GitHub CLI (gh)

Comprehensive reference for GitHub CLI (gh) - work seamlessly with GitHub from the command line.

Version: 2.85.0 (current as of January 2026)

Prerequisites

Installation

macOS

brew install gh

Linux

curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null sudo apt update sudo apt install gh

Windows

winget install --id GitHub.cli

Verify installation

gh --version

Authentication

Interactive login (default: github.com)

gh auth login

Login with specific hostname

gh auth login --hostname enterprise.internal

Login with token

gh auth login --with-token < mytoken.txt

Check authentication status

gh auth status

Switch accounts

gh auth switch --hostname github.com --user username

Logout

gh auth logout --hostname github.com --user username

Setup Git Integration

Configure git to use gh as credential helper

gh auth setup-git

View active token

gh auth token

Refresh authentication scopes

gh auth refresh --scopes write:org,read:public_key

CLI Structure

gh # Root command ├── auth # Authentication │ ├── login │ ├── logout │ ├── refresh │ ├── setup-git │ ├── status │ ├── switch │ └── token ├── browse # Open in browser ├── codespace # GitHub Codespaces │ ├── code │ ├── cp │ ├── create │ ├── delete │ ├── edit │ ├── jupyter │ ├── list │ ├── logs │ ├── ports │ ├── rebuild │ ├── ssh │ ├── stop │ └── view ├── gist # Gists │ ├── clone │ ├── create │ ├── delete │ ├── edit │ ├── list │ ├── rename │ └── view ├── issue # Issues │ ├── create │ ├── list │ ├── status │ ├── close │ ├── comment │ ├── delete │ ├── develop │ ├── edit │ ├── lock │ ├── pin │ ├── reopen │ ├── transfer │ ├── unlock │ └── view ├── org # Organizations │ └── list ├── pr # Pull Requests │ ├── create │ ├── list │ ├── status │ ├── checkout │ ├── checks │ ├── close │ ├── comment │ ├── diff │ ├── edit │ ├── lock │ ├── merge │ ├── ready │ ├── reopen │ ├── revert │ ├── review │ ├── unlock │ ├── update-branch │ └── view ├── project # Projects │ ├── close │ ├── copy │ ├── create │ ├── delete │ ├── edit │ ├── field-create │ ├── field-delete │ ├── field-list │ ├── item-add │ ├── item-archive │ ├── item-create │ ├── item-delete │ ├── item-edit │ ├── item-list │ ├── link │ ├── list │ ├── mark-template │ ├── unlink │ └── view ├── release # Releases │ ├── create │ ├── list │ ├── delete │ ├── delete-asset │ ├── download │ ├── edit │ ├── upload │ ├── verify │ ├── verify-asset │ └── view ├── repo # Repositories │ ├── create │ ├── list │ ├── archive │ ├── autolink │ ├── clone │ ├── delete │ ├── deploy-key │ ├── edit │ ├── fork │ ├── gitignore │ ├── license │ ├── rename │ ├── set-default │ ├── sync │ ├── unarchive │ └── view ├── cache # Actions caches │ ├── delete │ └── list ├── run # Workflow runs │ ├── cancel │ ├── delete │ ├── download │ ├── list │ ├── rerun │ ├── view │ └── watch ├── workflow # Workflows │ ├── disable │ ├── enable │ ├── list │ ├── run │ └── view ├── agent-task # Agent tasks ├── alias # Command aliases │ ├── delete │ ├── import │ ├── list │ └── set ├── api # API requests ├── attestation # Artifact attestations │ ├── download │ ├── trusted-root │ └── verify ├── completion # Shell completion ├── config # Configuration │ ├── clear-cache │ ├── get │ ├── list │ └── set ├── extension # Extensions │ ├── browse │ ├── create │ ├── exec │ ├── install │ ├── list │ ├── remove │ ├── search │ └── upgrade ├── gpg-key # GPG keys │ ├── add │ ├── delete │ └── list ├── label # Labels │ ├── clone │ ├── create │ ├── delete │ ├── edit │ └── list ├── preview # Preview features ├── ruleset # Rulesets │ ├── check │ ├── list │ └── view ├── search # Search │ ├── code │ ├── commits │ ├── issues │ ├── prs │ └── repos ├── secret # Secrets │ ├── delete │ ├── list │ └── set ├── ssh-key # SSH keys │ ├── add │ ├── delete │ └── list ├── status # Status overview └── variable # Variables ├── delete ├── get ├── list └── set

