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name: gh-search description: Use when searching GitHub via CLI for issues, PRs, repos, code, or commits - provides correct syntax for exclusions, qualifiers, quoting, and platform-specific handling to avoid command failures

GitHub CLI Search

Overview

Search GitHub from the command line using gh search subcommands. The key principle: Always use -- before queries with exclusions to prevent shell interpretation of - prefixes.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Searching GitHub via gh CLI for issues, PRs, repos, code, or commits
• User requests searches with exclusions (NOT, minus prefix)
• Constructing complex queries with multiple qualifiers
• Queries contain spaces or special characters

Subcommands Quick Reference

Critical Syntax Rules

1. Exclusions Require -- Flag

Unix/Linux/Mac:

Copygh search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"

PowerShell:

Copygh --% search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"

Why: The - prefix gets interpreted as a command flag without --. PowerShell needs --% to stop parsing.

2. Quoting Rules

Multi-word queries need quotes:

Copygh search issues "memory leak"

Entire query with spaces should be quoted:

Copygh search issues "bug label:urgent created:>2024-01-01"

Qualifier values with spaces need inner quotes:

Copygh search prs -- 'security label:"bug fix"'

3. Qualifier Syntax

Inline qualifiers (use within search query):

Copygh search repos "react stars:>1000 language:typescript"

Flag-based (use as separate flags):

Copygh search repos "react" --language typescript --stars ">1000"

Can mix both:

Copygh search issues "crash" --label bug created:>2024-01-01

Common Qualifiers

Comparison Operators

• >, >=, <, <= - Numeric: stars:>100, comments:>=5
• .. - Ranges: stars:10..50, created:2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Special Values

• @me - Current user: author:@me, assignee:@me, owner:@me
• Dates use ISO8601: created:>2024-01-01 or created:2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Field-Specific Search

• in:title - Search in title only
• in:body - Search in body only
• in:comments - Search in comments only

Exclusions

• -qualifier:value - Exclude: -label:bug, -language:javascript
• NOT keyword - For words only: "hello NOT world"

Examples

Find your open issues without bug label:

Copygh search issues -- "is:open author:@me -label:bug"

Find popular Python ML repos updated recently:

Copygh search repos "machine learning" --language python --stars ">1000" --updated ">2024-01-01"

Find PRs with specific label and text:

Copygh search prs -- 'security label:"bug fix" created:>2024-01-01'

Search code in organization repos:

Copygh search code "TODO" --owner myorg --language javascript

Common Mistakes

Output Options

All subcommands support:

• --limit <n> - Max results (default: 30, max: 1000)
• --json <fields> - JSON output for scripting
• --web - Open results in browser
• --sort <field> - Sort by: comments, created, reactions, updated, stars, etc.
• --order asc|desc - Sort direction (default: desc)

Real-World Impact

Correct syntax prevents:

• Command failures from misinterpreted flags
• Missing results from incorrect exclusions
• Errors from unquoted spaces
• Platform-specific parsing issues