GitHub CLI Skill

This skill helps you interact with GitHub using the GitHub CLI (gh) to provide functionality similar to the GitHub MCP server. Use it when users ask about repository status, CI/CD workflows, pull requests, issues, or security alerts.

Instructions

When the user requests GitHub-related information or operations, follow these steps:

1. Understand the User's Request

Identify what type of GitHub information or operation they need:

• Repository info - viewing repo details, searching code, getting file contents
• Issues/PRs - listing, viewing, creating, or managing issues and pull requests
• CI/CD - checking workflow runs, viewing logs, monitoring build status
• Security - checking Dependabot alerts, security warnings

2. Check Authentication

Before running gh commands, ensure the user is authenticated:

gh auth status

If not authenticated, guide them to login:

gh auth login

3. Use the Appropriate gh Command

Based on the request type, use the corresponding gh CLI commands:

Repository Intelligence

# View repository information
gh repo view [owner/repo]

# Get file contents (similar to GitHub MCP's get_file_contents)
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path} --jq '.content' | base64 -d

# Search code
gh search code "query" --repo owner/repo

Issue and PR Management

# List and view
gh issue list [--state open|closed]
gh pr list [--state open|closed]
gh pr view <number>

# Create
gh issue create --title "Title" --body "Description"
gh pr create --title "Title" --body "Description"

# Manage PRs
gh pr checks                           # Check CI status
gh pr review <number> --approve        # Review PR
gh pr merge <number> --squash          # Merge PR
gh pr edit <number> --add-reviewer username

CI/CD Monitoring

# List workflow runs
gh run list [--limit N] [--status failure]

# View run details and logs (similar to GitHub MCP's get_workflow_run_logs)
gh run view <run-id>
gh run view <run-id> --log
gh run view <run-id> --log-failed

# Manage workflows
gh workflow list
gh workflow run <workflow-name>
gh run rerun <run-id>

Security Insights

# Check Dependabot alerts (similar to GitHub MCP's list_dependabot_alerts)
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts

# Filter open alerts
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts --jq '.[] | select(.state=="open")'

# Check code scanning alerts
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/code-scanning/alerts

4. Use JSON Output for Programmatic Access

Many gh commands support --json and --jq for structured output:

# Get specific fields
gh pr list --json number,title,state,author

# Filter with jq
gh pr list --json state --jq '.[] | select(.state=="OPEN")'

# Custom formatting
gh run list --json status,conclusion,workflowName --jq '.[] | "\(.workflowName): \(.conclusion)"'

5. Handle Repository Context

• Commands run in a git repository automatically use that repo
• Use -R owner/repo to specify a different repository:

  gh pr list -R owner/repo
  

Examples

Example 1: Check CI/CD Status

User asks: "What's the status of the CI/CD workflows?"

Actions:

# List recent workflow runs
gh run list --limit 5

# If there are failures, view details
gh run view <run-id> --log-failed

Example 2: Review Open Pull Requests

User asks: "Show me the open PRs and their check status"

Actions:

# List open PRs
gh pr list --state open

# Check specific PR status
gh pr view <number>
gh pr checks <number>

Example 3: Investigate Failed Builds

User asks: "Why did the build fail?"

Actions:

# Find failed runs
gh run list --status failure --limit 5

# View the failed run logs
gh run view <run-id> --log-failed

# Provide analysis of the error messages

Example 4: Check Security Alerts

User asks: "Are there any security vulnerabilities?"

Actions:

# Check Dependabot alerts
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts --jq '.[] | select(.state=="open") | {package: .security_advisory.package.name, severity: .security_advisory.severity}'

# Check code scanning alerts
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/code-scanning/alerts --jq '.[] | select(.state=="open")'

Example 5: Merge a PR After Review

User asks: "Merge PR #42 if all checks pass"

Actions:

# Check PR status
gh pr view 42
gh pr checks 42

# If all checks pass, merge
gh pr merge 42 --squash

Tips

• Use --help with any gh command to see detailed options
• Use --web to open GitHub pages in browser (e.g., gh pr view 123 --web)
• Create aliases with gh alias for frequently used commands
• Access the full GitHub API with gh api <endpoint>