GitHub

Overview

Interact with GitHub repositories using the gh CLI tool. Handles issues, pull requests, CI/CD runs, releases, and advanced search queries without leaving the terminal. Supports creating, listing, reviewing, and managing all core GitHub resources.

Instructions

When a user asks you to interact with GitHub, follow this process:

Step 1: Verify gh CLI is available

Run gh --version to confirm the CLI is installed. If not installed, instruct the user to install it:

# macOS
brew install gh

# Windows
winget install --id GitHub.cli

# Linux: the distro package can be old; Debian/Ubuntu users should add the
# official apt repository from https://github.com/cli/cli/blob/trunk/docs/install_linux.md
# (Fedora: sudo dnf install gh)

# Then authenticate (browser or device flow)
gh auth login

Check authentication status with gh auth status. In scripts and CI, gh reads a token from the GH_TOKEN (or GITHUB_TOKEN) environment variable instead of gh auth login; never print or commit it.

Step 2: Determine the repository context

• If inside a git repo, gh auto-detects the remote. Confirm with gh repo view --json nameWithOwner -q .nameWithOwner.
• If the user specifies a repo (e.g., cli/cli), use the -R cli/cli flag on all commands.
• If neither, ask the user which repository to target.

Step 3: Execute the requested action

Issues:

# List open issues
gh issue list

# Create an issue
gh issue create --title "Bug: login fails" --body-file bug-report.md

# View issue details
gh issue view 42

# Close an issue
gh issue close 42 --comment "Fixed in #55"  # closes the issue; confirm with the user first

# Search issues across repos
gh search issues "memory leak" --repo cli/cli --state open

Pull Requests:

# List open PRs
gh pr list

# Create a PR from the current branch (multi-line bodies: use a file, since "\n" is not expanded)
gh pr create --title "Add caching layer" --body-file pr-body.md   # or --fill to use the commit message, --draft for a draft

# View PR details, then the status of its checks
gh pr view 123
gh pr checks 123 --watch

# Read the conversation
gh pr view 123 --comments

# Review a PR (approve, comment, request changes)
gh pr review 123 --approve --body "Looks good"

# Merge a PR (--auto waits for required checks and reviews, then merges)
gh pr merge 123 --squash --delete-branch

# Check out a PR locally
gh pr checkout 123

CI/CD Runs:

# List recent workflow runs
gh run list --limit 10

# View a specific run
gh run view 123456

# Watch a running workflow
gh run watch 123456

# View failed job logs
gh run view 123456 --log-failed

# Re-run failed jobs
gh run rerun 123456 --failed

Releases:

# List releases
gh release list

# Create a release from a tag
gh release create v1.2.0 --title "v1.2.0" --generate-notes

# Download release assets
gh release download v1.2.0

Advanced Queries with gh api:

# Get repo stats
gh api repos/cli/cli --jq '.stargazers_count, .forks_count'

# List PR review comments (--paginate follows every page)
gh api repos/cli/cli/pulls/123/comments --paginate

# Search code across GitHub
gh search code "TODO FIXME" --repo cli/cli --extension go

Step 4: Format and present results

• Summarize results clearly. For lists, show the most relevant fields (number, title, status, author).
• For long outputs, highlight the key information rather than dumping raw output.
• When creating resources, confirm the URL of the created item.

Examples

Example 1: Create a bug report issue

User request: "Create a GitHub issue for the login timeout bug"

Actions:

gh issue create \
  --title "Bug: Login times out after 30 seconds on slow connections" \
  --body "## Description
Users on slow connections experience a timeout during login.

## Steps to Reproduce
1. Throttle network to Slow 3G
2. Navigate to /login
3. Submit credentials
4. Observe timeout error after 30s

## Expected Behavior
Login should succeed or show a retry option.

## Environment
- Browser: Chrome 120
- OS: macOS 14.2" \
  --label "bug"

Output: the command prints the new issue's URL, for example https://github.com/acme-shop/web-store/issues/87; report it back with the number and title. Labels must already exist in the repository, otherwise gh fails with a "could not add label" error; check with gh label list.

Example 2: Check why CI is failing

User request: "Why is CI failing on my PR?"

Actions:

# Get the current PR
gh pr view --json number,headRefName,statusCheckRollup

# List runs for the current branch
gh run list --branch feature/login-timeout --limit 5

# View the failed run logs
gh run view 789012 --log-failed

Output: Summarize the failure cause, the specific job and step that failed, and suggest a fix based on the error logs.

Example 3: Search for related issues before creating a new one

User request: "Is there already an issue about dark mode?"

Actions:

gh search issues "dark mode" --repo acme-shop/web-store --limit 10
gh issue list --search "dark mode" --state all

Output: List matching issues with their number, title, state, and labels. Recommend whether to create a new issue or comment on an existing one.

Guidelines

• Always check gh auth status before running commands if there is any doubt about authentication.
• When creating PRs, use the --body flag with a structured description including Summary and Test Plan sections.
• gh search issues returns issues only; add --include-prs to include pull requests.
• Newer gh releases (2.x, latest 2.102) add flags regularly; run gh <command> --help when a flag is rejected, and gh version to see what is installed.
• For destructive operations (closing issues, merging PRs, deleting branches), confirm with the user first.
• Use --json and --jq flags to extract specific fields when raw output is too verbose.
• When searching, start broad and narrow down. Use --state, --label, --author filters.
• Prefer gh pr create over manual git push + web UI for a streamlined workflow.
• For large repos with many issues/PRs, always use --limit to avoid overwhelming output.