Configuration

Global Configuration

List all configuration

gh config list

Get specific configuration value

gh config list git_protocol gh config get editor

Set configuration value

gh config set editor vim gh config set git_protocol ssh gh config set prompt disabled gh config set pager "less -R"

Clear configuration cache

gh config clear-cache

Environment Variables

GitHub token (for automation)

export GH_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx

GitHub hostname

export GH_HOST=github.com

Disable prompts

export GH_PROMPT_DISABLED=true

Custom editor

export GH_EDITOR=vim

Custom pager

export GH_PAGER=less

HTTP timeout

export GH_TIMEOUT=30

Custom repository (override default)

export GH_REPO=owner/repo

Custom git protocol

export GH_ENTERPRISE_HOSTNAME=hostname

Authentication (gh auth)

Login

Interactive login

gh auth login

Web-based authentication

gh auth login --web

With clipboard for OAuth code

gh auth login --web --clipboard

With specific git protocol

gh auth login --git-protocol ssh

With custom hostname (GitHub Enterprise)

gh auth login --hostname enterprise.internal

Login with token from stdin

gh auth login --with-token < token.txt

Insecure storage (plain text)

gh auth login --insecure-storage

Status

Show all authentication status

gh auth status

Show active account only

gh auth status --active

Show specific hostname

gh auth status --hostname github.com

Show token in output

gh auth status --show-token

JSON output

gh auth status --json hosts

Filter with jq

gh auth status --json hosts --jq '.hosts | add'

Switch Accounts

Interactive switch

gh auth switch

Switch to specific user/host

gh auth switch --hostname github.com --user monalisa

Token

Print authentication token

gh auth token

Token for specific host/user

gh auth token --hostname github.com --user monalisa

Refresh

Refresh credentials

gh auth refresh

Add scopes

gh auth refresh --scopes write:org,read:public_key

Remove scopes

gh auth refresh --remove-scopes delete_repo

Reset to default scopes

gh auth refresh --reset-scopes

With clipboard

gh auth refresh --clipboard

Setup Git

Setup git credential helper

gh auth setup-git

Setup for specific host

gh auth setup-git --hostname enterprise.internal

Force setup even if host not known

gh auth setup-git --hostname enterprise.internal --force

Browse (gh browse)

Open repository in browser

gh browse

Open specific path

gh browse script/ gh browse main.go:312

Open issue or PR

gh browse 123

Open commit

gh browse 77507cd94ccafcf568f8560cfecde965fcfa63

Open with specific branch

gh browse main.go --branch bug-fix

Open different repository

gh browse --repo owner/repo

Open specific pages

gh browse --actions # Actions tab gh browse --projects # Projects tab gh browse --releases # Releases tab gh browse --settings # Settings page gh browse --wiki # Wiki page

Print URL instead of opening

gh browse --no-browser

Repositories (gh repo)

Create Repository

Create new repository

gh repo create my-repo

Create with description

gh repo create my-repo --description "My awesome project"

Create public repository

gh repo create my-repo --public

Create private repository

gh repo create my-repo --private

Create with homepage

gh repo create my-repo --homepage https://example.com

Create with license

gh repo create my-repo --license mit

Create with gitignore

gh repo create my-repo --gitignore python

Initialize as template repository

gh repo create my-repo --template

Create repository in organization

gh repo create org/my-repo

Create without cloning locally

gh repo create my-repo --source=.

Disable issues

gh repo create my-repo --disable-issues

Disable wiki

gh repo create my-repo --disable-wiki

Clone Repository

Clone repository

gh repo clone owner/repo

Clone to specific directory

gh repo clone owner/repo my-directory

Clone with different branch

gh repo clone owner/repo --branch develop

List Repositories

List all repositories

gh repo list

List repositories for owner

gh repo list owner

Limit results

gh repo list --limit 50

Public repositories only

gh repo list --public

Source repositories only (not forks)

gh repo list --source

JSON output

gh repo list --json name,visibility,owner

Table output

gh repo list --limit 100 | tail -n +2

Filter with jq

gh repo list --json name --jq '.[].name'

