Github Operations

GitHub Operations

Manage all GitHub operations using MCP tools (preferred) and GitHub CLI (fallback).

MCP-first: Use MCP tools for issues and PRs — no extra auth, works everywhere. CLI fallback: Use gh CLI for Actions, releases, repos, secrets, and API calls.

Issues (MCP Tools)

Available Tools

Creating Issues

Required: owner, repo, title, body Optional: labels, assignees, milestone

Title guidelines:

• Prefix with type: [Bug], [Feature], [Docs]
• Be specific and actionable
• Keep under 72 characters

Body templates by type:

Common Labels

Pull Requests (MCP Tools)

Available Tools

Creating PRs

Required: owner, repo, title, head (source branch), base (target branch) Optional: body, draft

Title guidelines (conventional commit):

• feat:, fix:, docs:, refactor:
• Be specific, under 72 characters

Body sections: Summary, Changes, Testing, Checklist

Before creating: Search for PR templates in .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/ or pull_request_template.md and use if found.

Merging PRs

Required: owner, repo, pullNumber Optional: merge_method (squash | merge | rebase), commit_title

Default: Use squash unless user specifies otherwise.

Reviewing PRs

Use mcp_github_pull_request_review_write with method: "create":

Complex review workflow:

1. create (pending review)
2. add_comment_to_pending_review (line comments)
3. submit_pending (finalize)

Repositories (gh CLI)

# Create
gh repo create my-project --public --clone --gitignore python --license mit

# Clone / Fork
gh repo clone owner/repo
gh repo fork owner/repo --clone

# View / Edit
gh repo view owner/repo --json name,description
gh repo edit --default-branch main --delete-branch-on-merge

# Sync fork
gh repo sync

# Set default repo (avoid --repo flag)
gh repo set-default owner/repo

GitHub Actions (gh CLI)

Workflows

gh workflow list
gh workflow run ci.yml --ref main
gh workflow enable ci.yml
gh workflow disable ci.yml

Runs

gh run list --workflow ci.yml --limit 5
gh run watch <run-id>
gh run view <run-id> --log
gh run rerun <run-id>
gh run rerun <run-id> --failed    # Only failed jobs
gh run download <run-id> --dir ./artifacts
gh run cancel <run-id>

CI/CD Pattern

gh workflow run ci.yml --ref main
RUN_ID=$(gh run list --workflow ci.yml --limit 1 --json databaseId --jq '.[0].databaseId')
gh run watch "$RUN_ID"
gh run download "$RUN_ID" --dir ./artifacts

Releases (gh CLI)

# Create
gh release create v1.0.0 --title "v1.0.0" --notes "Release notes"
gh release create v1.0.0 --generate-notes    # Auto-generate notes
gh release create v1.0.0 ./dist/*.tar.gz     # With assets

# List / View / Download
gh release list
gh release view v1.0.0
gh release download v1.0.0 --dir ./download

# Delete
gh release delete v1.0.0 --yes

Secrets & Variables (gh CLI)

# Secrets
gh secret set MY_SECRET --body "secret_value"
gh secret list
gh secret delete MY_SECRET

# Variables
gh variable set MY_VAR --body "value"
gh variable list
gh variable get MY_VAR

API Requests (gh CLI)

# GET
gh api /user
gh api /repos/owner/repo --jq '.stargazers_count'

# POST
gh api --method POST /repos/owner/repo/issues \
  --field title="Issue title" \
  --field body="Issue body"

# Pagination
gh api /user/repos --paginate

# GraphQL
gh api graphql -f query='{
  viewer { login repositories(first: 5) { nodes { name } } }
}'

IMPORTANT: gh api -f does not support object values. Use multiple -f flags with hierarchical keys and string values instead.

Auth & Search (gh CLI)

# Auth
gh auth login
gh auth status
gh auth token

# Labels
gh label create bug --color "d73a4a" --description "Bug report"
gh label list

# Search
gh search repos "azure bicep" --language hcl
gh search code "uniqueString" --repo owner/repo
gh search issues "label:bug is:open" --repo owner/repo

Global Flags

DO / DON'T

• DO: Use MCP tools first for issues and PRs
• DO: Use gh CLI for Actions, releases, repos, secrets, API
• DO: Confirm repository context before creating issues/PRs
• DO: Search for existing issues/PRs before creating duplicates
• DO: Check for PR templates before creating PRs
• DO: Ask for missing critical information rather than guessing
• DON'T: Create issues/PRs without confirming repo owner and name
• DON'T: Merge PRs without user confirmation
• DON'T: Use gh CLI for issues/PRs when MCP tools are available

References

• GitHub CLI Manual: https://cli.github.com/manual/
• REST API: https://docs.github.com/en/rest
• GraphQL API: https://docs.github.com/en/graphql