Gh Cli

GitHub CLI (gh)

Comprehensive reference for GitHub CLI (gh) - work seamlessly with GitHub from the command line.

Version: 2.85.0 (current as of January 2026)

Prerequisites

Installation

# macOS
brew install gh

# Linux
curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gh

# Windows
winget install --id GitHub.cli

# Verify installation
gh --version

Authentication

# Interactive login (default: github.com)
gh auth login

# Login with specific hostname
gh auth login --hostname enterprise.internal

# Login with token
gh auth login --with-token 

# Delete autolink
gh repo autolink delete 12345

Repository Deploy Keys

# List deploy keys
gh repo deploy-key list

# Add deploy key
gh repo deploy-key add ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub \
  --title "Production server" \
  --read-only

# Delete deploy key
gh repo deploy-key delete 12345

Gitignore and License

# View gitignore template
gh repo gitignore

# View license template
gh repo license mit

# License with full name
gh repo license mit --fullname "John Doe"

Issues (gh issue)

Create Issue

# Create issue interactively
gh issue create

# Create with title
gh issue create --title "Bug: Login not working"

# Create with title and body
gh issue create \
  --title "Bug: Login not working" \
  --body "Steps to reproduce..."

# Create with body from file
gh issue create --body-file issue.md

# Create with labels
gh issue create --title "Fix bug" --labels bug,high-priority

# Create with assignees
gh issue create --title "Fix bug" --assignee user1,user2

# Create in specific repository
gh issue create --repo owner/repo --title "Issue title"

# Create issue from web
gh issue create --web

List Issues

# List all open issues
gh issue list

# List all issues (including closed)
gh issue list --state all

# List closed issues
gh issue list --state closed

# Limit results
gh issue list --limit 50

# Filter by assignee
gh issue list --assignee username
gh issue list --assignee @me

# Filter by labels
gh issue list --labels bug,enhancement

# Filter by milestone
gh issue list --milestone "v1.0"

# Search/filter
gh issue list --search "is:open is:issue label:bug"

# JSON output
gh issue list --json number,title,state,author

# Table view
gh issue list --json number,title,labels --jq '.[] | [.number, .title, .labels[].name] | @tsv'

# Show comments count
gh issue list --json number,title,comments --jq '.[] | [.number, .title, .comments]'

# Sort by
gh issue list --sort created --order desc

View Issue

# View issue
gh issue view 123

# View with comments
gh issue view 123 --comments

# View in browser
gh issue view 123 --web

# JSON output
gh issue view 123 --json title,body,state,labels,comments

# View specific fields
gh issue view 123 --json title --jq '.title'

Edit Issue

# Edit interactively
gh issue edit 123

# Edit title
gh issue edit 123 --title "New title"

# Edit body
gh issue edit 123 --body "New description"

# Add labels
gh issue edit 123 --add-label bug,high-priority

# Remove labels
gh issue edit 123 --remove-label stale

# Add assignees
gh issue edit 123 --add-assignee user1,user2

# Remove assignees
gh issue edit 123 --remove-assignee user1

# Set milestone
gh issue edit 123 --milestone "v1.0"

Close/Reopen Issue

# Close issue
gh issue close 123

# Close with comment
gh issue close 123 --comment "Fixed in PR #456"

# Reopen issue
gh issue reopen 123

Comment on Issue

# Add comment
gh issue comment 123 --body "This looks good!"

# Edit comment
gh issue comment 123 --edit 456789 --body "Updated comment"

# Delete comment
gh issue comment 123 --delete 456789

Issue Status

# Show issue status summary
gh issue status

# Status for specific repository
gh issue status --repo owner/repo

Pin/Unpin Issues

# Pin issue (pinned to repo dashboard)
gh issue pin 123

# Unpin issue
gh issue unpin 123

Lock/Unlock Issue

# Lock conversation
gh issue lock 123

# Lock with reason
gh issue lock 123 --reason off-topic

# Unlock
gh issue unlock 123

Transfer Issue

# Transfer to another repository
gh issue transfer 123 --repo owner/new-repo

Delete Issue

# Delete issue
gh issue delete 123

# Confirm without prompt
gh issue delete 123 --yes

Develop Issue (Draft PR)

