
-0.56.0 (2025-12-11)
+0.57.0 (2025-12-12)
 -------------------
 ------------------------
+- Add GitHub Apps documentation and remove outdated header. [Rodos]
+
+  - Add GitHub Apps authentication section with setup steps
+    and CI/CD workflow example using actions/create-github-app-token
+  - Remove outdated machine-man-preview header (graduated 2020)
+
+  Closes #189
+- Docs: add stdin token example to README. [Rodos]
+
+  Add example showing how to pipe a token from stdin using
+  file:///dev/stdin to avoid storing tokens in environment
+  variables or command history.
+
+  Closes #187
+- Add --skip-assets-on flag to skip release asset downloads (#135)
+  [Rodos]
+
+  Allow users to skip downloading release assets for specific repositories
+  while still backing up release metadata. Useful for starred repos with
+  large assets (e.g. syncthing with 27GB+).
+
+  Usage: --skip-assets-on repo1 repo2 owner/repo3
+
+  Features:
+  - Space-separated repos (consistent with --exclude)
+  - Case-insensitive matching
+  - Supports both repo name and owner/repo format
+
+
+0.56.0 (2025-12-11)
+-------------------
 
 Fix
 ~~~

README.rst

@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ CLI Help output::
                   [--keychain-name OSX_KEYCHAIN_ITEM_NAME]
                   [--keychain-account OSX_KEYCHAIN_ITEM_ACCOUNT]
                   [--releases] [--latest-releases NUMBER_OF_LATEST_RELEASES]
-                  [--skip-prerelease] [--assets] [--attachments]
-                  [--exclude [REPOSITORY [REPOSITORY ...]]
+                  [--skip-prerelease] [--assets] [--skip-assets-on [REPO ...]]
+                  [--attachments] [--exclude [REPOSITORY [REPOSITORY ...]]
                   [--throttle-limit THROTTLE_LIMIT] [--throttle-pause THROTTLE_PAUSE]
                   USER
 
@@ -133,6 +133,9 @@ CLI Help output::
       --skip-prerelease     skip prerelease and draft versions; only applies if including releases
       --assets              include assets alongside release information; only
                             applies if including releases
+      --skip-assets-on [REPO ...]
+                            skip asset downloads for these repositories (e.g.
+                            --skip-assets-on repo1 owner/repo2)
       --attachments         download user-attachments from issues and pull requests
                             to issues/attachments/{issue_number}/ and
                             pulls/attachments/{pull_number}/ directories
@@ -174,6 +177,37 @@ Customise the permissions for your use case, but for a personal account full bac
 **Repository permissions**: Read access to contents, issues, metadata, pull requests, and webhooks.
 
 
+GitHub Apps
+~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+GitHub Apps are ideal for organization backups in CI/CD. Tokens are scoped to specific repositories and expire after 1 hour.
+
+**One-time setup:**
+
+1. Create a GitHub App at *Settings -> Developer Settings -> GitHub Apps -> New GitHub App*
+2. Set a name and homepage URL (can be any URL)
+3. Uncheck "Webhook > Active" (not needed for backups)
+4. Set permissions (same as fine-grained tokens above)
+5. Click "Create GitHub App", then note the **App ID** shown on the next page
+6. Under "Private keys", click "Generate a private key" and save the downloaded file
+7. Go to *Install App* in your app's settings
+8. Select the account/organization and which repositories to back up
+
+**CI/CD usage with GitHub Actions:**
+
+Store the App ID as a repository variable and the private key contents as a secret, then use ``actions/create-github-app-token``::
+
+    - uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1
+      id: app-token
+      with:
+        app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }}
+        private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+    - run: github-backup myorg -t ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }} --as-app -o ./backup --all
+
+Note: Installation tokens expire after 1 hour. For long-running backups, use a fine-grained personal access token instead.
+
+
 Prefer SSH
 ~~~~~~~~~~
 
@@ -361,6 +395,9 @@ Debug an error/block or incomplete backup into a temporary directory. Omit "incr
 
     github-backup -f $FINE_ACCESS_TOKEN -o /tmp/github-backup/ -l debug -P --all-starred --starred --watched --followers --following --issues --issue-comments --issue-events --pulls --pull-comments --pull-commits --labels --milestones --repositories --wikis --releases --assets --pull-details --gists --starred-gists $GH_USER
 
