Learn-skills.dev gh-search

Use when searching GitHub via CLI for issues, PRs, repos, code, or commits - provides correct syntax for exclusions, qualifiers, quoting, and platform-specific handling to avoid command failures

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/NeverSight/learn-skills.dev

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/NeverSight/learn-skills.dev "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/data/skills-md/aaddrick/gh-cli-search/gh-search" ~/.claude/skills/neversight-learn-skills-dev-gh-search && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: data/skills-md/aaddrick/gh-cli-search/gh-search/SKILL.md

source content

GitHub CLI Search

Overview

Search GitHub from the command line using

gh search

subcommands. The key principle: Always use
--
before queries with exclusions to prevent shell interpretation of

prefixes.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

Searching GitHub via
```
gh
```
CLI for issues, PRs, repos, code, or commits
User requests searches with exclusions (NOT, minus prefix)
Constructing complex queries with multiple qualifiers
Queries contain spaces or special characters

Subcommands Quick Reference

Subcommand	Use For	Common Flags
`gh search issues`	Issues (add `--include-prs` for PRs too)	`--label` , `--state` , `--author` , `--assignee`
`gh search prs`	Pull requests only	`--label` , `--state` , `--author` , `--draft` , `--merged`
`gh search repos`	Repositories	`--language` , `--stars` , `--topic` , `--owner`
`gh search code`	Code within files	`--repo` , `--language` , `--filename`
`gh search commits`	Commit messages	`--repo` , `--author` , `--committer`

Critical Syntax Rules

1. Exclusions Require

--

Flag

Unix/Linux/Mac:

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

PowerShell:

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

Why: The

prefix gets interpreted as a command flag without

--

. PowerShell needs

--%

to stop parsing.

2. Quoting Rules

Multi-word queries need quotes:

gh search issues "memory leak"

Entire query with spaces should be quoted:

gh search issues "bug label:urgent created:>2024-01-01"

Qualifier values with spaces need inner quotes:

gh search prs -- 'security label:"bug fix"'

3. Qualifier Syntax

Inline qualifiers (use within search query):

gh search repos "react stars:>1000 language:typescript"

Flag-based (use as separate flags):

gh search repos "react" --language typescript --stars ">1000"

Can mix both:

gh search issues "crash" --label bug created:>2024-01-01

Common Qualifiers

Comparison Operators

```
>
```
,
```
>=
```
,
```
<
```
,
```
<=
```
- Numeric:
```
stars:>100
```
,
```
comments:>=5
```

..

- Ranges:

stars:10..50

created:2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Special Values

```
@me
```
- Current user:
```
author:@me
```
,
```
assignee:@me
```
,
```
owner:@me
```

Dates use ISO8601:

created:>2024-01-01

created:2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Field-Specific Search

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

Exclusions

-qualifier:value

- Exclude:

-label:bug

-language:javascript

```
NOT
```
keyword - For words only:
```
"hello NOT world"
```

Examples

Find your open issues without bug label:

gh search issues -- "is:open author:@me -label:bug"

Find popular Python ML repos updated recently:

gh search repos "machine learning" --language python --stars ">1000" --updated ">2024-01-01"

Find PRs with specific label and text:

gh search prs -- 'security label:"bug fix" created:>2024-01-01'

Search code in organization repos:

gh search code "TODO" --owner myorg --language javascript

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Fix
`gh search issues -label:bug`	`-label` interpreted as flag	Add `--` : `gh search issues -- "-label:bug"`
`gh search repos machine learning`	Searches "machine" OR "learning"	Quote it: `"machine learning"`
`in:title` outside quotes	Shell interprets `:` oddly	Include in query: `"crash in:title"`
Mixing `@` with value	Invalid syntax	Use `@me` or username, not both: `author:@me` ✓, `author:@username` ✗ (drop @)
PowerShell without `--%`	Parsing breaks with exclusions	Add `gh --%` before command

Output Options

All subcommands support:

```
--limit <n>
```
- Max results (default: 30, max: 1000)
```
--json <fields>
```
- JSON output for scripting
```
--web
```
- Open results in browser
```
--sort <field>
```
- Sort by: comments, created, reactions, updated, stars, etc.
```
--order asc|desc
```
- Sort direction (default: desc)

Real-World Impact

Correct syntax prevents:

Command failures from misinterpreted flags
Missing results from incorrect exclusions
Errors from unquoted spaces
Platform-specific parsing issues