# Gh CLI

> GitHub CLI (gh) comprehensive reference for repositories, issues, pull requests, Actions, projects, releases, and all GitHub operations. Use when working with GitHub from command line, managing repos, creating PRs/issues, reviewing code, running Actions, or automating GitHub workflows.

- Skill: `lionad-morotar/gh-cli` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 10 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add lionad-morotar/gh-cli`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/lionad-morotar/gh-cli/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: lionad-morotar (https://skillmd.com/u/lionad-morotar)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/lionad-morotar/gh-cli

---


# GitHub CLI (gh)

Work seamlessly with GitHub from the command line.

**Version:** 2.85.0

## Preference

Clone repos via SSH (`git@github.com:...`), not HTTPS.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Authenticate
gh auth login

# Clone and work with repositories
gh repo clone owner/repo
cd repo

# Create and manage PRs
gh pr create --title "Fix bug" --body "Description"
gh pr list
gh pr checkout 123

# Work with issues
gh issue create --title "Bug report" --body "Details"
gh issue list
```

## CLI Structure

```
gh
├── auth          # Authentication
├── repo          # Repositories
├── pr            # Pull Requests
├── issue         # Issues
├── run           # Workflow runs
├── workflow      # Workflows
├── release       # Releases
├── project       # Projects
├── gist          # Gists
├── codespace     # Codespaces
├── search        # Search
├── api           # API requests
└── ...
```

## Module Reference

| Module | Command | Reference |
|--------|---------|-----------|
| Authentication | `gh auth` | [references/auth.md](references/auth.md) |
| Repositories | `gh repo` | [references/repos.md](references/repos.md) |
| Pull Requests | `gh pr` | [references/prs.md](references/prs.md) |
| Issues | `gh issue` | [references/issues.md](references/issues.md) |
| GitHub Actions | `gh run`, `gh workflow` | [references/actions.md](references/actions.md) |
| Releases | `gh release` | [references/releases.md](references/releases.md) |
| Projects | `gh project` | [references/projects.md](references/projects.md) |
| Gists & Codespaces | `gh gist`, `gh codespace` | [references/gists.md](references/gists.md) |
| Other commands | `gh label`, `gh search`, etc. | [references/misc.md](references/misc.md) |

Load the relevant reference file when working with specific commands.

## Common Workflows

### Create PR from Issue

```bash
# Create branch from issue
gh issue develop 123 --branch feature/issue-123

# Make changes, commit, push
git add .
git commit -m "Fix issue #123"
git push

# Create PR linking to issue
gh pr create --title "Fix #123" --body "Closes #123"
```

### Repository Setup

```bash
# Create repository with initial setup
gh repo create my-project --public \
  --description "My awesome project" \
  --clone --gitignore python --license mit

cd my-project

# Set up branch protection (via API)
gh api repos/owner/repo/branches/main/protection \
  --method PUT --input protection.json
```

### Bulk Operations

```bash
# Close multiple issues
gh issue list --search "label:stale" \
  --json number --jq '.[].number' | \
  xargs -I {} gh issue close {} --comment "Closing as stale"

# Add label to multiple PRs
gh pr list --search "review:required" \
  --json number --jq '.[].number' | \
  xargs -I {} gh pr edit {} --add-label needs-review
```

## Output Formatting

```bash
# JSON output for scripting
gh pr list --json number,title,author

# Filter with jq
gh pr list --json number,title | jq '.[] | select(.title | contains("fix"))'

# Template output
gh pr view 123 --template '{{.title}} by @{{.author.login}}'

# Quiet mode (for scripts)
gh pr checks --quiet
```

## Global Flags

```bash
# Specify repository
gh pr list --repo owner/repo

# Disable prompts
gh pr create --title "Fix" --body "Desc" --fill

# JSON output
gh issue list --json number,title

# Paginate all results
gh repo list --paginate

# Help for any command
gh pr create --help
```

## Environment Variables

```bash
export GH_HOST=github.com              # GitHub hostname
export GH_PROMPT_DISABLED=true         # Disable prompts
export GH_PAGER=cat                    # Disable pager
export GH_DEBUG=api                    # Debug API requests
```

## Best Practices

1. **Use `--web`** to open browser for complex operations
2. **Use `--json`** for scripting and automation
3. **Set default repo** with `gh repo set-default` to avoid `--repo` flag
4. **Create aliases** for frequently used commands: `gh alias set co "pr checkout"`
5. **Use `gh browse`** to quickly open repo, PR, or issue pages

## Getting Help

```bash
gh --help                    # General help
gh pr --help                 # Command help
gh pr create --help          # Subcommand help
gh reference                 # Full reference
```

## Official Resources

- [GitHub CLI Manual](https://cli.github.com/manual/)
- [GitHub CLI Repository](https://github.com/cli/cli)