github-cli

---

name: github-cli description: > Interact with GitHub using the gh CLI - PRs, issues, repos, releases, and actions. Trigger terms: github, gh, pull request, PR, issue, release, actions, workflow, repo.

When to Use

• Creating, viewing, or merging pull requests
• Managing issues (create, close, comment)
• Checking workflow/action status
• Creating releases
• Cloning or forking repos

When NOT to Use

• Local git operations (use git directly)
• Non-GitHub remotes (GitLab, Bitbucket)

Prerequisites

• gh CLI installed
• SSH key ~/.ssh/agent configured for GitHub access
• Set GIT_SSH_COMMAND if needed: export GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -i ~/.ssh/agent"

Quick Reference

Pull Requests

Issues

Repos & Releases

Actions & Workflows

API & GraphQL

REST API:

Copygh api repos/<owner>/<repo>/pulls
gh api repos/<owner>/<repo>/issues/<number>/comments

GraphQL (for data not exposed by gh pr view):

Copy# List PR review threads (gh pr view doesn't expose these)
gh api graphql -F owner=<owner> -F name=<repo> -F number=<pr> -f query='
query($owner:String!, $name:String!, $number:Int!){
  repository(owner:$owner,name:$name){
    pullRequest(number:$number){
      reviewThreads(first:100){
        nodes{id isResolved isOutdated comments(first:50){nodes{id author{login} body}}}
        pageInfo{hasNextPage endCursor}
      }
    }
  }
}'

# Resolve a review thread
gh api graphql -F threadId=<threadId> -f query='
mutation($threadId:ID!){
  resolveReviewThread(input:{threadId:$threadId}){thread{isResolved}}
}'

Pagination: If pageInfo.hasNextPage is true, repeat with after: "<endCursor>".

Procedure

1. Ensure gh auth status shows authenticated
2. Use gh pr list or gh issue list to find items
3. Perform action with appropriate command
4. Verify with gh pr checks or gh run list

Checks & Guardrails

• Always check PR status before merging
• Use --draft for work-in-progress PRs
• Prefer gh pr merge --squash for clean history
• Check gh run list after pushing to verify CI
• Use GraphQL for review threads (gh pr view doesn't expose them)
• Handle pagination when results exceed 100 items