View Repository

View repository details

gh repo view

View specific repository

gh repo view owner/repo

JSON output

gh repo view --json name,description,defaultBranchRef

View in browser

gh repo view --web

Edit Repository

Edit description

gh repo edit --description "New description"

Set homepage

gh repo edit --homepage https://example.com

Change visibility

gh repo edit --visibility private gh repo edit --visibility public

Enable/disable features

gh repo edit --enable-issues gh repo edit --disable-issues gh repo edit --enable-wiki gh repo edit --disable-wiki gh repo edit --enable-projects gh repo edit --disable-projects

Set default branch

gh repo edit --default-branch main

Rename repository

gh repo rename new-name

Archive repository

gh repo archive gh repo unarchive

Delete Repository

Delete repository

gh repo delete owner/repo

Confirm without prompt

gh repo delete owner/repo --yes

Fork Repository

Fork repository

gh repo fork owner/repo

Fork to organization

gh repo fork owner/repo --org org-name

Clone after forking

gh repo fork owner/repo --clone

Remote name for fork

gh repo fork owner/repo --remote-name upstream

Sync Fork

Sync fork with upstream

gh repo sync

Sync specific branch

gh repo sync --branch feature

Force sync

gh repo sync --force

Set Default Repository

Set default repository for current directory

gh repo set-default

Set default explicitly

gh repo set-default owner/repo

Unset default

gh repo set-default --unset

Repository Autolinks

List autolinks

gh repo autolink list

Add autolink

gh repo autolink add
--key-prefix JIRA-
--url-template https://jira.example.com/browse/&#x3C;num>

Delete autolink

gh repo autolink delete 12345

Repository Deploy Keys

List deploy keys

gh repo deploy-key list

Add deploy key

gh repo deploy-key add ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
--title "Production server"
--read-only

Delete deploy key

gh repo deploy-key delete 12345

Gitignore and License

View gitignore template

gh repo gitignore

View license template

gh repo license mit

License with full name

gh repo license mit --fullname "John Doe"

Issues (gh issue)

Create Issue

Create issue interactively

gh issue create

Create with title

gh issue create --title "Bug: Login not working"

Create with title and body

gh issue create
--title "Bug: Login not working"
--body "Steps to reproduce..."

Create with body from file

gh issue create --body-file issue.md

Create with labels

gh issue create --title "Fix bug" --labels bug,high-priority

Create with assignees

gh issue create --title "Fix bug" --assignee user1,user2

Create in specific repository

gh issue create --repo owner/repo --title "Issue title"

Create issue from web

gh issue create --web

List Issues

List all open issues

gh issue list

List all issues (including closed)

gh issue list --state all

List closed issues

gh issue list --state closed

Limit results

gh issue list --limit 50

Filter by assignee

gh issue list --assignee username gh issue list --assignee @me

Filter by labels

gh issue list --labels bug,enhancement

Filter by milestone

gh issue list --milestone "v1.0"

Search/filter

gh issue list --search "is:open is:issue label:bug"

JSON output

gh issue list --json number,title,state,author

Table view

gh issue list --json number,title,labels --jq '.[] | [.number, .title, .labels[].name] | @tsv'

Show comments count

gh issue list --json number,title,comments --jq '.[] | [.number, .title, .comments]'

Sort by

gh issue list --sort created --order desc

View Issue

View issue

gh issue view 123

View with comments

gh issue view 123 --comments

View in browser

gh issue view 123 --web

JSON output

gh issue view 123 --json title,body,state,labels,comments

View specific fields

gh issue view 123 --json title --jq '.title'

Edit Issue

Edit interactively

gh issue edit 123

Edit title

gh issue edit 123 --title "New title"

Edit body

gh issue edit 123 --body "New description"

Add labels

gh issue edit 123 --add-label bug,high-priority

Remove labels

gh issue edit 123 --remove-label stale

Add assignees

gh issue edit 123 --add-assignee user1,user2

Remove assignees

gh issue edit 123 --remove-assignee user1

Set milestone

gh issue edit 123 --milestone "v1.0"

Close/Reopen Issue

Close issue

gh issue close 123

Close with comment

gh issue close 123 --comment "Fixed in PR #456"

Reopen issue

gh issue reopen 123

Comment on Issue

Add comment

gh issue comment 123 --body "This looks good!"

