# Github > GitHub CLI operations via `gh` for issues, PRs, Actions, releases, and REST/GraphQL API with `--json`/`--jq` parsing. Triggers on: "create an issue", "submit a PR", "check CI status", "why did CI fail", "merge a PR", or pasted GitHub URLs. - Skill: `mathews-tom/github` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 13 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mathews-tom/github` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mathews-tom/github/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Integrations & APIs - Author: mathews-tom (https://skillmd.com/u/mathews-tom) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mathews-tom/github --- # GitHub All GitHub operations use the `gh` CLI. Prefer `--json` with `--jq` for structured, parseable output. Use `--repo owner/repo` when not inside a git repository with a configured remote. Use `--web` to open any resource in the browser. ## Prerequisites and Auth ### Installation | Platform | Command | | ------------- | --------------------------- | | macOS | `brew install gh` | | Debian/Ubuntu | `sudo apt install gh` | | Windows | `winget install GitHub.cli` | ### Authentication ```bash gh auth login # interactive OAuth login gh auth status # check current auth and active account ``` ### Required OAuth Scopes | Scope | Grants Access To | | ------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | `repo` | Private repos, issues, PRs, commits, status | | `read:org` | Org membership, team listing | | `workflow` | Trigger and manage GitHub Actions workflows | | `gist` | Create and manage gists | | `delete_repo` | Delete repositories (not granted by default) | | `admin:org` | Manage org settings, teams, members | | `project` | Read/write access to ProjectV2 boards | Add missing scopes without re-authenticating from scratch: ```bash gh auth refresh --scopes repo,read:org,workflow ``` --- ## Reference Routing | User intent | Load | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | Create/list/view/edit/close issues, add comments | `references/issues.md` | | Create/list/view/review/merge/edit/close pull requests | `references/pull-requests.md` | | List runs, view logs, trigger/rerun/watch workflows, artifacts | `references/ci-actions.md` | | Create/fork/clone/view/edit/archive/delete repositories | `references/repos.md` | | Create/list/view/edit/upload/delete releases | `references/releases.md` | | Search repos, issues, PRs, code, commits | `references/search.md` | | Raw REST/GraphQL via `gh api`, pagination, rate limit | `references/api.md` | | GraphQL cost model, bulk queries, mutations, rate limits | `references/graphql-queries.md` | | Multi-step workflow recipes (PR lifecycle, CI triage, releases) | `references/automation-workflows.md` | | Create/list/view/edit/delete gists | `references/gists.md` | | List orgs, teams, members | `references/orgs.md` | ## Workflow Pattern 1. Identify user intent from the routing table above. 2. Load the matching `references/.md` for command syntax and examples. 3. Execute the `gh` command with `--repo owner/repo` and `--json`/`--jq` as needed. 4. On error, consult the Error Handling table below. --- ## Error Handling | Error | Cause | Resolution | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | HTTP 401 Unauthorized | Token expired or revoked | Run `gh auth login` to re-authenticate | | HTTP 403 Forbidden | Insufficient permissions or rate limited | Check `gh auth status` for scopes; check `gh api rate_limit` | | HTTP 404 Not Found | Repo does not exist, is private without `repo` scope, or resource deleted | Verify repo name; run `gh auth refresh --scopes repo` | | HTTP 422 Unprocessable Entity | Invalid payload — missing required field, validation error | Check request body fields match API schema | | HTTP 429 Too Many Requests | REST rate limit exceeded (5000 req/hr authenticated) | Wait for `X-RateLimit-Reset` timestamp; reduce request frequency | | GraphQL rate limit exceeded | Used more than 5000 points/hr | Reduce query complexity or wait; see `references/graphql-queries.md` | | "no git remotes found" | Running `gh` outside a git repo without `--repo` | Add `--repo owner/repo` to the command | | Insufficient OAuth scopes | Token lacks required scope for the operation | Run `gh auth refresh --scopes scope1,scope2` | | Duplicate issue/PR title | Not a real error — GitHub allows duplicates, but check before creating | Search with `gh issue list` or `gh pr list` first | | Archived repo blocks writes | Repo is archived; all write operations fail | Unarchive with `gh repo edit owner/repo --archived=false` or use a different repo | Enable debug logging to see raw HTTP requests and responses: ```bash GH_DEBUG=api gh pr list --repo owner/repo ``` --- ## Calibration Rules 1. **Prefer `--json` over parsing text output.** Text output formats are unstable across `gh` versions. Always use `--json field1,field2` to get machine-readable output. 2. **Use `--jq` to minimize output before processing.** Filter at the source rather than piping large JSON blobs to external tools. `--jq` runs server-side and reduces data transferred. 3. **Prefer higher-level commands over raw API.** Use `gh issue create` instead of `gh api repos/.../issues -X POST`. High-level commands handle auth, pagination, and error formatting automatically. 4. **Use `--repo` consistently when outside a git directory.** Never rely on implicit repo detection in scripts or CI environments. Always pass `--repo owner/repo` explicitly. 5. **Use GraphQL only for nested or bulk data.** For single-resource fetches and mutations with simple payloads, REST is faster to write, easier to debug, and predictable under rate limits. --- ## Limitations - **Network required** — all `gh` commands require internet access; no offline mode. - **GraphQL point budget** — 5000 points/hr for authenticated users. Complex queries with high `first`/`last` values consume points faster. See `references/graphql-queries.md`. - **Secrets are write-only** — `gh secret set` works, but there is no `gh secret get`. Secret values cannot be retrieved after creation. - **Org admin operations** — managing org settings, teams, and SAML requires the `admin:org` scope, which is not granted by default. - **Artifact retention** — workflow artifacts are retained for 90 days by default. Expired artifacts cannot be downloaded.