github-cli - SKILL.md Agent Skill

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."

Use when

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

Don't use when

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

Outputs

PRs, issues, releases, or action logs in GitHub (no local files unless explicitly created).

Templates or Examples

Use the command tables below as templates.

Prerequisites

gh CLI installed
SSH key configured for GitHub access

Quick Reference

Pull Requests

Action	Command
List PRs	`gh pr list`
View PR	`gh pr view <number>`
Create PR	`gh pr create --title "..." --body "..."`
Checkout PR	`gh pr checkout <number>`
Merge PR	`gh pr merge <number>`
PR diff	`gh pr diff <number>`
PR checks	`gh pr checks <number>`

Issues

Action	Command
List issues	`gh issue list`
View issue	`gh issue view <number>`
Create issue	`gh issue create --title "..." --body "..."`
Close issue	`gh issue close <number>`
Comment	`gh issue comment <number> --body "..."`

Repos & Releases

Action	Command
Clone	`gh repo clone <owner>/<repo>`
Fork	`gh repo fork <owner>/<repo>`
View repo	`gh repo view`
Create release	`gh release create <tag> --title "..." --notes "..."`
List releases	`gh release list`

Actions & Workflows

Action	Command
List runs	`gh run list`
View run	`gh run view <run-id>`
Watch run	`gh run watch <run-id>`
Rerun failed	`gh run rerun <run-id> --failed`
List workflows	`gh workflow list`

API & GraphQL

REST API:

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

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

# 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

Ensure gh auth status shows authenticated
Use gh pr list or gh issue list to find items
Perform action with appropriate command
Verify with gh pr checks or gh run list
Always use a heredoc with --body-file or a specific encoding that supports \n correctly

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