Edit comment

gh issue comment 123 --edit 456789 --body "Updated comment"

Delete comment

gh issue comment 123 --delete 456789

Issue Status

Show issue status summary

gh issue status

Status for specific repository

gh issue status --repo owner/repo

Pin/Unpin Issues

Pin issue (pinned to repo dashboard)

gh issue pin 123

Unpin issue

gh issue unpin 123

Lock/Unlock Issue

Lock conversation

gh issue lock 123

Lock with reason

gh issue lock 123 --reason off-topic

Unlock

gh issue unlock 123

Transfer Issue

Transfer to another repository

gh issue transfer 123 --repo owner/new-repo

Delete Issue

Delete issue

gh issue delete 123

Confirm without prompt

gh issue delete 123 --yes

Develop Issue (Draft PR)

Create draft PR from issue

gh issue develop 123

Create in specific branch

gh issue develop 123 --branch fix/issue-123

Create with base branch

gh issue develop 123 --base main

Pull Requests (gh pr)

Create Pull Request

Create PR interactively

gh pr create

Create with title

gh pr create --title "Feature: Add new functionality"

Create with title and body

gh pr create
--title "Feature: Add new functionality"
--body "This PR adds..."

Fill body from template

gh pr create --body-file .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

Set base branch

gh pr create --base main

Set head branch (default: current branch)

gh pr create --head feature-branch

Create draft PR

gh pr create --draft

Add assignees

gh pr create --assignee user1,user2

Add reviewers

gh pr create --reviewer user1,user2

Add labels

gh pr create --labels enhancement,feature

Link to issue

gh pr create --issue 123

Create in specific repository

gh pr create --repo owner/repo

Open in browser after creation

gh pr create --web

List Pull Requests

List open PRs

gh pr list

List all PRs

gh pr list --state all

List merged PRs

gh pr list --state merged

List closed (not merged) PRs

gh pr list --state closed

Filter by head branch

gh pr list --head feature-branch

Filter by base branch

gh pr list --base main

Filter by author

gh pr list --author username gh pr list --author @me

Filter by assignee

gh pr list --assignee username

Filter by labels

gh pr list --labels bug,enhancement

Limit results

gh pr list --limit 50

Search

gh pr list --search "is:open is:pr label:review-required"

JSON output

gh pr list --json number,title,state,author,headRefName

Show check status

gh pr list --json number,title,statusCheckRollup --jq '.[] | [.number, .title, .statusCheckRollup[]?.status]'

Sort by

gh pr list --sort created --order desc

View Pull Request

View PR

gh pr view 123

View with comments

gh pr view 123 --comments

View in browser

gh pr view 123 --web

JSON output

gh pr view 123 --json title,body,state,author,commits,files

View diff

gh pr view 123 --json files --jq '.files[].path'

View with jq query

gh pr view 123 --json title,state --jq '"(.title): (.state)"'

Checkout Pull Request

Checkout PR branch

gh pr checkout 123

Checkout with specific branch name

gh pr checkout 123 --branch name-123

Force checkout

gh pr checkout 123 --force

Diff Pull Request

View PR diff

gh pr diff 123

View diff with color

gh pr diff 123 --color always

Output to file

gh pr diff 123 > pr-123.patch

View diff of specific files

gh pr diff 123 --name-only

Merge Pull Request

Merge PR

gh pr merge 123

Merge with specific method

gh pr merge 123 --merge gh pr merge 123 --squash gh pr merge 123 --rebase

Delete branch after merge

gh pr merge 123 --delete-branch

Merge with comment

gh pr merge 123 --subject "Merge PR #123" --body "Merging feature"

Merge draft PR

gh pr merge 123 --admin

Force merge (skip checks)

gh pr merge 123 --admin

Close Pull Request

Close PR (as draft, not merge)

gh pr close 123

Close with comment

gh pr close 123 --comment "Closing due to..."

Reopen Pull Request

Reopen closed PR

gh pr reopen 123

Edit Pull Request

Edit interactively

gh pr edit 123

Edit title

gh pr edit 123 --title "New title"

Edit body

gh pr edit 123 --body "New description"

Add labels

gh pr edit 123 --add-label bug,enhancement

Remove labels

gh pr edit 123 --remove-label stale

Add assignees

gh pr edit 123 --add-assignee user1,user2

Remove assignees

gh pr edit 123 --remove-assignee user1

Add reviewers

gh pr edit 123 --add-reviewer user1,user2

Remove reviewers

gh pr edit 123 --remove-reviewer user1

Mark as ready for review

gh pr edit 123 --ready

Ready for Review

Mark draft PR as ready

gh pr ready 123

Pull Request Checks

View PR checks

gh pr checks 123

Watch checks in real-time

gh pr checks 123 --watch

Watch interval (seconds)

gh pr checks 123 --watch --interval 5

Comment on Pull Request

Add comment

gh pr comment 123 --body "Looks good!"

