
github-operations
GitHub CLI operations for issues, PRs, milestones, and Projects v2. Covers gh commands, REST API patterns, and automation scripts. Use when managing GitHub issues, PRs, milestones, or Projects with gh.
- Installs
- 222
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/yonatangross/orchestkit --skill github-operations- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads github-operations automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
GitHub Operations
Comprehensive GitHub CLI (gh) operations for project management, from basic issue creation to advanced Projects v2 integration and milestone tracking via REST API.
Overview
- Creating and managing GitHub issues and PRs
- Working with GitHub Projects v2 custom fields
- Managing milestones (sprints, releases) via REST API
- Automating bulk operations with
gh - Running GraphQL queries for complex operations
CRITICAL: Task Management is MANDATORY (CC 2.1.16)
BEFORE doing ANYTHING else, create tasks to track progress:
# 1. Create main task IMMEDIATELY
TaskCreate(
subject="GitHub Operations: {target}",
description="Managing GitHub issues, PRs, milestones, or Projects",
activeForm="Managing GitHub resources"
)
# 2. Create subtasks matching the operation scope
TaskCreate(subject="Issue management", activeForm="Creating/updating issues")
TaskCreate(subject="PR management", activeForm="Managing pull requests")
TaskCreate(subject="Milestone tracking", activeForm="Updating milestones")
# 3. Set dependencies if operations are sequential
TaskUpdate(taskId="3", addBlockedBy=["2"])
TaskUpdate(taskId="4", addBlockedBy=["3"])
# 4. Update status as you progress
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="in_progress") # When starting
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="completed") # When done
Quick Reference
Issue Operations
# Create issue with labels and milestone
gh issue create --title "Bug: API returns 500" --body "..." --label "bug" --milestone "Sprint 5"
# List and filter issues
gh issue list --state open --label "backend" --assignee @me
# Edit issue metadata
gh issue edit 123 --add-label "high" --milestone "v2.0"
PR Operations
# Create PR with reviewers
gh pr create --title "feat: Add search" --body "..." --base dev --reviewer @teammate
# Watch CI status and auto-merge
gh pr checks 456 --watch
gh pr merge 456 --auto --squash --delete-branch
# Resume a session linked to a PR (CC 2.1.27)
claude --from-pr 456 # Resume session with PR context (diff, comments, review status)
claude --from-pr https://github.com/org/repo/pull/456
Tip (CC 2.1.27): Sessions created via
gh pr createare automatically linked to the PR. Use--from-prto resume with full PR context.
Milestone Operations (REST API)
Footgun:
gh issue edit --milestonetakes a NAME (string), not a number. The REST API uses a NUMBER (integer). Never pass a number to--milestone. LoadRead("references/cli-vs-api-identifiers.md").
# List milestones with progress
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/milestones --jq '.[] | "\(.title): \(.closed_issues)/\(.open_issues + .closed_issues)"'
# Create milestone with due date
gh api -X POST repos/:owner/:repo/milestones \
-f title="Sprint 8" -f due_on="2026-02-15T00:00:00Z"
# Close milestone (API uses number, not name)
MILESTONE_NUM=$(gh api repos/:owner/:repo/milestones --jq '.[] | select(.title=="Sprint 8") | .number')
gh api -X PATCH repos/:owner/:repo/milestones/$MILESTONE_NUM -f state=closed
# Assign issues to milestone (CLI uses name, not number)
gh issue edit 123 124 125 --milestone "Sprint 8"
Projects v2 Operations
# Add issue to project
gh project item-add 1 --owner @me --url https://github.com/org/repo/issues/123
# Set custom field (requires GraphQL)
gh api graphql -f query='mutation {...}' -f projectId="..." -f itemId="..."
