Gh Issues

gh-issues

Use this skill to run the issue-to-PR automation lane for GitHub repositories.

This skill is now segmented into a lean router plus detailed runbooks in references/ so the top-level skill stays readable while preserving the full orchestration contract.

Use This Skill When

• the request is to fetch issues from a GitHub repo and auto-process them
• the request is to spawn bounded sub-agents that fix issues and open PRs
• the request is to monitor fix/issue-* pull requests for review feedback
• the request needs cron-safe issue or review polling with claims/cursor tracking

Route Elsewhere When

• the user wants general GitHub orientation or repo context only: use $github
• the user wants one specific PR's review comments handled manually: prefer $gh-address-comments
• the user wants failing GitHub Actions diagnosed: prefer $gh-fix-ci
• the request is broader than one GitHub issue-processing lane: route through $skill-hub

Non-Negotiable Contract

1. Do not use the gh CLI. This skill uses curl plus the GitHub REST API only.
2. Resolve GH_TOKEN before any GitHub API call:
   • environment first
   • ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
   • /data/.clawdbot/openclaw.json
3. Filter GitHub Issues API results to exclude pull requests.
4. Respect --dry-run, --yes, --reviews-only, --watch, --cron, --fork, and --notify-channel.
5. Never duplicate live work:
   • skip issues with open PRs
   • skip issues with in-progress fix/issue-* branches on the push repo
   • skip issues already claimed in the claims file
6. Spawn bounded sub-agents only after pre-flight checks pass.
7. Keep sub-agent concurrency at 8 max in normal mode.
8. Preserve watch-mode state with minimal retained context only.

Supported Flags

Workflow

1. Parse arguments and derive:
   • SOURCE_REPO
   • PUSH_REPO
   • FORK_MODE
2. Resolve GH_TOKEN and fetch issues or review targets using the REST API.
3. Present the candidate issue/PR set unless --yes or cron behavior skips confirmation.
4. Run pre-flight checks:
   • dirty working tree warning
   • base branch detection
   • remote reachability
   • token validity
   • existing PR detection
   • existing branch detection on the push repo
   • claim-file de-duplication
5. Spawn bounded issue-fix sub-agents in parallel, or one-at-a-time in cron mode with cursor tracking.
6. Collect results:
   • PR opened
   • failed
   • timed out
   • skipped
7. Run the review handler:
   • discover actionable comments on open fix/issue-* PRs
   • spawn review-fix sub-agents
   • reply to addressed comments
8. If --watch is active, retain only watch-safe state and loop.

Pre-flight Requirements

• warn on dirty working tree before branching
• record BASE_BRANCH
• verify the source remote is reachable
• in fork mode, ensure the fork remote exists or add it with token auth
• validate GH_TOKEN with GET /user
• skip issues with existing open PRs
• skip issues whose fix/issue-* branches already exist on the push repo
• skip unexpired issue claims

Detailed commands, API endpoints, and file-state rules live in:

• references/issue-orchestration-playbook.md

Sub-agent Contracts

There are two spawned sub-agent lanes:

1. Issue-fix agents
   • one issue per agent
   • branch from BASE_BRANCH
   • implement complete synchronized fix
   • test when possible
   • commit, push, and open PR through the GitHub REST API
2. Review-fix agents
   • one PR per agent
   • fetch and address actionable review comments
   • push updates and reply to comment threads

Shared rules:

• runTimeoutSeconds: 3600
• cleanup: "keep"
• pass --model through when provided
• do not force-push
• do not make unrelated changes
• stop and report when confidence is too low

Detailed prompt templates and reply behavior live in:

• references/issue-orchestration-playbook.md
• references/review-handler-playbook.md

State Files

• Claims file: /data/.clawdbot/gh-issues-claims.json
• Cron cursor file: /data/.clawdbot/gh-issues-cursor-{SOURCE_REPO_SLUG}.json

Use these files to prevent duplicate work across cron runs, watch mode, and interactive sessions.

Results Contract

Always report a deterministic summary table covering:

• issue or PR number
• status
• PR URL if opened
• notes or blockers

If --notify-channel is set, send only the final PR summary to Telegram.

Watch Mode Contract

Between polls retain only:

• PROCESSED_ISSUES
• ADDRESSED_COMMENTS
• OPEN_PRS
• cumulative result lines
• parsed arguments and repo/base-branch state

Do not retain issue bodies, comment bodies, transcripts, or code analysis between poll cycles.

Guardrails

• use trusted local tools only
• never print secrets or tokens in chat output
• keep outputs deterministic and reviewable
• skip unclear or too-large issues instead of guessing
• preserve fork/source-repo separation correctly in fork mode

References

• references/issue-orchestration-playbook.md
• references/review-handler-playbook.md