Comment on specific line

gh pr comment 123 --body "Fix this"
--repo owner/repo
--head-owner owner --head-branch feature

Edit comment

gh pr comment 123 --edit 456789 --body "Updated"

Delete comment

gh pr comment 123 --delete 456789

Review Pull Request

Review PR (opens editor)

gh pr review 123

Approve PR

gh pr review 123 --approve --body "LGTM!"

Request changes

gh pr review 123 --request-changes
--body "Please fix these issues"

Comment on PR

gh pr review 123 --comment --body "Some thoughts..."

Dismiss review

gh pr review 123 --dismiss

Update Branch

Update PR branch with latest base branch

gh pr update-branch 123

Force update

gh pr update-branch 123 --force

Use merge strategy

gh pr update-branch 123 --merge

Lock/Unlock Pull Request

Lock PR conversation

gh pr lock 123

Lock with reason

gh pr lock 123 --reason off-topic

Unlock

gh pr unlock 123

Revert Pull Request

Revert merged PR

gh pr revert 123

Revert with specific branch name

gh pr revert 123 --branch revert-pr-123

Pull Request Status

Show PR status summary

gh pr status

Status for specific repository

gh pr status --repo owner/repo

GitHub Actions

Workflow Runs (gh run)

List workflow runs

gh run list

List for specific workflow

gh run list --workflow "ci.yml"

List for specific branch

gh run list --branch main

Limit results

gh run list --limit 20

JSON output

gh run list --json databaseId,status,conclusion,headBranch

View run details

gh run view 123456789

View run with verbose logs

gh run view 123456789 --log

View specific job

gh run view 123456789 --job 987654321

View in browser

gh run view 123456789 --web

Watch run in real-time

gh run watch 123456789

Watch with interval

gh run watch 123456789 --interval 5

Rerun failed run

gh run rerun 123456789

Rerun specific job

gh run rerun 123456789 --job 987654321

Cancel run

gh run cancel 123456789

Delete run

gh run delete 123456789

Download run artifacts

gh run download 123456789

Download specific artifact

gh run download 123456789 --name build

Download to directory

gh run download 123456789 --dir ./artifacts

Workflows (gh workflow)

List workflows

gh workflow list

View workflow details

gh workflow view ci.yml

View workflow YAML

gh workflow view ci.yml --yaml

View in browser

gh workflow view ci.yml --web

Enable workflow

gh workflow enable ci.yml

Disable workflow

gh workflow disable ci.yml

Run workflow manually

gh workflow run ci.yml

Run with inputs

gh workflow run ci.yml
--raw-field
version="1.0.0"
environment="production"

Run from specific branch

gh workflow run ci.yml --ref develop

Action Caches (gh cache)

List caches

gh cache list

List for specific branch

gh cache list --branch main

List with limit

gh cache list --limit 50

Delete cache

gh cache delete 123456789

Delete all caches

gh cache delete --all

Action Secrets (gh secret)

List secrets

gh secret list

Set secret (prompts for value)

gh secret set MY_SECRET

Set secret from environment

echo "$MY_SECRET" | gh secret set MY_SECRET

Set secret for specific environment

gh secret set MY_SECRET --env production

Set secret for organization

gh secret set MY_SECRET --org orgname

Delete secret

gh secret delete MY_SECRET

Delete from environment

gh secret delete MY_SECRET --env production

Action Variables (gh variable)

List variables

gh variable list

Set variable

gh variable set MY_VAR "some-value"

Set variable for environment

gh variable set MY_VAR "value" --env production

Set variable for organization

gh variable set MY_VAR "value" --org orgname

Get variable value

gh variable get MY_VAR

Delete variable

gh variable delete MY_VAR

Delete from environment

gh variable delete MY_VAR --env production

Projects (gh project)