JSON Output Patterns
# Get issue numbers matching criteria
gh issue list --json number,labels --jq '[.[] | select(.labels[].name == "bug")] | .[].number'
# PR summary with author
gh pr list --json number,title,author --jq '.[] | "\(.number): \(.title) by \(.author.login)"'
# Find ready-to-merge PRs (statusCheckRollup is an ARRAY, so fold it first)
gh pr list --json number,reviewDecision,statusCheckRollup \
--jq '[.[] | select(.reviewDecision == "APPROVED"
and ([(.statusCheckRollup // [])[] | .conclusion // .state]
| length > 0 and all(IN("SUCCESS","SKIPPED","NEUTRAL"))))]'
Key Concepts
Milestone vs Epic
| Milestones | Epics |
|---|---|
| Time-based (sprints, releases) | Topic-based (features) |
| Has due date | No due date |
| Progress bar | Task list checkbox |
| Native REST API | Needs workarounds |
Rule: Use milestones for "when", use parent issues for "what".
Projects v2 Custom Fields
Projects v2 uses GraphQL for setting custom fields (Status, Priority, Domain). Basic gh project commands work for listing and adding items, but field updates require GraphQL mutations.
Rules Quick Reference
| Rule | Impact | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
issue-tracking-automation (load rules/issue-tracking-automation.md) | HIGH | Auto-progress from commits, sub-task completion, session summaries |
issue-branch-linking (load rules/issue-branch-linking.md) | MEDIUM | Branch naming, commit references, PR linking patterns |
Batch Issue Creation
When creating multiple issues at once (e.g., seeding a sprint), use an array-driven loop:
# Define issues as an array of "title|labels|milestone" entries
SPRINT="Sprint 9"
ISSUES=(
"feat: Add user auth|enhancement,backend|$SPRINT"
"fix: Login redirect loop|bug,high|$SPRINT"
"chore: Update dependencies|maintenance|$SPRINT"
)
for entry in "${ISSUES[@]}"; do
IFS='|' read -r title labels milestone <<< "$entry"
NUM=$(gh issue create \
--title "$title" \
--label "$labels" \
--milestone "$milestone" \
--body "" \
--json number --jq '.number')
echo "Created #$NUM: $title"
done
Tip: Capture the created issue number with
--json number --jq '.number'so you can reference it immediately (e.g., add to Projects v2, link in PRs).
Best Practices
- Always use
--jsonfor scripting - Parse with--jqfor reliability - Non-interactive mode for automation - Use
--title,--bodyflags - Check rate limits before bulk operations -
gh api rate_limit. On CC ≥ 2.1.116, the Bash tool surfaces a rate-limit hint in the transcript whenghhits 403 — treat that hint as authoritative and back off, don't blind-retry. Before 2.1.116, agents had no signal and would burn all retry attempts in ~13 s. - Use heredocs for multi-line content -
--body "$(cat <<'EOF'...EOF)" - Link issues in PRs -
Closes #123,Fixes #456— GitHub auto-closes on merge - Use ISO 8601 dates -
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZfor milestone due_on - Close milestones, don't delete - Preserve history
--milestonetakes NAME, not number - LoadRead("references/cli-vs-api-identifiers.md")- Never
gh issue closedirectly - Comment progress withgh issue comment; issues close only when their linked PR merges to the default branch
2026 CLI changes — what to know
gh-copilot extension is retired
GitHub retired the gh-copilot extension in October 2025. Copilot is now a standalone binary:
# OLD — no longer supported
gh extension install github/gh-copilot # fails
gh copilot suggest "revert last commit" # fails
# NEW — standalone `copilot` binary
copilot suggest "revert last commit"
copilot explain "git rebase -i HEAD~5"
Install from cli.github.com/copilot or via Homebrew (brew install github/gh/copilot). Authentication is shared with gh auth when both are installed.
gh agent-task (2026)
New subcommand for managing Copilot coding-agent tasks:
gh agent-task create --repo owner/repo --title "Fix flaky login test"
gh agent-task list --state open
gh agent-task view 42 --log # stream agent log
gh agent-task watch 42 # live-follow until completion
gh agent-task cancel 42
Pairs with the REST endpoint POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/agent-tasks for CI-driven task creation.
Sub-issues (native, 2026)
Sub-issues are now a native GitHub concept — no extension required:
# List sub-issues of parent #123
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/123/sub_issues
# Add an existing issue #456 as sub-issue of #123
gh api -X POST repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/123/sub_issues \
-f sub_issue_id=$(gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/456 --jq .node_id)
# Remove a sub-issue relationship
gh api -X DELETE repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/123/sub_issue \
-F sub_issue_id=<id>
The old gh-sub-issue third-party extension still works but is superseded. GraphQL sub-issue mutations still require the issue node_id (see references/cli-vs-api-identifiers.md).
