gh-cli

bostonaholic's avatarfrom bostonaholic

Use when working with GitHub PRs, issues, workflows, or CI/CD - automates GitHub operations from terminal

⭐4stars🔀0forks📁View on GitHub🕐Updated Jan 3, 2026⬇️1downloads
[Developer Tools]

When & Why to Use This Skill

This Claude skill automates GitHub operations directly from the terminal using the GitHub CLI (gh). It streamlines the software development lifecycle by managing Pull Requests, tracking CI/CD workflows, and handling issue triage without leaving the command line, ensuring faster delivery and adherence to safety protocols through standardized command execution.

Use Cases

  • Automated PR Management: Streamlining the process of pushing code and opening pull requests with standardized templates, automated context gathering, and mandatory commit reviews.
  • CI/CD Pipeline Monitoring: Real-time tracking of GitHub Actions and workflow runs to identify, view, and debug build failures directly from the terminal.
  • Local Code Reviews: Efficiently checking out PRs locally for testing, viewing diffs, and providing feedback or approvals using CLI commands to maintain development momentum.
  • Issue Triage and Tracking: Creating, viewing, and commenting on repository issues to maintain project organization and link bug reports directly to ongoing development work.
namegh-cli
descriptionUse when working with GitHub PRs, issues, workflows, or CI/CD - automates GitHub operations from terminal

GitHub CLI

Overview

GitHub operations should be fast, scriptable, and verifiable. Stay in terminal flow—use web UI only for complex reviews.

MANDATORY: Always verify gh operations succeeded. Never assume commands worked.

Iron Law

  • NO PR CREATION WITHOUT REVIEWING ALL COMMITS IN BRANCH
  • NO PR MERGING WITHOUT USER CONFIRMATION
  • NO FORCE OPERATIONS WITHOUT EXPLICIT REQUEST
  • ALWAYS VERIFY GH OPERATIONS SUCCEEDED

When to Use / Not Use

Use gh CLI for: Creating PRs, monitoring CI, managing issues, checking out PRs for review, routine operations.

Use web UI for: Complex PR reviews, large diffs, repository settings, visual context.

Workflow 1: Creating a Pull Request

1. Gather Context (parallel)

git status
git diff main...HEAD
git log main..HEAD --oneline

2. Analyze

  • Understand every change in diff
  • No "wip" or "debug" commits
  • Branch has clear purpose
  • Tests exist for new functionality

3. Create PR

git push -u origin HEAD

gh pr create --title "feat: add auth middleware" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
- Implements JWT authentication middleware
- Adds login/logout endpoints

## Test plan
- [x] Unit tests pass
- [x] Integration tests cover auth flow

Fixes #142
EOF
)"

4. Verify

gh pr view      # Confirm PR created
gh pr checks    # Verify CI started

Workflow 2: Monitor CI

gh run list --limit 5     # Recent runs
gh run view               # Latest run details
gh run view --log-failed  # Failed job logs
gh run watch              # Real-time monitoring

Workflow 3: Issue Management

gh issue list --assignee @me
gh issue view 123
gh issue create --title "bug: login fails" --body "..."
gh issue comment 123 --body "Fixed in PR #456"

Workflow 4: Review PR Locally

gh pr list
gh pr view 456
gh pr checkout 456
git log main..HEAD
git diff main...HEAD
# Test locally
gh pr review --approve
# or
gh pr review --request-changes --body "Needs unit tests"

Workflow 5: Check PR Status

gh pr status              # Your PR dashboard
gh pr view 123            # Full details
gh pr checks              # CI status
gh pr view 123 --json mergeable,mergeStateStatus

Safety Protocols

Never do without explicit user request:

  • gh pr merge - Always confirm first
  • gh pr close / gh issue close
  • gh pr merge --admin - Bypasses checks
  • Operations on repos you don't own

Always verify before operations:

  • gh auth status - Check authentication
  • gh repo view - Confirm correct repo
  • gh pr checks - CI must pass before merge

Quick Reference

# Pull Requests
gh pr create --fill                    # From commit messages
gh pr create --title "..." --body "..."
gh pr list
gh pr view 123
gh pr view --web
gh pr checkout 123
gh pr checks
gh pr review --approve
gh pr review --request-changes --body "..."
gh pr merge --squash
gh pr status

# Workflow Runs
gh run list --limit 10
gh run watch
gh run view
gh run view --log-failed

# Issues
gh issue list
gh issue list --assignee @me
gh issue view 456
gh issue create --title "..." --body "..."
gh issue comment 123 --body "..."

# Repository
gh repo view
gh repo view --web

# Auth
gh auth status
gh auth login

PR Body Template

## Summary
- [Main change and why]
- [Secondary change]

## Test plan
- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Integration tests cover new behavior

Fixes #[issue]

Key Takeaways

  1. Review all branch changes before PR - Not just latest commit
  2. Verify CI before merge - gh pr checks must show green
  3. Descriptive PR titles and bodies - High-level summary, not commit list
  4. Terminal for routine, web for complex - Know when to switch
  5. Confirm destructive operations - Merge, close, delete need user confirmation
  6. Link issues to PRs - "Fixes #123" auto-closes on merge