+Pipe a token from stdin to avoid storing it in environment variables or command history (Unix-like systems only)::
+
+    my-secret-manager get github-token | github-backup user -t file:///dev/stdin -o /backup --repositories
 
 Restoring from Backup
 =====================

github_backup/__init__.py

@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = "0.56.0"
+__version__ = "0.57.0"

github_backup/github_backup.py

@@ -440,6 +440,12 @@ def parse_args(args=None):
         dest="include_assets",
         help="include assets alongside release information; only applies if including releases",
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--skip-assets-on",
+        dest="skip_assets_on",
+        nargs="*",
+        help="skip asset downloads for these repositories",
+    )
     parser.add_argument(
         "--attachments",
         action="store_true",
@@ -561,7 +567,7 @@ def get_github_host(args):
 
 
 def read_file_contents(file_uri):
-    return open(file_uri[len(FILE_URI_PREFIX):], "rt").readline().strip()
+    return open(file_uri[len(FILE_URI_PREFIX) :], "rt").readline().strip()
 
 
 def get_github_repo_url(args, repository):
@@ -631,7 +637,7 @@ def retrieve_data_gen(args, template, query_args=None, single_request=False):
                 pass
             raise RepositoryUnavailableError(
                 "Repository unavailable due to legal reasons (HTTP 451)",
-                dmca_url=dmca_url
+                dmca_url=dmca_url,
             )
 
         # Check if we got correct data
@@ -709,7 +715,7 @@ def retrieve_data_gen(args, template, query_args=None, single_request=False):
                     # Parse Link header: <https://api.github.com/...?per_page=100&after=cursor>; rel="next"
                     for link in link_header.split(","):
                         if 'rel="next"' in link:
-                            next_url = link[link.find("<") + 1:link.find(">")]
+                            next_url = link[link.find("<") + 1 : link.find(">")]
                             break
                 if not next_url:
                     break
@@ -763,9 +769,7 @@ def _get_response(request, auth, template):
     return r, errors
 
 
-def _construct_request(
-    per_page, query_args, template, auth, as_app=None, fine=False
-):
+def _construct_request(per_page, query_args, template, auth, as_app=None, fine=False):
     # If template is already a full URL with query params (from Link header), use it directly
     if "?" in template and template.startswith("http"):
         request_url = template
@@ -796,9 +800,6 @@ def _construct_request(
         else:
             auth = auth.encode("ascii")
             request.add_header("Authorization", "token ".encode("ascii") + auth)
-            request.add_header(
-                "Accept", "application/vnd.github.machine-man-preview+json"
-            )
 
     log_url = template if "?" not in template else template.split("?")[0]
     if querystring:
@@ -1480,9 +1481,11 @@ def download_attachments(
         manifest = {
             "issue_number": number,
             "issue_type": item_type,
-            "repository": f"{args.user}/{args.repository}"
-            if hasattr(args, "repository") and args.repository
-            else args.user,
+            "repository": (
+                f"{args.user}/{args.repository}"
+                if hasattr(args, "repository") and args.repository
+                else args.user
+            ),
             "manifest_updated_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
             "attachments": attachment_metadata_list,
         }
@@ -1538,9 +1541,7 @@ def retrieve_repositories(args, authenticated_user):
         else:
             repo_path = "{0}/{1}".format(args.user, args.repository)
         single_request = True
-        template = "https://{0}/repos/{1}".format(
-            get_github_api_host(args), repo_path
-        )
+        template = "https://{0}/repos/{1}".format(get_github_api_host(args), repo_path)
 
     repos = retrieve_data(args, template, single_request=single_request)
 
@@ -1565,7 +1566,10 @@ def retrieve_repositories(args, authenticated_user):
         repos.extend(gists)
 
     if args.include_starred_gists:
-        if not authenticated_user.get("login") or args.user.lower() != authenticated_user["login"].lower():
+        if (
+            not authenticated_user.get("login")
+            or args.user.lower() != authenticated_user["login"].lower()
+        ):
             logger.warning(
                 "Cannot retrieve starred gists for '%s'. GitHub only allows access to the authenticated user's starred gists.",
                 args.user,
@@ -1673,9 +1677,11 @@ def backup_repositories(args, output_directory, repositories):
 