List projects

gh project list

List for owner

gh project list --owner owner

Open projects

gh project list --open

View project

gh project view 123

View project items

gh project view 123 --format json

Create project

gh project create --title "My Project"

Create in organization

gh project create --title "Project" --org orgname

Create with readme

gh project create --title "Project" --readme "Description here"

Edit project

gh project edit 123 --title "New Title"

Delete project

gh project delete 123

Close project

gh project close 123

Copy project

gh project copy 123 --owner target-owner --title "Copy"

Mark template

gh project mark-template 123

List fields

gh project field-list 123

Create field

gh project field-create 123 --title "Status" --datatype single_select

Delete field

gh project field-delete 123 --id 456

List items

gh project item-list 123

Create item

gh project item-create 123 --title "New item"

Add item to project

gh project item-add 123 --owner-owner --repo repo --issue 456

Edit item

gh project item-edit 123 --id 456 --title "Updated title"

Delete item

gh project item-delete 123 --id 456

Archive item

gh project item-archive 123 --id 456

Link items

gh project link 123 --id 456 --link-id 789

Unlink items

gh project unlink 123 --id 456 --link-id 789

View project in browser

gh project view 123 --web

Releases (gh release)

List releases

gh release list

View latest release

gh release view

View specific release

gh release view v1.0.0

View in browser

gh release view v1.0.0 --web

Create release

gh release create v1.0.0
--notes "Release notes here"

Create release with notes from file

gh release create v1.0.0 --notes-file notes.md

Create release with target

gh release create v1.0.0 --target main

Create release as draft

gh release create v1.0.0 --draft

Create pre-release

gh release create v1.0.0 --prerelease

Create release with title

gh release create v1.0.0 --title "Version 1.0.0"

Upload asset to release

gh release upload v1.0.0 ./file.tar.gz

Upload multiple assets

gh release upload v1.0.0 ./file1.tar.gz ./file2.tar.gz

Upload with label (casing sensitive)

gh release upload v1.0.0 ./file.tar.gz --casing

Delete release

gh release delete v1.0.0

Delete with cleanup tag

gh release delete v1.0.0 --yes

Delete specific asset

gh release delete-asset v1.0.0 file.tar.gz

Download release assets

gh release download v1.0.0

Download specific asset

gh release download v1.0.0 --pattern "*.tar.gz"

Download to directory

gh release download v1.0.0 --dir ./downloads

Download archive (zip/tar)

gh release download v1.0.0 --archive zip

Edit release

gh release edit v1.0.0 --notes "Updated notes"

Verify release signature

gh release verify v1.0.0

Verify specific asset

gh release verify-asset v1.0.0 file.tar.gz

Gists (gh gist)

List gists

gh gist list

List all gists (including private)

gh gist list --public

Limit results

gh gist list --limit 20

View gist

gh gist view abc123

View gist files

gh gist view abc123 --files

Create gist

gh gist create script.py

Create gist with description

gh gist create script.py --desc "My script"

Create public gist

gh gist create script.py --public

Create multi-file gist

gh gist create file1.py file2.py

Create from stdin

echo "print('hello')" | gh gist create

Edit gist

gh gist edit abc123

Delete gist

gh gist delete abc123

Rename gist file

gh gist rename abc123 --filename old.py new.py

Clone gist

gh gist clone abc123

Clone to directory

gh gist clone abc123 my-directory

Codespaces (gh codespace)

List codespaces

gh codespace list

Create codespace

gh codespace create

Create with specific repository

gh codespace create --repo owner/repo

Create with branch

gh codespace create --branch develop

Create with specific machine

gh codespace create --machine premiumLinux

View codespace details

gh codespace view

SSH into codespace

gh codespace ssh

SSH with specific command

gh codespace ssh --command "cd /workspaces && ls"

Open codespace in browser

gh codespace code

Open in VS Code

gh codespace code --codec

Open with specific path

gh codespace code --path /workspaces/repo

Stop codespace

gh codespace stop

Delete codespace

gh codespace delete

View logs

gh codespace logs

--tail 100

View ports

gh codespace ports

Forward port

gh codespace cp 8080:8080

Rebuild codespace

gh codespace rebuild

Edit codespace

gh codespace edit --machine standardLinux

Jupyter support

gh codespace jupyter

Copy files to/from codespace

gh codespace cp file.txt :/workspaces/file.txt gh codespace cp :/workspaces/file.txt ./file.txt

