GitHub Operations

Manage GitHub workflows using the gh CLI.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user asks to:

• Create a pull request
• View PR details or status
• Check CI/CD pipeline status
• Manage issues
• Review PR comments
• Search repository code or issues

Commands

Create Pull Request

When creating a PR:

1. Verify current branch and changes:

   bash
   1git branch --show-current
   2git status

2. Check if branch is pushed:

   bash
   1git log @{u}.. 2>/dev/null || echo "Branch not pushed"

3. Push if needed:

   bash
   1git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)

4. Detect parent branch (if base not specified):

   Find the parent branch from which the current branch was created:

   bash
   1PARENT_BRANCH=$(git show-branch -a 2>/dev/null | grep '\*' | grep -v "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" | head -n1 | sed 's/.*\[\(.*\)\].*/\1/' | sed 's/[\^~].*//' | sed 's/remotes\/origin\///')
   2
   3# Fall back to common default branches if detection fails
   4if [ -z "$PARENT_BRANCH" ]; then
   5  for branch in development develop main master; do
   6    if git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/remotes/origin/$branch; then
   7      PARENT_BRANCH=$branch
   8      break
   9    fi
   10  done
   11fi

5. Create PR:

   Check if a PR template exists and use it, otherwise open in browser:

   bash
   1if [ -f .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md ]; then
   2  gh pr create --title "Brief title (under 70 chars)" --base "$PARENT_BRANCH" --template .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
   3else
   4  gh pr create --title "Brief title (under 70 chars)" --base "$PARENT_BRANCH" --web
   5fi

   Base branch logic:

• Auto-detect: Use the parent branch from which current branch was created
• Fallback: Use common default branches if detection fails
• Override: Use explicitly specified base branch if provided by user

Template handling:

• If .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md exists: Use --template flag to fill it via CLI
• If no template: Use --web flag to open browser for manual description

6. Display PR URL to user

View Pull Request

bash
1# View specific PR
2gh pr view 123
3
4# View PR in browser
5gh pr view 123 --web
6
7# List open PRs
8gh pr list
9
10# List PRs by author
11gh pr list --author @me

Check PR Status

bash
1# Check CI/CD status
2gh pr checks 123
3
4# View PR status
5gh pr status

PR Comments

bash
1# View comments on PR
2gh pr view 123 --comments
3
4# Add comment to PR
5gh pr comment 123 --body "Your comment here"

Issue Management

bash
1# Create issue
2gh issue create --title "Issue title" --body "Issue description"
3
4# View issue
5gh issue view 456
6
7# List open issues
8gh issue list
9
10# Search issues
11gh issue list --search "keyword"

Code Search

bash
1# Search code in current repository
2gh search code "search term"
3
4# Search code in specific repository
5gh search code --repo owner/repo "search term"

View Commits

bash
1# List recent commits on current branch
2git log --oneline -10
3
4# View specific commit
5gh pr view <commit-sha>

PR Best Practices

Title Format

• Keep under 70 characters
• Use imperative mood: "Add feature" not "Added feature"
• Be specific but concise

Examples:

• ✅ "Optimize CLAUDE.md by removing general knowledge"
• ✅ "Fix memory leak in ChatController disposal"
• ✅ "Add snapshot tests for CallVisualizer UI"
• ❌ "Update files" (too vague)
• ❌ "This PR adds a new feature to handle user authentication and also fixes some bugs" (too long)

Description Format

• If the repository has a PR template at .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md, use the --template flag
• If no template exists, use the --web flag to open browser for manual description
• Never create custom descriptions with --body - always use template or browser

Base Branch Selection

• Auto-detect: Automatically use the parent branch from which the current branch was created
• Fallback: Use common default branches (development, develop, main, or master) if parent branch detection fails
• Override: Use explicitly specified base branch if the user requests it (e.g., "create PR against master")

Error Handling

If gh is not authenticated:

Run: gh auth login
Follow browser-based OAuth flow

If gh is not installed:

macOS: brew install gh
Or download from: https://cli.github.com/

Important Notes

• Check for PR template first: Use --template if .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md exists, otherwise use --web
• Never use --body parameter: Always use template or browser for PR descriptions
• Always verify branch is pushed before creating PR
• Check CI status before requesting review