---

name: gh-cli description: "GitHub CLI patterns for PR reviews, comments, and API operations. Use when working with gh api commands, especially for review threads and comments."

GitHub CLI Patterns

Common gh CLI patterns for PR operations, especially review comments and thread resolution.

When to Use

• Replying to PR review comments
• Resolving review threads
• Querying PR review data
• Any gh api or gh api graphql operation

---

PR Review Comments

Reply to a Review Comment (REST API)

Correct endpoint: /repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pr}/comments/{comment_id}/replies

Copy# Reply to a specific review comment
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/PR_NUMBER/comments/COMMENT_ID/replies \
  -X POST \
  -f body="Your reply message here"

Example:

Copygh api repos/erikpr1994/myrepo/pulls/123/comments/2705458190/replies \
  -X POST \
  -f body="Fixed in commit abc123"

Common Mistake - Wrong Endpoint

Copy# WRONG - This creates a NEW comment, not a reply
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/PR_NUMBER/comments \
  -X POST \
  -f body="..." \
  -f in_reply_to=COMMENT_ID  # This field doesn't work here!

# CORRECT - Use the /replies sub-endpoint
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/PR_NUMBER/comments/COMMENT_ID/replies \
  -X POST \
  -f body="..."

List All PR Comments

Copy# Get all review comments on a PR
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/PR_NUMBER/comments \
  --jq '.[] | {id: .id, user: .user.login, body: .body[:80], path: .path}'

---

Review Threads (GraphQL)

Get All Review Threads

Copy# List all review threads with resolution status
gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    pullRequest(number: PR_NUMBER) {
      reviewThreads(first: 100) {
        nodes {
          id
          isResolved
          comments(first: 1) {
            nodes {
              body
              author { login }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Get Only Unresolved Threads

Copy# Count unresolved threads
gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    pullRequest(number: PR_NUMBER) {
      reviewThreads(first: 100) {
        nodes {
          id
          isResolved
        }
      }
    }
  }
}' | jq '[.data.repository.pullRequest.reviewThreads.nodes[] | select(.isResolved == false)] | length'

Resolve a Review Thread

Copy# Resolve a thread by its ID
gh api graphql -f query='
mutation {
  resolveReviewThread(input: {threadId: "THREAD_ID"}) {
    thread {
      isResolved
    }
  }
}'

Example with actual thread ID:

Copygh api graphql -f query='
mutation {
  resolveReviewThread(input: {threadId: "PRRT_kwDONAi3wc6XYZABC"}) {
    thread {
      isResolved
    }
  }
}'

---

GraphQL Variable Escaping

The Problem

GraphQL uses $ for variables, but bash also interprets $. This causes issues:

Copy# BROKEN - bash interprets $owner as a shell variable
gh api graphql -f query='query($owner: String!) { ... }'
# Error: Expected VAR_SIGN, actual: UNKNOWN_CHAR ("")

Solution 1: Hardcode Values (Simplest)

Copy# Works - no variables to escape
gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "erikpr1994", name: "myrepo") {
    pullRequest(number: 123) {
      title
    }
  }
}'

Solution 2: Use -F for GraphQL Variables

Copy# Works - use -F (uppercase) for typed parameters
gh api graphql \
  -F owner="erikpr1994" \
  -F repo="myrepo" \
  -F pr=123 \
  -f query='
query($owner: String!, $repo: String!, $pr: Int!) {
  repository(owner: $owner, name: $repo) {
    pullRequest(number: $pr) {
      title
    }
  }
}'

Note: -F (uppercase) passes typed values. -f (lowercase) passes strings.

Solution 3: Escape the Dollar Signs

Copy# Works - escape $ with backslash
gh api graphql -f query='
query(\$owner: String!, \$repo: String!, \$pr: Int!) {
  repository(owner: \$owner, name: \$repo) {
    pullRequest(number: \$pr) {
      title
    }
  }
}' -F owner="erikpr1994" -F repo="myrepo" -F pr=123

Recommendation

Use hardcoded values when possible (Solution 1). It's simpler and avoids escaping issues. Only use variables when you need dynamic values.

---

Complete Workflow: Process PR Review Threads

Step 1: Get Unresolved Threads

Copy# Get thread IDs and first comment
gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    pullRequest(number: PR_NUMBER) {
      reviewThreads(first: 100) {
        nodes {
          id
          isResolved
          comments(first: 1) {
            nodes {
              id
              body
              author { login }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}' | jq '.data.repository.pullRequest.reviewThreads.nodes[] | select(.isResolved == false)'

Step 2: Reply to Each Comment

Copy# For each unresolved thread, reply to its comment
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/PR_NUMBER/comments/COMMENT_ID/replies \
  -X POST \
  -f body="Fixed in commit abc123"

Step 3: Resolve Each Thread

Copy# Resolve the thread
gh api graphql -f query='
mutation {
  resolveReviewThread(input: {threadId: "THREAD_ID_HERE"}) {
    thread { isResolved }
  }
}'

Step 4: Verify All Resolved

Copy# Should return 0
gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    pullRequest(number: PR_NUMBER) {
      reviewThreads(first: 100) {
        nodes { isResolved }
      }
    }
  }
}' | jq '[.data.repository.pullRequest.reviewThreads.nodes[] | select(.isResolved == false)] | length'

---

Other Useful Patterns

Get PR Details

Copygh pr view PR_NUMBER --json number,title,state,reviewDecision,statusCheckRollup

List PR Checks

Copygh pr checks PR_NUMBER
gh pr checks PR_NUMBER --watch  # Wait for completion

Request Reviewers

Copygh pr edit PR_NUMBER --add-reviewer username1,username2

Create PR

Copygh pr create --title "feat: my feature" --body "Description here"

Merge PR

Copygh pr merge PR_NUMBER --squash --delete-branch

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Quick Reference

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Common Errors

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Integration

Used by:

• submit-pr (Phase 6 - review feedback)
• pr-feedback-tracker
• coderabbit

Related:

• git-expert
• pr-workflow