Organizations (gh org)

List organizations

gh org list

List for user

gh org list --user username

JSON output

gh org list --json login,name,description

View organization

gh org view orgname

View organization members

gh org view orgname --json members --jq '.members[] | .login'

Search (gh search)

Search code

gh search code "TODO"

Search in specific repository

gh search code "TODO" --repo owner/repo

Search commits

gh search commits "fix bug"

Search issues

gh search issues "label:bug state:open"

Search PRs

gh search prs "is:open is:pr review:required"

Search repositories

gh search repos "stars:>1000 language:python"

Limit results

gh search repos "topic:api" --limit 50

JSON output

gh search repos "stars:>100" --json name,description,stargazers

Order results

gh search repos "language:rust" --order desc --sort stars

Search with extensions

gh search code "import" --extension py

Web search (open in browser)

gh search prs "is:open" --web

Labels (gh label)

List labels

gh label list

Create label

gh label create bug --color "d73a4a" --description "Something isn't working"

Create with hex color

gh label create enhancement --color "#a2eeef"

Edit label

gh label edit bug --name "bug-report" --color "ff0000"

Delete label

gh label delete bug

Clone labels from repository

gh label clone owner/repo

Clone to specific repository

gh label clone owner/repo --repo target/repo

SSH Keys (gh ssh-key)

List SSH keys

gh ssh-key list

Add SSH key

gh ssh-key add ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub --title "My laptop"

Add key with type

gh ssh-key add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub --type "authentication"

Delete SSH key

gh ssh-key delete 12345

Delete by title

gh ssh-key delete --title "My laptop"

GPG Keys (gh gpg-key)

List GPG keys

gh gpg-key list

Add GPG key

gh gpg-key add ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Delete GPG key

gh gpg-key delete 12345

Delete by key ID

gh gpg-key delete ABCD1234

Status (gh status)

Show status overview

gh status

Status for specific repositories

gh status --repo owner/repo

JSON output

gh status --json

Configuration (gh config)

List all config

gh config list

Get specific value

gh config get editor

Set value

gh config set editor vim

Set git protocol

gh config set git_protocol ssh

Clear cache

gh config clear-cache

Set prompt behavior

gh config set prompt disabled gh config set prompt enabled

Extensions (gh extension)

List installed extensions

gh extension list

Search extensions

gh extension search github

Install extension

gh extension install owner/extension-repo

Install from branch

gh extension install owner/extension-repo --branch develop

Upgrade extension

gh extension upgrade extension-name

Remove extension

gh extension remove extension-name

Create new extension

gh extension create my-extension

Browse extensions

gh extension browse

Execute extension command

gh extension exec my-extension --arg value

Aliases (gh alias)

List aliases

gh alias list

Set alias

gh alias set prview 'pr view --web'

Set shell alias

gh alias set co 'pr checkout' --shell

Delete alias

gh alias delete prview

Import aliases

gh alias import ./aliases.sh

API Requests (gh api)

Make API request

gh api /user

Request with method

gh api --method POST /repos/owner/repo/issues
--field title="Issue title"
--field body="Issue body"

Request with headers

gh api /user
--header "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json"

Request with pagination

gh api /user/repos --paginate

Raw output (no formatting)

gh api /user --raw

Include headers in output

gh api /user --include

Silent mode (no progress output)

gh api /user --silent

Input from file

gh api --input request.json

jq query on response

gh api /user --jq '.login'

Field from response

gh api /repos/owner/repo --jq '.stargazers_count'

GitHub Enterprise

gh api /user --hostname enterprise.internal

GraphQL query

gh api graphql
-f query=' { viewer { login repositories(first: 5) { nodes { name } } } }'

Rulesets (gh ruleset)

List rulesets

gh ruleset list

View ruleset

gh ruleset view 123

Check ruleset

gh ruleset check --branch feature

Check specific repository

gh ruleset check --repo owner/repo --branch main

Attestations (gh attestation)

Download attestation

gh attestation download owner/repo
--artifact-id 123456

Verify attestation

gh attestation verify owner/repo

Get trusted root

gh attestation trusted-root

Completion (gh completion)

Generate shell completion

gh completion -s bash > ~/.gh-complete.bash gh completion -s zsh > ~/.gh-complete.zsh gh completion -s fish > ~/.gh-complete.fish gh completion -s powershell > ~/.gh-complete.ps1