         include_gists = args.include_gists or args.include_starred_gists
         include_starred = args.all_starred and repository.get("is_starred")
-        if (args.include_repository or args.include_everything) or (
-            include_gists and repository.get("is_gist")
-        ) or include_starred:
+        if (
+            (args.include_repository or args.include_everything)
+            or (include_gists and repository.get("is_gist"))
+            or include_starred
+        ):
             repo_name = (
                 repository.get("name")
                 if not repository.get("is_gist")
@@ -1735,7 +1741,9 @@ def backup_repositories(args, output_directory, repositories):
                     include_assets=args.include_assets or args.include_everything,
                 )
         except RepositoryUnavailableError as e:
-            logger.warning(f"Repository {repository['full_name']} is unavailable (HTTP 451)")
+            logger.warning(
+                f"Repository {repository['full_name']} is unavailable (HTTP 451)"
+            )
             if e.dmca_url:
                 logger.warning(f"DMCA notice: {e.dmca_url}")
             logger.info(f"Skipping remaining resources for {repository['full_name']}")
@@ -1795,7 +1803,11 @@ def backup_issues(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template):
             modified = os.path.getmtime(issue_file)
             modified = datetime.fromtimestamp(modified).strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
             if modified > issue["updated_at"]:
-                logger.info("Skipping issue {0} because it wasn't modified since last backup".format(number))
+                logger.info(
+                    "Skipping issue {0} because it wasn't modified since last backup".format(
+                        number
+                    )
+                )
                 continue
 
         if args.include_issue_comments or args.include_everything:
@@ -1869,7 +1881,11 @@ def backup_pulls(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template):
             modified = os.path.getmtime(pull_file)
             modified = datetime.fromtimestamp(modified).strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
             if modified > pull["updated_at"]:
-                logger.info("Skipping pull request {0} because it wasn't modified since last backup".format(number))
+                logger.info(
+                    "Skipping pull request {0} because it wasn't modified since last backup".format(
+                        number
+                    )
+                )
                 continue
         if args.include_pull_comments or args.include_everything:
             template = comments_regular_template.format(number)
@@ -1919,9 +1935,11 @@ def backup_milestones(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template):
     elif written_count == 0:
         logger.info("{0} milestones unchanged, skipped write".format(total))
     else:
-        logger.info("Saved {0} of {1} milestones to disk ({2} unchanged)".format(
-            written_count, total, total - written_count
-        ))
+        logger.info(
+            "Saved {0} of {1} milestones to disk ({2} unchanged)".format(
+                written_count, total, total - written_count
+            )
+        )
 
 
 def backup_labels(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template):
@@ -1975,6 +1993,20 @@ def backup_releases(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template, include_assets=F
         )
         releases = releases[: args.number_of_latest_releases]
 
+    # Check if this repo should skip asset downloads (case-insensitive)
+    skip_assets = False
+    if include_assets:
+        repo_name = repository.get("name", "").lower()
+        repo_full_name = repository.get("full_name", "").lower()
+        skip_repos = [r.lower() for r in (args.skip_assets_on or [])]
+        skip_assets = repo_name in skip_repos or repo_full_name in skip_repos
+        if skip_assets:
+            logger.info(
+                "Skipping assets for {0} ({1} releases) due to --skip-assets-on".format(
+                    repository.get("name"), len(releases)
+                )
+            )
+
     # for each release, store it
     written_count = 0
     for release in releases:
@@ -1986,7 +2018,7 @@ def backup_releases(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template, include_assets=F
         if json_dump_if_changed(release, output_filepath):
             written_count += 1
 
-        if include_assets:
+        if include_assets and not skip_assets:
             assets = retrieve_data(args, release["assets_url"])
             if len(assets) > 0:
                 # give release asset files somewhere to live & download them (not including source archives)
@@ -2008,9 +2040,11 @@ def backup_releases(args, repo_cwd, repository, repos_template, include_assets=F
     elif written_count == 0:
         logger.info("{0} releases unchanged, skipped write".format(total))
     else:
-        logger.info("Saved {0} of {1} releases to disk ({2} unchanged)".format(
-            written_count, total, total - written_count
-        ))
+        logger.info(
+            "Saved {0} of {1} releases to disk ({2} unchanged)".format(
+                written_count, total, total - written_count
+            )
+        )
 