# Create draft PR from issue
gh issue develop 123

# Create in specific branch
gh issue develop 123 --branch fix/issue-123

# Create with base branch
gh issue develop 123 --base main

Pull Requests (gh pr)

Create Pull Request

# Create PR interactively
gh pr create

# Create with title
gh pr create --title "Feature: Add new functionality"

# Create with title and body
gh pr create \
  --title "Feature: Add new functionality" \
  --body "This PR adds..."

# Fill body from template
gh pr create --body-file .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

# Set base branch
gh pr create --base main

# Set head branch (default: current branch)
gh pr create --head feature-branch

# Create draft PR
gh pr create --draft

# Add assignees
gh pr create --assignee user1,user2

# Add reviewers
gh pr create --reviewer user1,user2

# Add labels
gh pr create --labels enhancement,feature

# Link to issue
gh pr create --issue 123

# Create in specific repository
gh pr create --repo owner/repo

# Open in browser after creation
gh pr create --web

List Pull Requests

# List open PRs
gh pr list

# List all PRs
gh pr list --state all

# List merged PRs
gh pr list --state merged

# List closed (not merged) PRs
gh pr list --state closed

# Filter by head branch
gh pr list --head feature-branch

# Filter by base branch
gh pr list --base main

# Filter by author
gh pr list --author username
gh pr list --author @me

# Filter by assignee
gh pr list --assignee username

# Filter by labels
gh pr list --labels bug,enhancement

# Limit results
gh pr list --limit 50

# Search
gh pr list --search "is:open is:pr label:review-required"

# JSON output
gh pr list --json number,title,state,author,headRefName

# Show check status
gh pr list --json number,title,statusCheckRollup --jq '.[] | [.number, .title, .statusCheckRollup[]?.status]'

