Git & GitHub CLI Workflow

Quick Start

Auth: gh auth login or set GITHUB_TOKEN / GH_TOKEN for automation.

Repo context: Run commands inside a git repo, or use -R owner/repo / GH_REPO=owner/repo.

Core Commands by Domain

Git + gh Best Practices

1. •Checkout PRs locally: gh pr checkout 123 (works for forks too)
2. •Create PR/issue with flags: gh pr create --title "..." --body "..." or --fill to use commits
3. •Filter lists: gh pr list --state closed --assignee @me; gh issue list --label bug
4. •Status overview: gh pr status, gh issue status
5. •Use --web when you need the browser: gh pr create --web, gh issue view 5 -w

Output Formatting

• •JSON: gh pr list --json number,title,state
• •jq filter: gh pr list --json number,title --jq '.[] | "\(.number): \(.title)"'
• •Template: gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues --template '{{range .}}{{.title}}{{"\n"}}{{end}}'

Wiki

gh has no native wiki commands. Wiki is a separate git repo; edit via clone → edit .md → push.

Enable wiki (if not enabled): gh repo edit owner/repo --enable-wiki

Find wiki URL from current repo: gh repo view --json nameWithOwner -q ".nameWithOwner" → owner/repo → wiki URL is https://github.com/owner/repo.wiki.git

Clone wiki (from inside repo):

git clone "https://github.com/$(gh repo view --json nameWithOwner -q ".nameWithOwner").wiki.git"
cd repo.wiki

Edit: Edit .md files (e.g. Home.md), then git add, git commit, git push.

Note: The wiki repo is created only after the first page is added via the web UI. If clone fails with "Repository not found", enable wiki and create the first page at gh browse --wiki.

Automation & Aliases

• •Aliases: gh alias set prc 'pr create'; gh alias set prl 'pr list --assignee @me'
• •Scripting: Set GH_TOKEN; use --json + jq for parsing
• •Enterprise: gh auth login --hostname <host>; export GH_HOST=<host>

Full Command Reference

repo: list, create, clone, fork, view, edit, archive, unarchive, rename, sync, set-default, delete, license, gitignore, deploy-key, autolink

pr: status, list, create, view, checkout, checks, diff, merge, review, comment, edit, close, reopen, ready, lock, unlock, revert, update-branch

issue: status, list, create, view, comment, edit, close, reopen, lock, unlock, pin, unpin, transfer, delete, develop

release: list, create, view, download, upload, edit, delete, delete-asset, verify, verify-asset

gist: create, list, view, edit, clone, rename, delete

browse: Use --wiki, --issues, --commits for specific views

auth: login, logout, status, refresh, setup-git, token

api: gh api <endpoint> — REST/GraphQL. Placeholders: {owner}, {repo}, {branch}. Flags: -X, -f, -F, --jq, --template, --paginate

workflow: list, view, run, enable, disable | run: list, view, watch, download, rerun, delete | cache: list, delete

secret/variable: list, set, delete

search: repos, issues, prs, code, commits

org: list, members, teams | project: list, view, create, edit, delete, field-list, item-list, item-add, item-edit, item-delete

ssh-key/gpg-key: list, add, delete | config: get, set, list

codespace: list, create, ssh, delete, logs, ports, cp, jupyter | label: list, create, edit, delete

ruleset: list, create, view, update, delete | extension: list, install, create, upgrade, remove, browse

alias: list, set, delete | completion: -s bash|zsh|fish|powershell

status: PRs/issues relevant to you | attestation: verify, generate | copilot: explain, suggest, diff | agent-task: list, create, view, cancel | preview: Enable preview features

Common Examples

gh repo clone owner/repo
gh repo fork --clone
gh repo create my-repo --public --source=.
gh pr create --fill
gh pr checkout 123
gh pr list --state merged --author @me
gh pr review 123 --approve -b "LGTM"
gh pr merge 123 --squash
gh issue create -t "Bug" -b "Description"
gh issue comment 5 -b "Fixed in #6"
gh release create v1.0.0 --notes "Release notes"
gh release download v1.0.0
gh gist create file.txt --public
gh workflow run ci.yml
gh run watch
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues --jq '.[].title'