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claude-codedevops

Claude-skill-registry gh-search-issues

Use when searching GitHub issues ACROSS REPOSITORIES or organizations - provides syntax for filtering by labels, state, assignees, authors, comments, reactions, dates. For current repo issues, use gh issue list instead.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/data/gh-search-issues" ~/.claude/skills/majiayu000-claude-skill-registry-gh-search-issues && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/data/gh-search-issues/SKILL.md
tags
#github-search#issue-filtering#repo-queries#cross-repo#github-cli
source content

GitHub CLI: Search Issues

Overview

Search for issues across GitHub repositories using 

gh search issues
. Add 
--include-prs
flag to also search pull requests.

⚠️ CRITICAL: Search vs List Commands

gh search issues
- GitHub-wide search (THIS SKILL):

  • Searches across multiple repositories or organizations
  • Searches in specific repos outside your current directory
  • Uses GitHub's search query syntax with qualifiers
  • Examples: "Find issues in the microsoft organization", "Search for bugs in kubernetes repos"

gh issue list
- Current repository only (NOT THIS SKILL):

  • Lists issues in your current working directory's repo
  • Uses simple flag-based filtering
  • Examples: "Show my issues in this repo", "List open bugs here"

When user says "my issues" or "issues here" → Use 

gh issue list
(NOT this skill) When user specifies repo/org or cross-repo search → Use 
gh search issues
(THIS skill)

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user explicitly indicates:

  • Searching across multiple repositories or organizations
  • Searching in a specific repo (e.g., "in kubernetes/kubernetes")
  • Cross-GitHub searches (e.g., "all my open issues across GitHub")
  • Complex queries needing search qualifiers (e.g., "comments>50 across microsoft repos")

DO NOT use this skill when:

  • User asks about "issues in this repo" or "my issues here"
  • No repo/org is specified and context is clearly current repository
  • Use 
    gh issue list
    for current repo operations instead

Syntax

gh search issues [<query>] [flags]

Key Flags Reference

User Filters

FlagPurposeExample
--author <string>
Created by user
--author octocat
--assignee <string>
Assigned to user
--assignee @me
--mentions <user>
Mentions specific user
--mentions octocat
--commenter <user>
Commented by user
--commenter octocat
--team-mentions <string>
Mentions team
--team-mentions myteam

Issue Attributes

FlagPurposeExample
--label <strings>
Has specific labels
--label bug,urgent
--state <string>
Issue state: open or closed
--state open
--milestone <title>
In specific milestone
--milestone v1.0
--locked
Locked conversation
--locked
--no-label
Has no labels
--no-label

Repository Filters

FlagPurposeExample
--owner <strings>
Repository owner
--owner github
-R, --repo <strings>
Specific repository
--repo cli/cli
--language <string>
Repository language
--language go
--visibility <strings>
Repo visibility
--visibility public
--archived
In archived repos
--archived

Engagement Metrics

FlagPurposeExample
--comments <number>
Number of comments
--comments ">10"
--reactions <number>
Reaction count
--reactions ">5"
--interactions <number>
Comments + reactions
--interactions ">20"

Date Filters

FlagPurposeExample
--created <date>
Creation date
--created ">2024-01-01"
--updated <date>
Last update date
--updated ">2024-06-01"
--closed <date>
Close date
--closed "<2024-12-31"

Search Scope

FlagPurposeExample
--match <strings>
Search in: title, body, comments
--match title
--include-prs
Include pull requests
--include-prs

Output & Sorting

FlagPurposeExample
-L, --limit <int>
Max results (default: 30)
--limit 100
--sort <string>
Sort by: comments, created, reactions, etc.
--sort comments
--order <string>
Sort direction: asc or desc
--order desc
--json <fields>
JSON output
--json number,title,state
-w, --web
Open in browser
-w

JSON Output Fields

assignees
, 
author
, 
authorAssociation
, 
body
, 
closedAt
, 
commentsCount
, 
createdAt
, 
id
, 
isLocked
, 
isPullRequest
, 
labels
, 
number
, 
repository
, 
state
, 
title
, 
updatedAt
, 
url

Exclusion Syntax (Critical!)

When using inline query exclusions (negations with 

-
), you MUST use the 
--
separator:

✅ Correct: 

gh search issues -- "search-terms -qualifier:value"
❌ Wrong: 
gh search issues "search-terms" --flag=-value
❌ Wrong: 
gh search issues "search-terms" --flag=!value
❌ Wrong: 
gh search issues --label!=bug

Examples:

  • gh search issues -- "bug -label:wontfix"
    (exclude label)
  • gh search issues -- "crash -assignee:olduser"
    (exclude assignee)
  • gh search issues -- "error -author:bot"
    (exclude author)
  • gh search issues -- "performance -milestone:v1.0"
    (exclude milestone)

Why the 

--
separator is required: The 
--
tells the shell to stop parsing flags and treat everything after it as arguments. Without it, 
-qualifier:value
inside quotes may be misinterpreted.

