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:

   git branch --show-current
   git status
   

2. Check if branch is pushed:

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

3. Push if needed:

   git 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:

   PARENT_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\///')
   
   # Fall back to common default branches if detection fails
   if [ -z "$PARENT_BRANCH" ]; then
     for branch in development develop main master; do
       if git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/remotes/origin/$branch; then
         PARENT_BRANCH=$branch
         break
       fi
     done
   fi
   

5. Create PR:

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

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

   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

# View specific PR
gh pr view 123

# View PR in browser
gh pr view 123 --web

# List open PRs
gh pr list

# List PRs by author
gh pr list --author @me

Check PR Status

# Check CI/CD status
gh pr checks 123

# View PR status
gh pr status

PR Comments

# View comments on PR
gh pr view 123 --comments

# Add comment to PR
gh pr comment 123 --body "Your comment here"

Issue Management

# Create issue
gh issue create --title "Issue title" --body "Issue description"

# View issue
gh issue view 456

# List open issues
gh issue list

# Search issues
gh issue list --search "keyword"

Code Search

# Search code in current repository
gh search code "search term"

# Search code in specific repository
gh search code --repo owner/repo "search term"

View Commits

# List recent commits on current branch
git log --oneline -10

# View specific commit
gh 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