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name: gh-cli description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "use gh cli", "run gh command", "work with GitHub CLI", "create a gh extension", or mentions "gh", "GitHub CLI", "gh extension", or GitHub command-line operations. version: 0.1.0

GitHub CLI (gh) Skill

Purpose

GitHub CLI (gh) brings GitHub to the terminal. Work with issues, pull requests, checks, releases, and more without leaving the command line. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for using GitHub CLI effectively and extending it with custom commands.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Interacting with GitHub repositories, issues, or pull requests from the command line
• Creating, viewing, or managing GitHub resources without a browser
• Automating GitHub workflows with scripts
• Creating custom GitHub CLI extensions
• Managing authentication across multiple GitHub accounts
• Fetching GitHub data programmatically via the API

Core Workflow

Step 1: Authentication

Before using GitHub CLI, authenticate with your GitHub account:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to choose GitHub.com or GitHub Enterprise, authenticate via browser or token, and configure credentials.

For multiple accounts on the same platform, authenticate with each account and use gh auth switch to toggle between them. For accounts across different platforms (e.g., personal GitHub.com and work Enterprise Server), authenticate separately—GitHub CLI automatically detects the correct platform when operating within a repository context.

Step 2: Essential Commands

Repository Operations

View repository information:

gh repo view OWNER/REPO
gh repo view OWNER/REPO --web  # Open in browser

Clone a repository:

gh repo clone OWNER/REPO

Create a new repository:

gh repo create

List repositories:

gh repo list

Issue Management

List issues:

gh issue list --repo OWNER/REPO
gh issue list --assignee "@me"      # Your assigned issues
gh issue list --author monalisa     # By specific author

Create an issue:

gh issue create --title "Title" --body "Description"

View issue details:

gh issue view ISSUE-NUMBER

Pull Request Operations

List pull requests:

gh pr list --repo OWNER/REPO
gh pr list --author "@me"                    # Your PRs
gh pr list --label bug                       # By label
gh search prs --review-requested=@me         # Awaiting your review

Create a pull request:

gh pr create

Create a draft PR:

gh pr create --draft

View PR details:

gh pr view PR-NUMBER

Check out a PR locally:

gh pr checkout PR-NUMBER

Codespaces Management

Create a codespace:

gh codespace create

List codespaces:

gh codespace list

Open a codespace in VS Code for the Web:

gh codespace code -w

The shortcut cs can substitute for codespace in all commands.

Status Viewing

View your current GitHub activity across repositories:

gh status

Step 3: Configuration

Customize GitHub CLI behavior:

gh config set editor "code -w"     # Set default editor
gh config set git_protocol ssh     # Prefer SSH over HTTPS

Create aliases for frequently used commands:

gh alias set prd "pr create --draft"  # Then run: gh prd
gh alias set ils "issue list --assignee @me"

View all aliases:

gh alias list

Step 4: Programmatic Usage

For scripting and automation, use non-interactive modes:

Explicit Arguments

Always provide required values explicitly to avoid prompts:

gh issue create --title "My Title" --body "Issue description"

JSON Output

Fetch structured data with --json:

gh pr list --json number,title,mergeStateStatus
gh issue view 123 --json title,state,labels

Filter JSON output with --jq:

gh api user --jq '.login'
gh pr list --jq '.[].title'

API Access

Use gh api for direct GitHub REST API access:

gh api user
gh api repos/octocat/hello-world
gh api /user/repos --jq '.[].name'

Step 5: Getting Help

Access built-in help:

gh                          # Top-level commands
gh COMMAND --help           # Command-specific help
gh COMMAND SUBCOMMAND --help  # Subcommand help

For complete documentation, visit the online manual at https://cli.github.com/manual/gh

GitHub CLI Extensions

Extensions add custom commands to GitHub CLI. Discover extensions at https://github.com/topics/gh-extension.

Installing Extensions

Install from a repository:

gh extension install OWNER/REPO
gh extension install https://github.com/OWNER/gh-REPO

Install from current directory (for development):

gh extension install .

Managing Extensions

List installed extensions:

gh extension list

Update an extension:

gh extension upgrade EXTENSION-NAME

Update all extensions:

gh extension upgrade --all

Remove an extension:

gh extension remove EXTENSION-NAME

Running Extensions

Execute extensions like built-in commands:

gh EXTENSION-NAME

The extension name is the repository name minus the gh- prefix. For octocat/gh-whoami, run gh whoami.

Multiple Account Management

Same Platform, Multiple Accounts

Authenticate with multiple accounts on the same platform:

gh auth login  # First account
gh auth login  # Second account

Switch between accounts:

gh auth switch

Multiple Platforms

Authenticate separately for each platform. GitHub CLI automatically detects the correct platform when operating within a repository directory. For commands without repository context:

GH_HOST=github.enterprise.com gh repo list
gh api --hostname github.enterprise.com /user/repos
gh pr view https://github.enterprise.com/OWNER/REPO/pr/1

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed information, consult:

• references/quickstart.md - Essential commands for getting started quickly
• references/extension-creation.md - Comprehensive guide to creating GitHub CLI extensions
• references/multiple-accounts.md - Managing authentication across accounts and platforms
• references/command-reference.md - Complete command structure and help system

Online Resources

• GitHub CLI Manual - Complete command reference
• GitHub CLI Extensions - Discover community extensions
• CLI Repository - Source code and issue tracking