 
 def fetch_repository(
@@ -2024,9 +2058,12 @@ def fetch_repository(
 ):
     if bare_clone:
         if os.path.exists(local_dir):
-            clone_exists = subprocess.check_output(
-                ["git", "rev-parse", "--is-bare-repository"], cwd=local_dir
-            ) == b"true\n"
+            clone_exists = (
+                subprocess.check_output(
+                    ["git", "rev-parse", "--is-bare-repository"], cwd=local_dir
+                )
+                == b"true\n"
+            )
         else:
             clone_exists = False
     else:
@@ -2047,7 +2084,9 @@ def fetch_repository(
             )
         else:
             logger.info(
-                "Skipping {0} (repository not accessible - may be empty, private, or credentials invalid)".format(name)
+                "Skipping {0} (repository not accessible - may be empty, private, or credentials invalid)".format(
+                    name
+                )
             )
         return
 

tests/test_skip_assets_on.py

@@ -0,0 +1,320 @@
+"""Tests for --skip-assets-on flag behavior (issue #135)."""
+
+import pytest
+from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
+
+from github_backup import github_backup
+
+
+class TestSkipAssetsOn:
+    """Test suite for --skip-assets-on flag.
+
+    Issue #135: Allow skipping asset downloads for specific repositories
+    while still backing up release metadata.
+    """
+
+    def _create_mock_args(self, **overrides):
+        """Create a mock args object with sensible defaults."""
+        args = Mock()
+        args.user = "testuser"
+        args.output_directory = "/tmp/backup"
+        args.include_repository = False
+        args.include_everything = False
+        args.include_gists = False
+        args.include_starred_gists = False
+        args.all_starred = False
+        args.skip_existing = False
+        args.bare_clone = False
+        args.lfs_clone = False
+        args.no_prune = False
+        args.include_wiki = False
+        args.include_issues = False
+        args.include_issue_comments = False
+        args.include_issue_events = False
+        args.include_pulls = False
+        args.include_pull_comments = False
+        args.include_pull_commits = False
+        args.include_pull_details = False
+        args.include_labels = False
+        args.include_hooks = False
+        args.include_milestones = False
+        args.include_releases = True
+        args.include_assets = True
+        args.skip_assets_on = []
+        args.include_attachments = False
+        args.incremental = False
+        args.incremental_by_files = False
+        args.github_host = None
+        args.prefer_ssh = False
+        args.token_classic = "test-token"
+        args.token_fine = None
+        args.username = None
+        args.password = None
+        args.as_app = False
+        args.osx_keychain_item_name = None
+        args.osx_keychain_item_account = None
+        args.skip_prerelease = False
+        args.number_of_latest_releases = None
+
+        for key, value in overrides.items():
+            setattr(args, key, value)
+
+        return args
+
+    def _create_mock_repository(self, name="test-repo", owner="testuser"):
+        """Create a mock repository object."""
+        return {
+            "name": name,
+            "full_name": f"{owner}/{name}",
+            "owner": {"login": owner},
+            "private": False,
+            "fork": False,
+            "has_wiki": False,
+        }
+
+    def _create_mock_release(self, tag="v1.0.0"):
+        """Create a mock release object."""
+        return {
+            "tag_name": tag,
+            "name": tag,
+            "prerelease": False,
+            "draft": False,
+            "assets_url": f"https://api.github.com/repos/testuser/test-repo/releases/{tag}/assets",
+        }
+
+    def _create_mock_asset(self, name="asset.zip"):
+        """Create a mock asset object."""
+        return {
+            "name": name,
+            "url": f"https://api.github.com/repos/testuser/test-repo/releases/assets/{name}",
+        }
+
+
+class TestSkipAssetsOnArgumentParsing(TestSkipAssetsOn):
+    """Tests for --skip-assets-on argument parsing."""
+
+    def test_skip_assets_on_not_set_defaults_to_none(self):
+        """When --skip-assets-on is not specified, it should default to None."""
+        args = github_backup.parse_args(["testuser"])
+        assert args.skip_assets_on is None
+
+    def test_skip_assets_on_single_repo(self):
+        """Single --skip-assets-on should create list with one item."""
+        args = github_backup.parse_args(["testuser", "--skip-assets-on", "big-repo"])
+        assert args.skip_assets_on == ["big-repo"]
+
+    def test_skip_assets_on_multiple_repos(self):
+        """Multiple repos can be specified space-separated (like --exclude)."""
+        args = github_backup.parse_args(
+            [
+                "testuser",
+                "--skip-assets-on",
+                "big-repo",
+                "another-repo",
+                "owner/third-repo",
+            ]
+        )
+        assert args.skip_assets_on == ["big-repo", "another-repo", "owner/third-repo"]
+
+
+class TestSkipAssetsOnBehavior(TestSkipAssetsOn):
+    """Tests for --skip-assets-on behavior in backup_releases."""
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_assets_downloaded_when_not_skipped(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Assets should be downloaded when repo is not in skip list."""
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=[])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="normal-repo")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+        asset = self._create_mock_asset()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.side_effect = [
+            [release],  # First call: get releases
+            [asset],  # Second call: get assets
