Gist

GitHub Gists

Create or view gists using the GitHub CLI (gh).

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

Format: [action] [args...]

• create [filename] - Create a new gist (default action)
• view <gist_id> - View gist content
• list - List your gists
• edit <gist_id> - Edit an existing gist
• delete <gist_id> - Delete a gist

Examples

/github:gist create snippet.js
/github:gist create snippet.js --public
/github:gist view abc123def
/github:gist list
/github:gist edit abc123def

Instructions

Required GitHub CLI preflight

Before any workflow step, read ../../references/github-cli-preflight.md and complete it. Do not run workflow commands until gh installation and authentication are verified.

Create Gist (default)

1. Check for staged/selected content:

   • If filename provided, read that file
   • If content is selected/provided, use that
   • Otherwise, ask user what to include

2. Prepare safe inputs:

   • Require a filename. Validate it as a basename without path traversal.
   • Write selected/provided content to a temporary file whose basename is the intended gist filename. Never put gist content in echo, a generated shell command, or an interpolated heredoc.
   • Write the optional description to a separate temporary text file, then load it into a quoted variable.

3. Prompt for gist options:

   • Public or private (default: private)
   • Description (optional)
   • Filename

4. Confirm public disclosure: For a public gist, show the verified host, account, filename, and byte count, warn that deletion cannot reliably undo indexing or copies, and require explicit confirmation immediately before creation. A secret gist does not require this extra disclosure gate.

5. Create the gist non-interactively:

   gist_description=$(<"$description_file")
   gh gist create "$content_file" --desc "$gist_description" [--public]
   

   GH_HOST from the preflight is mandatory because gh gist does not accept a repository or hostname flag.

6. Report gist URL to the user.

View Gist

gh gist view <gist_id> --raw

List Gists

gh gist list --limit 20

Edit Gist

Fetch the current filenames, require the user to identify the file being changed, write the replacement content to <content_file>, and generate a JSON request body with a JSON-aware tool or library. Do not open $EDITOR.

gh api --method PATCH "gists/<gist_id>" --input <payload_file>

Delete Gist

After explicit user confirmation, use the non-interactive flag:

gh gist delete <gist_id> --yes

Output Format

After creation:

Created gist: https://gist.github.com/<username>/<id>

Files:
- filename.js (123 bytes)

Error Handling

• If the GitHub CLI preflight fails, stop and follow its installation or browser-authentication guidance; do not run the gist command.
• If gist not found: "Error: Gist '' not found"
• If file not found: "Error: File '' not found"