Critical Syntax Rules

When to Use Flag Syntax vs Query Syntax

Decision Tree:

Does your search include:
  - Any exclusions (NOT, minus, without, except)?  → Use Query Syntax with `--`
  - Complex boolean logic (OR, AND)?              → Use Query Syntax with `--`

Otherwise:
  - Simple positive filters only?                  → Use Flag Syntax

Flag Syntax (for positive filters):

gh search issues "bug" --label urgent --state open

Query Syntax with 

--
(required for exclusions):

gh search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate -label:wontfix"

⚠️ NEVER mix both syntaxes in a single command!

1. Exclusions and Negations

CRITICAL: When excluding results, you MUST use query syntax with the 

--
separator.

Exclusion Syntax Rules:

  1. Use the 
    --
    separator before your query
  2. Use 
    -qualifier:value
    format (dash prefix for negation)
  3. Quote the entire query string

Examples:

Single exclusion:

# Exclude specific label
gh search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"

# Exclude specific assignee
gh search issues -- "crash -assignee:olduser"

Multiple exclusions:

# Exclude multiple labels
gh search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate -label:wontfix"

# Exclude author and label
gh search issues -- "performance -author:bot -label:invalid"

Combine with positive filters using flags:

# Wrong - mixing syntaxes:
gh search issues "bug" --state open -label:duplicate  # ❌

# Correct - use query syntax for everything when excluding:
gh search issues -- "bug state:open -label:duplicate"  # ✅

PowerShell exclusions:

# Use --% to prevent PowerShell parsing
gh --% search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"

Common Exclusion Patterns:

User RequestCommand
"Find bugs but not duplicates"
gh search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"
"Issues not assigned to anyone"
gh search issues -- "enhancement -assignee:*"
(use 
--no-assignee
instead)
"Open issues excluding specific label"
gh search issues -- "state:open -label:wontfix"
"Issues excluding multiple labels"
gh search issues -- "crash -label:duplicate -label:invalid"
"Issues not in milestone"
gh search issues -- "bug -milestone:v1.0"
"Issues not by bot authors"
gh search issues -- "error -author:dependabot -author:renovate"

2. Special Values

  • @me
    - Current authenticated user 
    gh search issues --assignee @me --state open

3. Quoting Rules

Multi-word search:

gh search issues "memory leak"

Labels with spaces:

gh search issues -- 'crash label:"bug fix"'

Comparison operators need quotes:

gh search issues "performance" --comments ">10"

Common Use Cases

Find your open issues across all of GitHub:

gh search issues --author @me --state open

Find unassigned bugs in a specific org:

gh search issues --label bug --no-assignee --state open --owner kubernetes

Find highly discussed issues in a specific repo:

gh search issues --comments ">50" --state open --repo microsoft/vscode

Find stale issues across multiple repos:

gh search issues --state open --updated "<2023-01-01" --owner myorg

Search issues AND PRs in an organization:

gh search issues "authentication" --include-prs --state open --owner github

Exclude specific labels in cross-repo search:

gh search issues -- "crash -label:duplicate -label:wontfix" --repo cli/cli

Find issues in milestone across repos:

gh search issues --milestone v2.0 --state open --owner golang

Find issues by title only in specific language repos:

gh search issues "error in:title" --state open --language rust

Common Mistakes

MistakeProblemFix
--label="NOT duplicate"
or 
--assignee=-bot
Flag syntax doesn't support negationUse query: 
-- "-label:duplicate"
or 
-- "-assignee:bot"
gh search issues bug -label:duplicate
-label
interpreted as flag		Use 
--
: 
-- "bug -label:duplicate"
"bug NOT label:duplicate"
NOT
keyword doesn't work		Use 
-
: 
-- "bug -label:duplicate"
Mixing syntaxes: 
--state open "bug -label:dup"
Can't mix flags with query qualifiersUse query for all: 
-- "bug state:open -label:dup"
--assignee @username
Invalid 
@
prefix		Use 
@me
or drop 
@
: 
--assignee username
Not quoting comparisonsShell interprets 
>
Quote: 
--comments ">10"
label:"bug fix"
outside quotes		Shell parsing errorQuote query: 
'label:"bug fix"'
Forgetting 
--include-prs
Misses pull requestsAdd: 
--include-prs
PowerShell without 
--%
Breaks with exclusionsAdd: 
gh --%

Installation Check

If 

gh
command not found:

# Check if gh is installed
which gh

# Install: https://cli.github.com/manual/installation

If not authenticated:

# Authenticate with GitHub
gh auth login

Comparison Operators

  • >
    - Greater than
  • >=
    - Greater than or equal
  • <
    - Less than
  • <=
    - Less than or equal
  • ..
    - Range: 
    10..50
    or 
    2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Field Qualifiers

Use 

in:
to search specific fields:

  • in:title
    - Search in title only
  • in:body
    - Search in body only
  • in:comments
    - Search in comments only

Example: 

gh search issues "crash in:title" --state open

Related