# Sort by
gh pr list --sort created --order desc

View Pull Request

# View PR
gh pr view 123

# View with comments
gh pr view 123 --comments

# View in browser
gh pr view 123 --web

# JSON output
gh pr view 123 --json title,body,state,author,commits,files

# View diff
gh pr view 123 --json files --jq '.files[].path'

# View with jq query
gh pr view 123 --json title,state --jq '"\(.title): \(.state)"'

Checkout Pull Request

# Checkout PR branch
gh pr checkout 123

# Checkout with specific branch name
gh pr checkout 123 --branch name-123

# Force checkout
gh pr checkout 123 --force

Diff Pull Request

# View PR diff
gh pr diff 123

# View diff with color
gh pr diff 123 --color always

# Output to file
gh pr diff 123 > pr-123.patch

# View diff of specific files
gh pr diff 123 --name-only

Merge Pull Request

# Merge PR
gh pr merge 123

# Merge with specific method
gh pr merge 123 --merge
gh pr merge 123 --squash
gh pr merge 123 --rebase

# Delete branch after merge
gh pr merge 123 --delete-branch

# Merge with comment
gh pr merge 123 --subject "Merge PR #123" --body "Merging feature"

# Merge draft PR
gh pr merge 123 --admin

# Force merge (skip checks)
gh pr merge 123 --admin

Close Pull Request

# Close PR (as draft, not merge)
gh pr close 123

# Close with comment
gh pr close 123 --comment "Closing due to..."

Reopen Pull Request

# Reopen closed PR
gh pr reopen 123

Edit Pull Request

# Edit interactively
gh pr edit 123

# Edit title
gh pr edit 123 --title "New title"

# Edit body
gh pr edit 123 --body "New description"

# Add labels
gh pr edit 123 --add-label bug,enhancement

# Remove labels
gh pr edit 123 --remove-label stale

# Add assignees
gh pr edit 123 --add-assignee user1,user2

# Remove assignees
gh pr edit 123 --remove-assignee user1

# Add reviewers
gh pr edit 123 --add-reviewer user1,user2

# Remove reviewers
gh pr edit 123 --remove-reviewer user1

# Mark as ready for review
gh pr edit 123 --ready

Ready for Review

# Mark draft PR as ready
gh pr ready 123

Pull Request Checks

# View PR checks
gh pr checks 123

# Watch checks in real-time
gh pr checks 123 --watch

# Watch interval (seconds)
gh pr checks 123 --watch --interval 5

Comment on Pull Request

# Add comment
gh pr comment 123 --body "Looks good!"

# Comment on specific line
gh pr comment 123 --body "Fix this" \
  --repo owner/repo \
  --head-owner owner --head-branch feature

# Edit comment
gh pr comment 123 --edit 456789 --body "Updated"

# Delete comment
gh pr comment 123 --delete 456789

Review Pull Request

# Review PR (opens editor)
gh pr review 123

# Approve PR
gh pr review 123 --approve --body "LGTM!"

# Request changes
gh pr review 123 --request-changes \
  --body "Please fix these issues"

# Comment on PR
gh pr review 123 --comment --body "Some thoughts..."

# Dismiss review
gh pr review 123 --dismiss

Update Branch

# Update PR branch with latest base branch
gh pr update-branch 123

# Force update
gh pr update-branch 123 --force

# Use merge strategy
gh pr update-branch 123 --merge

Lock/Unlock Pull Request

# Lock PR conversation
gh pr lock 123

# Lock with reason
gh pr lock 123 --reason off-topic

# Unlock
gh pr unlock 123

Revert Pull Request

# Revert merged PR
gh pr revert 123

# Revert with specific branch name
gh pr revert 123 --branch revert-pr-123

Pull Request Status

# Show PR status summary
gh pr status

# Status for specific repository
gh pr status --repo owner/repo

GitHub Actions

Workflow Runs (gh run)

# List workflow runs
gh run list

# List for specific workflow
gh run list --workflow "ci.yml"

# List for specific branch
gh run list --branch main

# Limit results
gh run list --limit 20

# JSON output
gh run list --json databaseId,status,conclusion,headBranch

# View run details
gh run view 123456789

# View run with verbose logs
gh run view 123456789 --log

# View specific job
gh run view 123456789 --job 987654321

# View in browser
gh run view 123456789 --web

# Watch run in real-time
gh run watch 123456789

# Watch with interval
gh run watch 123456789 --interval 5

# Rerun failed run
gh run rerun 123456789

# Rerun specific job
gh run rerun 123456789 --job 987654321

# Cancel run
gh run cancel 123456789

# Delete run
gh run delete 123456789

# Download run artifacts
gh run download 123456789

# Download specific artifact
gh run download 123456789 --name build

# Download to directory
gh run download 123456789 --dir ./artifacts

Workflows (gh workflow)

# List workflows
gh workflow list

# View workflow details
gh workflow view ci.yml

# View workflow YAML
gh workflow view ci.yml --yaml

# View in browser
gh workflow view ci.yml --web

# Enable workflow
gh workflow enable ci.yml

# Disable workflow
gh workflow disable ci.yml

# Run workflow manually
gh workflow run ci.yml

# Run with inputs
gh workflow run ci.yml \
  --raw-field \
  version="1.0.0" \
  environment="production"

# Run from specific branch
gh workflow run ci.yml --ref develop

Action Caches (gh cache)

# List caches
gh cache list

# List for specific branch
gh cache list --branch main

# List with limit
gh cache list --limit 50

# Delete cache
gh cache delete 123456789

# Delete all caches
gh cache delete --all

Action Secrets (gh secret)