Shell-specific instructions

gh completion --shell=bash gh completion --shell=zsh

Preview (gh preview)

List preview features

gh preview

Run preview script

gh preview prompter

Agent Tasks (gh agent-task)

List agent tasks

gh agent-task list

View agent task

gh agent-task view 123

Create agent task

gh agent-task create --description "My task"

Global Flags

Flag Description

--help / -h

Show help for command

--version

Show gh version

--repo [HOST/]OWNER/REPO

Select another repository

--hostname HOST

GitHub hostname

--jq EXPRESSION

Filter JSON output

--json FIELDS

Output JSON with specified fields

--template STRING

Format JSON using Go template

--web

Open in browser

--paginate

Make additional API calls

--verbose

Show verbose output

--debug

Show debug output

--timeout SECONDS

Maximum API request duration

--cache CACHE

Cache control (default, force, bypass)

Output Formatting

JSON Output

Basic JSON

gh repo view --json name,description

Nested fields

gh repo view --json owner,name --jq '.owner.login + "/" + .name'

Array operations

gh pr list --json number,title --jq '.[] | select(.number > 100)'

Complex queries

gh issue list --json number,title,labels
--jq '.[] | {number, title: .title, tags: [.labels[].name]}'

Template Output

Custom template

gh repo view
--template '{{.name}}: {{.description}}'

Multiline template

gh pr view 123
--template 'Title: {{.title}} Author: {{.author.login}} State: {{.state}} '

Common Workflows

Create PR from Issue

Create branch from issue

gh issue develop 123 --branch feature/issue-123

Make changes, commit, push

git add . git commit -m "Fix issue #123" git push

Create PR linking to issue

gh pr create --title "Fix #123" --body "Closes #123"

Bulk Operations

Close multiple issues

gh issue list --search "label:stale"
--json number
--jq '.[].number' |
xargs -I {} gh issue close {} --comment "Closing as stale"

Add label to multiple PRs

gh pr list --search "review:required"
--json number
--jq '.[].number' |
xargs -I {} gh pr edit {} --add-label needs-review

Repository Setup Workflow

Create repository with initial setup

gh repo create my-project --public
--description "My awesome project"
--clone
--gitignore python
--license mit

cd my-project

Set up branches

git checkout -b develop git push -u origin develop

Create labels

gh label create bug --color "d73a4a" --description "Bug report" gh label create enhancement --color "a2eeef" --description "Feature request" gh label create documentation --color "0075ca" --description "Documentation"

CI/CD Workflow

Run workflow and wait

RUN_ID=$(gh workflow run ci.yml --ref main --jq '.databaseId')

Watch the run

gh run watch "$RUN_ID"

Download artifacts on completion

gh run download "$RUN_ID" --dir ./artifacts

Fork Sync Workflow

Fork repository

gh repo fork original/repo --clone

cd repo

Add upstream remote

git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/repo.git

Sync fork

gh repo sync

Or manual sync

git fetch upstream git checkout main git merge upstream/main git push origin main

Environment Setup

Shell Integration

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc

eval "$(gh completion -s bash)" # or zsh/fish

Create useful aliases

alias gs='gh status' alias gpr='gh pr view --web' alias gir='gh issue view --web' alias gco='gh pr checkout'

Git Configuration

Use gh as credential helper

gh auth setup-git

Set gh as default for repo operations

git config --global credential.helper 'gh !gh auth setup-git'

Or manually

git config --global credential.helper github

Best Practices

Authentication: Use environment variables for automation

export GH_TOKEN=$(gh auth token)

Default Repository: Set default to avoid repetition

gh repo set-default owner/repo

JSON Parsing: Use jq for complex data extraction

gh pr list --json number,title --jq '.[] | select(.title | contains("fix"))'

Pagination: Use --paginate for large result sets

gh issue list --state all --paginate

Caching: Use cache control for frequently accessed data

gh api /user --cache force

Getting Help

General help

gh --help

Command help

gh pr --help gh issue create --help

Help topics

gh help formatting gh help environment gh help exit-codes gh help accessibility

References

• Official Manual: https://cli.github.com/manual/

• GitHub Docs: https://docs.github.com/en/github-cli

• REST API: https://docs.github.com/en/rest

• GraphQL API: https://docs.github.com/en/graphql