+        ]
+
+        with patch("os.path.join", side_effect=lambda *args: "/".join(args)):
+            github_backup.backup_releases(
+                args,
+                "/tmp/backup/repositories/normal-repo",
+                repository,
+                "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+                include_assets=True,
+            )
+
+        # download_file should have been called for the asset
+        mock_download.assert_called_once()
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_assets_skipped_when_repo_name_matches(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Assets should be skipped when repo name is in skip list."""
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=["big-repo"])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="big-repo")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.return_value = [release]
+
+        github_backup.backup_releases(
+            args,
+            "/tmp/backup/repositories/big-repo",
+            repository,
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+            include_assets=True,
+        )
+
+        # download_file should NOT have been called
+        mock_download.assert_not_called()
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_assets_skipped_when_full_name_matches(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Assets should be skipped when owner/repo format matches."""
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=["otheruser/big-repo"])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="big-repo", owner="otheruser")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.return_value = [release]
+
+        github_backup.backup_releases(
+            args,
+            "/tmp/backup/repositories/big-repo",
+            repository,
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+            include_assets=True,
+        )
+
+        # download_file should NOT have been called
+        mock_download.assert_not_called()
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_case_insensitive_matching(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Skip matching should be case-insensitive."""
+        # User types uppercase, repo name is lowercase
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=["BIG-REPO"])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="big-repo")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.return_value = [release]
+
+        github_backup.backup_releases(
+            args,
+            "/tmp/backup/repositories/big-repo",
+            repository,
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+            include_assets=True,
+        )
+
+        # download_file should NOT have been called (case-insensitive match)
+        assert not mock_download.called
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_multiple_skip_repos(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Multiple repos in skip list should all be skipped."""
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=["repo1", "repo2", "repo3"])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="repo2")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.return_value = [release]
+
+        github_backup.backup_releases(
+            args,
+            "/tmp/backup/repositories/repo2",
+            repository,
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+            include_assets=True,
+        )
+
+        # download_file should NOT have been called
+        mock_download.assert_not_called()
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_release_metadata_still_saved_when_assets_skipped(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Release JSON should still be saved even when assets are skipped."""
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=["big-repo"])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="big-repo")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.return_value = [release]
+
+        github_backup.backup_releases(
+            args,
+            "/tmp/backup/repositories/big-repo",
+            repository,
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+            include_assets=True,
+        )
+
+        # json_dump_if_changed should have been called for release metadata
+        mock_json_dump.assert_called_once()
+        # But download_file should NOT have been called
+        mock_download.assert_not_called()
+
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.download_file")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.retrieve_data")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.mkdir_p")
+    @patch("github_backup.github_backup.json_dump_if_changed")
+    def test_non_matching_repo_still_downloads_assets(
+        self, mock_json_dump, mock_mkdir, mock_retrieve, mock_download
+    ):
+        """Repos not in skip list should still download assets."""
+        args = self._create_mock_args(skip_assets_on=["other-repo"])
+        repository = self._create_mock_repository(name="normal-repo")
+        release = self._create_mock_release()
+        asset = self._create_mock_asset()
+
+        mock_json_dump.return_value = True
+        mock_retrieve.side_effect = [
+            [release],  # First call: get releases
+            [asset],  # Second call: get assets
+        ]
+
+        with patch("os.path.join", side_effect=lambda *args: "/".join(args)):
+            github_backup.backup_releases(
+                args,
+                "/tmp/backup/repositories/normal-repo",
+                repository,
+                "https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}",
+                include_assets=True,
+            )
+
+        # download_file SHOULD have been called
+        mock_download.assert_called_once()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    pytest.main([__file__, "-v"])