# List secrets
gh secret list

# Set secret (prompts for value)
gh secret set MY_SECRET

# Set secret from environment
echo "$MY_SECRET" | gh secret set MY_SECRET

# Set secret for specific environment
gh secret set MY_SECRET --env production

# Set secret for organization
gh secret set MY_SECRET --org orgname

# Delete secret
gh secret delete MY_SECRET

# Delete from environment
gh secret delete MY_SECRET --env production

Action Variables (gh variable)

# List variables
gh variable list

# Set variable
gh variable set MY_VAR "some-value"

# Set variable for environment
gh variable set MY_VAR "value" --env production

# Set variable for organization
gh variable set MY_VAR "value" --org orgname

# Get variable value
gh variable get MY_VAR

# Delete variable
gh variable delete MY_VAR

# Delete from environment
gh variable delete MY_VAR --env production

Projects (gh project)

# List projects
gh project list

# List for owner
gh project list --owner owner

# Open projects
gh project list --open

# View project
gh project view 123

# View project items
gh project view 123 --format json

# Create project
gh project create --title "My Project"

# Create in organization
gh project create --title "Project" --org orgname

# Create with readme
gh project create --title "Project" --readme "Description here"

# Edit project
gh project edit 123 --title "New Title"

# Delete project
gh project delete 123

# Close project
gh project close 123

# Copy project
gh project copy 123 --owner target-owner --title "Copy"

# Mark template
gh project mark-template 123

# List fields
gh project field-list 123

# Create field
gh project field-create 123 --title "Status" --datatype single_select

# Delete field
gh project field-delete 123 --id 456

# List items
gh project item-list 123

# Create item
gh project item-create 123 --title "New item"

# Add item to project
gh project item-add 123 --owner-owner --repo repo --issue 456

# Edit item
gh project item-edit 123 --id 456 --title "Updated title"

# Delete item
gh project item-delete 123 --id 456

# Archive item
gh project item-archive 123 --id 456

# Link items
gh project link 123 --id 456 --link-id 789

# Unlink items
gh project unlink 123 --id 456 --link-id 789

# View project in browser
gh project view 123 --web

Releases (gh release)

# List releases
gh release list

# View latest release
gh release view

# View specific release
gh release view v1.0.0

# View in browser
gh release view v1.0.0 --web

# Create release
gh release create v1.0.0 \
  --notes "Release notes here"

# Create release with notes from file
gh release create v1.0.0 --notes-file notes.md

# Create release with target
gh release create v1.0.0 --target main

# Create release as draft
gh release create v1.0.0 --draft

# Create pre-release
gh release create v1.0.0 --prerelease

# Create release with title
gh release create v1.0.0 --title "Version 1.0.0"

# Upload asset to release
gh release upload v1.0.0 ./file.tar.gz

# Upload multiple assets
gh release upload v1.0.0 ./file1.tar.gz ./file2.tar.gz

# Upload with label (casing sensitive)
gh release upload v1.0.0 ./file.tar.gz --casing

# Delete release
gh release delete v1.0.0

# Delete with cleanup tag
gh release delete v1.0.0 --yes

# Delete specific asset
gh release delete-asset v1.0.0 file.tar.gz

# Download release assets
gh release download v1.0.0

# Download specific asset
gh release download v1.0.0 --pattern "*.tar.gz"

# Download to directory
gh release download v1.0.0 --dir ./downloads

# Download archive (zip/tar)
gh release download v1.0.0 --archive zip

# Edit release
gh release edit v1.0.0 --notes "Updated notes"

# Verify release signature
gh release verify v1.0.0

# Verify specific asset
gh release verify-asset v1.0.0 file.tar.gz

Gists (gh gist)

# List gists
gh gist list

# Lis

…

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [oleg-koval](https://github.com/oleg-koval)
- **Source:** [oleg-koval/agent-skills](https://github.com/oleg-koval/agent-skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.