Related Skills
ork:create-pr- Create pull requests with proper formatting and review assignmentsork:review-pr- Comprehensive PR review with specialized agentsork:release-management- GitHub release workflow with semantic versioning and changelogsork:commit- Stacked-PR workflow and rebase coordination live insrc/skills/commit/rules/(stacked-pr-workflow,stacked-pr-rebase). There is nostacked-prsskill.ork:issue-progress-tracking- Automatic issue progress updates from commits
Key Decisions
| Decision | Choice | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| CLI vs API | gh CLI preferred | Simpler auth, better UX, handles pagination automatically |
| Output format | --json with --jq | Reliable parsing for automation, no regex parsing needed |
| Milestones vs Epics | Milestones for time | Milestones have due dates and progress bars, epics for topic grouping |
| Projects v2 fields | GraphQL mutations | gh project commands limited, GraphQL required for custom fields |
| Milestone lifecycle | Close, don't delete | Preserves history and progress tracking |
Upstream coverage (do not restate)
These topics are documented first-party. Fetch them there instead of growing a copy in this skill.
| Topic | Source |
|---|---|
gh issue bulk create / edit / list loops, templates, transfer and pin | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_issue |
| Cross-repo label create / edit / clone | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_label |
| Org-wide issue search qualifiers | https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_search_issues |
| Milestone REST CRUD: endpoints, payload fields, list filters and sorting | https://docs.github.com/en/rest/issues/milestones |
| Projects v2 field mutations, value unions, field and option ID discovery | https://docs.github.com/en/issues/planning-and-tracking-with-projects/automating-your-project/using-the-api-to-manage-projects |
| Sub-issue endpoint payloads and pagination | https://docs.github.com/en/rest/issues/sub-issues |
| Rate-limit headers, reset semantics, secondary limits | https://docs.github.com/en/rest/using-the-rest-api/rate-limits-for-the-rest-api |
What still stays ours, in full, in this skill: PR review / merge gating including
the statusCheckRollup array fold (references/pr-workflows.md); GraphQL queries,
pagination, and node-id lookup (references/graphql-api.md); the CLI-NAME vs
API-NUMBER identifier mapping for milestones and Projects v2
(references/cli-vs-api-identifiers.md); the sub-issue quick reference above; and
the rate-limit pre-flight guard (examples/automation-scripts.md). House rules with
their rationale are collected in references/ork-delta.md.
References
Load on demand with Read("references/<file>"):
| File | Content |
|---|---|
ork-delta.md | House rules: hook contracts, close-don't-delete, rate-limit discipline, the file-set contract |
pr-workflows.md | Reviews, merge strategies, auto-merge, statusCheckRollup folding |
graphql-api.md | Complex queries, pagination, bulk operations |
cli-vs-api-identifiers.md | NAME vs NUMBER footguns, milestone/project ID mapping |
issue-management.md | Pointer stub: issue delta plus upstream links |
milestone-api.md | Pointer stub: milestone delta plus upstream links |
projects-v2.md | Pointer stub: Projects v2 delta plus upstream links |
Examples
Load: Read("examples/automation-scripts.md") - Rate-limit discipline for long gh loops, plus pointers for the bulk-loop recipes
FAQ
What does the github-operations skill do?
GitHub CLI operations for issues, PRs, milestones, and Projects v2. Covers gh commands, REST API patterns, and automation scripts. Use when managing GitHub issues, PRs, milestones, or Projects with gh.
How do I install github-operations?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/yonatangross/orchestkit --skill github-operations in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/github-operations/ (personal) or .claude/skills/github-operations/ (project).
Which AI agents can use github-operations?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is github-operations safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains github-operations?
It is published by yonatangross in yonatangross/orchestkit. It has 222 recorded installs.
