# Issue Operations Reference > Comprehensive examples for GitHub issue management using gh CLI. - Skill: `tools-only/issue-operations-reference` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tools-only/issue-operations-reference` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tools-only/issue-operations-reference/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tools-only (https://skillmd.com/u/tools-only) - Updated: 2026-09-29 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tools-only/issue-operations-reference --- # Issue Operations Reference Comprehensive examples for GitHub issue management using gh CLI. ## Creating Issues ### Basic Issue Creation ```bash # Create simple issue gh issue create --title "Bug: Issue title" --body "Issue description" # Create issue with labels and assignees gh issue create --title "Bug: Title" --body "Description" \ --label bug,priority-high --assignee username # Create issue from template gh issue create --template bug_report.md # Create issue with body from file gh issue create --title "Feature Request" --body-file feature.md ``` --- ## Listing Issues ### Basic Listing ```bash # List all issues gh issue list # List issues with filters gh issue list --state open --label bug gh issue list --assignee username gh issue list --milestone "v2.0" # List with pagination gh issue list --limit 50 ``` ### Advanced Filtering ```bash # List issues by multiple labels gh issue list --label "bug,priority-high" # List issues NOT assigned to anyone gh issue list --assignee "" # List issues mentioned in PR gh issue list --mention username # List recently updated issues gh issue list --state all --limit 10 ``` --- ## Viewing Issues ### Viewing Details ```bash # View specific issue gh issue view 456 # View issue in browser gh issue view 456 --web # View issue with comments gh issue view 456 --comments # Get issue as JSON gh issue view 456 --json number,title,body,state,labels,assignees ``` --- ## Editing Issues ### Update Issue Metadata ```bash # Edit issue title gh issue edit 456 --title "New title" # Edit issue body gh issue edit 456 --body "Updated description" # Add labels gh issue edit 456 --add-label enhancement,documentation # Remove labels gh issue edit 456 --remove-label wip # Add assignees gh issue edit 456 --add-assignee user1,user2 # Remove assignees gh issue edit 456 --remove-assignee user1 # Set milestone gh issue edit 456 --milestone "v2.0" # Remove milestone gh issue edit 456 --milestone "" ``` --- ## Issue Lifecycle ### State Management ```bash # Close issue gh issue close 456 # Close issue with comment gh issue close 456 --comment "Fixed in PR #789" # Reopen issue gh issue reopen 456 # Reopen with comment gh issue reopen 456 --comment "Issue persists in v2.0" ``` ### Issue Linking ```bash # Link to PR in issue (manual) gh issue comment 456 --body "Fixed by #789" # Close issue when PR merges (in PR description) # Use keywords: closes, fixes, resolves gh pr create --title "Fix bug" --body "Closes #456" ``` --- ## Commenting on Issues ### Adding Comments ```bash # Add comment to issue gh issue comment 456 --body "Comment text" # Add comment from file gh issue comment 456 --body-file comment.txt # Add comment with emoji reactions gh issue comment 456 --body "Great idea! :+1:" ``` --- ## Issue Pinning and Priority ### Pinning Issues ```bash # Pin issue to repository gh issue pin 456 # Unpin issue gh issue unpin 456 ``` --- ## Issue Transfers ### Transfer to Another Repository ```bash # Transfer issue to another repo gh issue transfer 456 owner/other-repo ``` --- ## Bulk Operations ### Operating on Multiple Issues ```bash # Close all bug issues gh issue list --label bug --json number -q '.[].number' | \ xargs -I {} gh issue close {} # Add label to all open issues gh issue list --state open --json number -q '.[].number' | \ xargs -I {} gh issue edit {} --add-label "needs-triage" # Assign milestone to multiple issues gh issue list --label "v2.0" --json number -q '.[].number' | \ xargs -I {} gh issue edit {} --milestone "Release 2.0" ``` --- ## Output Formatting ### JSON Output ```bash # Get issue data as JSON gh issue view 456 --json number,title,body,state,labels,assignees,milestone # List issues with custom fields gh issue list --json number,title,state,createdAt,updatedAt # Process with jq gh issue list --json number,title,labels | \ jq '.[] | select(.labels | any(.name == "bug"))' ``` ### Template Output ```bash # Custom format with Go templates gh issue list --template '{{range .}}#{{.number}}: {{.title}} [{{.state}}]{{"\n"}}{{end}}' ``` --- ## Search Operations ### Using GitHub Search Syntax ```bash # Search issues with text gh issue list --search "error in logs" # Search issues by author gh issue list --search "author:username" # Search issues by label gh issue list --search "label:bug" # Complex search queries gh issue list --search "is:open label:bug created:>2024-01-01" ``` --- ## Best Practices ### Creating Effective Issues 1. **Use descriptive titles** - Be specific about the problem 2. **Provide context** - Include steps to reproduce 3. **Add labels** - Help with categorization and filtering 4. **Assign appropriately** - Tag people who can help 5. **Link related items** - Connect to PRs, other issues ### Issue Management 1. **Triage regularly** - Review and label new issues 2. **Update status** - Keep issues current with comments 3. **Close resolved issues** - Link to fixing PR 4. **Use milestones** - Group related work 5. **Pin important issues** - Highlight key items ### Labels Strategy Common label categories: - **Type**: bug, feature, enhancement, documentation - **Priority**: priority-high, priority-medium, priority-low - **Status**: wip, needs-review, blocked - **Area**: frontend, backend, database, infrastructure ### Automation Tips 1. **Issue templates** - Create templates for bugs, features 2. **Auto-labeling** - Use GitHub Actions to auto-label 3. **Stale bot** - Auto-close inactive issues 4. **Project boards** - Track issue progress 5. **Webhooks** - Integrate with external tools