Using GitHub
Use this skill as the single entry point for GitHub work. It owns issue creation, issue editing, issue branch creation, milestone changelog rendering, and pull request preparation.
First Checks
- Read root repository guidance such as
AGENTS.md. - Read
docs/issue-filing-style.mdwhen filing or editing issues — it is the single source of truth for issue-filing conventions in this repo. - Read local docs that govern the files or GitHub surface being changed.
- Use repository templates for issues and pull requests.
- Use canonical labels from the remote label inventory.
- Do not manually apply or remove reserved release automation labels.
- Keep public-repo output free of private repository URLs, private paths, and private content.
- Stay in the current working directory's default
ghrepository unless the repository guidance explicitly allows cross-repo work.
Required Procedures
Follow the matching procedure before taking GitHub actions. These files are supporting workflow contracts for this skill, not separate installable skills.
- New issue: follow
workflows/new-issue.md. - Existing issue edit: follow
workflows/edit-issue.md. - Start issue work: follow
workflows/new-branch.md. - Milestone changelog: follow
workflows/write-changelog.md. - Pull request: follow
workflows/pull-request.md.
Shared GitHub Rules
- Branches for issue work use
<issue-number>-<kebab-title>from the default branch. - Commits and squash PR titles use
type: #123 short descriptionwith no scope, unless the change is breaking. Breaking changes usetype!: #123 short description. - GitHub issue titles are plain-language summaries, not conventional commits.
- Relationships are same-repo
#Nreferences unless repository guidance says otherwise. - Public issue, PR, and changelog text must pass the public-repo leak guard.
- Duplicate checks happen before filing new issues.
- Label choices come from
gh label list; do not invent labels. - Pull request bodies use the repository template headings in order.
- Long issue, PR, and discussion descriptions keep top-level sections at
##so GitHub's auto-TOC sidebar surfaces them — seedocs/issue-filing-style.mdsection "Heading levels for navigability".
Public-Repo Leak Guard
Before creating or updating public issues, PRs, changelog text, or rendered release notes:
- Resolve the target repository and visibility with
gh repo view. - If the target is public, scan the draft for private GitHub URLs and private path-shaped content.
- Refuse confirmed leaks.
- Surface ambiguous content for explicit review instead of silently rewriting.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Looking for a separate sub-skill per workflow | None exist — this skill and its workflows/ files are the entry point. |
| Inventing labels or templates | Read the repository label inventory and templates. |
Treating PR creation as just a gh pr create command |
Satisfy the repository PR template, title format, and acceptance-criteria rules first. |
| Including private repository context in public text | Rewrite as a public-safe summary or file in a private repository first. |