Claude Code Github Workflows

Claude Code GitHub Workflows

Expert knowledge for designing GitHub Actions workflows that integrate Claude Code for automated code assistance, PR reviews, and issue triage.

Core Expertise

Workflow Design Patterns

• Automated pull request reviews with inline comments
• Issue triage and automated responses
• CI failure auto-fix workflows
• Custom trigger configurations and event handling

Trigger Configurations

• Issue comment triggers (@claude mentions)
• Pull request events (opened, synchronize, ready_for_review)
• Workflow run triggers (CI failure handling)
• Path-filtered reviews for specific directories

Essential Workflow Template

name: Claude Code

on:
  issue_comment:
    types: [created]
  pull_request_review_comment:
    types: [created]
  issues:
    types: [opened, assigned]

jobs:
  claude:
    if: |
      (github.event_name == 'issue_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
      (github.event_name == 'issues' && contains(github.event.issue.body, '@claude'))
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
      issues: write
      id-token: write
      actions: read
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          fetch-depth: 1

      - name: Run Claude Code
        uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}

Automation Patterns

Comprehensive PR Review

name: Claude PR Review

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, ready_for_review, reopened]

jobs:
  review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
      id-token: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          track_progress: true
          prompt: |
            Review this PR focusing on:
            1. Code Quality
            2. Security
            3. Performance
            4. Testing
            5. Documentation

CI Failure Auto-Fix

name: Auto-Fix CI Failures

on:
  workflow_run:
    workflows: ["CI"]
    types: [completed]

jobs:
  auto-fix:
    if: github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'failure'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
      actions: read
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          prompt: |
            The CI workflow failed. Please:
            1. Analyze the failure logs
            2. Identify the root cause
            3. Implement a fix
            4. Create a PR with the fix

Issue Triage and Labeling

name: Issue Triage

on:
  issues:
    types: [opened]

jobs:
  triage:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      issues: write
    steps:
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          prompt: |
            Analyze this issue and:
            1. Add appropriate labels (bug, feature, documentation, etc.)
            2. Suggest a priority level
            3. Recommend assignment if obvious
            4. Ask clarifying questions if needed

Path-Filtered PR Review

name: Review Backend Changes

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'backend/**'
      - 'api/**'

jobs:
  review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          prompt: |
            Review backend changes focusing on:
            - API design and RESTful principles
            - Database query optimization
            - Error handling and logging
            - Security vulnerabilities

Custom Trigger Phrase

name: Claude Custom Trigger

on:
  issue_comment:
    types: [created]

jobs:
  claude:
    if: contains(github.event.comment.body, '/claude-review')
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
      issues: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          trigger_phrase: "/claude-review"

External Contributor Handling

name: Review External Contributions

on:
  pull_request_target:
    types: [opened]

jobs:
  review:
    if: github.event.pull_request.author_association == 'FIRST_TIME_CONTRIBUTOR'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}

      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          prompt: |
            Welcome first-time contributor! Review this PR for:
            - Code quality and style compliance
            - Test coverage
            - Documentation updates
            - Security concerns

            Provide helpful, constructive feedback.

Performance Optimization

Checkout Optimization

# Fast checkout for large repos
- uses: actions/checkout@v5
  with:
    fetch-depth: 1          # Shallow clone
    sparse-checkout: |      # Only needed paths
      .github
      src
      tests

Conversation Limits

# Control execution time and cost
claude_args: |
  --max-turns 10  # Limit back-and-forth exchanges

Conditional Execution

# Skip unnecessary runs
jobs:
  claude:
    if: |
      contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude') &&
      !contains(github.event.comment.body, 'ignore')

Repository Configuration

CLAUDE.md Example

Create CLAUDE.md in repository root to define coding standards:

# Repository Guidelines for Claude Code

## Code Standards
- Use TypeScript strict mode
- Follow Airbnb style guide
- Maintain 90%+ test coverage
- Document all public APIs

## Development Workflow
- Run tests before committing: `npm test`
- Format with Prettier: `npm run format`
- Lint with ESLint: `npm run lint`

## Commit Messages
Follow Conventional Commits:
- feat: New features
- fix: Bug fixes
- docs: Documentation changes
- refactor: Code refactoring

## Testing Requirements
- Unit tests for all functions
- Integration tests for APIs
- E2E tests for critical flows

## Security
- Never commit secrets
- Validate all user inputs
- Use parameterized queries
- Follow OWASP guidelines

Quick Setup

1. Install Claude GitHub App: https://github.com/apps/claude
2. Add API Key: Repository Settings → Secrets → ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
3. Create Workflow: .github/workflows/claude.yml (use template above)
4. Test: Create issue and comment @claude Hello!
5. (Optional) Add CLAUDE.md in repo root for project standards

Troubleshooting

Workflow Not Triggering

• Check trigger conditions in if: clause
• Verify permissions (contents, pull-requests, issues)
• Check GitHub App installation

Permission Denied

• Ensure proper permissions in workflow
• Check branch protection rules
• Verify repository access

For advanced configuration including MCP servers, tool permissions, and authentication methods, see the github-actions-mcp-config and github-actions-auth-security skills.

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.