More from yonatangross/orchestkit
devops-deployment
yonatangross/orchestkit
Use when setting up CI/CD pipelines, containerizing applications, deploying to Kubernetes, or writing infrastructure as code. DevOps & Deployment covers GitHub Actions, Docker, Helm, and Terraform patterns.
responsive-patterns
yonatangross/orchestkit
Responsive design with Container Queries, fluid typography, cqi/cqb units, subgrid, intrinsic layouts, foldable devices, and mobile-first patterns for React applications. Use when building responsive layouts or container queries.
architecture-decision-record
yonatangross/orchestkit
ADR templates in the Nygard format with context, decision, consequences, and alternatives. Use when writing ADRs, recording an architectural decision, or evaluating options.
ui-components
yonatangross/orchestkit
UI component library patterns for shadcn/ui and Radix Primitives. Use when building accessible component libraries, customizing shadcn components, using Radix unstyled primitives, or creating design system foundations.
rag-retrieval
yonatangross/orchestkit
Retrieval-Augmented Generation patterns for grounded LLM responses. Use when building RAG pipelines, embedding documents, implementing hybrid search, contextual retrieval, HyDE, agentic RAG, multimodal RAG, query decomposition, reranking, or pgvector search.
zustand-patterns
yonatangross/orchestkit
Reference for Zustand 5.x state management including slices, middleware, Immer, useShallow, persistence, selectors, and devtools integration. Documents 7 core patterns with TypeScript examples and anti-patterns. Use when building React state management with Zustand instead of Redux.
Popular backend & apis skills
find-skills
vercel-labs/skills
Helps users discover and install agent skills when they ask questions like "how do I do X", "find a skill for X", "is there a skill that can...", or express interest in extending capabilities. This skill should be used when the user is looking for functionality that might exist as an installable skill.
entra-app-registration
microsoft/azure-skills
Guides Microsoft Entra ID app registration, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and MSAL integration. USE FOR: create app registration, register Azure AD app, configure OAuth, set up authentication, add API permissions, generate service principal, MSAL example, console app auth, Entra ID setup, Azure AD authentication. DO NOT USE FOR: Key Vault secrets (use azure-keyvault-expiration-audit), general Azure resource security guidance.
google-agents-cli-adk-code
google/agents-cli
This skill should be used when the user wants to "write agent code", "build an agent with ADK", "add a tool", "create a callback", "define an agent", "use state management" — in a project that needs ADK (Agent Development Kit) API patterns and code examples. It provides a quick reference for agent types, tool definitions, orchestration patterns, callbacks, state management, the graph Workflow API, and reference recipes to study. Do NOT use for scaffolding (use google-agents-cli-scaffold) or deployment (use google-agents-cli-deploy).
embedded-captions
heygen-com/hyperframes
Add captions or subtitles to an existing single-subject talking-head video without editing the footage. Use for plain verbatim captions, cinematic captions embedded behind the subject, VFX captions, “炸/特效/酷炫字幕,” or a named identity from the 35-style catalog. Route by visual identity, not by backend engine. The quiet anchor rail is the default; embed every word only when the user explicitly wants a fully cinematic treatment. The workflow runs locally end to end, including transcription and subject matting; split multi-shot footage before applying it.
entra-agent-id
microsoft/azure-skills
Provision Microsoft Entra Agent Identity Blueprints, BlueprintPrincipals, and per-instance Agent Identities via Microsoft Graph, and configure OAuth 2.0 token exchange (fmipath, OBO, cross-tenant) including the Microsoft Entra SDK for AgentID sidecar. USE FOR: Agent Identity Blueprint, BlueprintPrincipal, agent OAuth, fmipath token exchange, agent OBO, Workload Identity Federation for agents, polyglot agent auth, Microsoft.Identity.Web.AgentIdentities. DO NOT USE FOR: standard Entra app registration (use entra-app-registration), Microsoft Foundry agent authoring (use microsoft-foundry).
neon
neondatabase/agent-skills
Overview of Neon, a complete set of cloud backend primitives around Lakebase Postgres: Auth, Object Storage, Functions, the AI Gateway, and Realtime. Start here to choose Neon for undecided login, files, APIs, and LLM calls, set up the CLI or MCP server, and follow the branch-first workflow. Use when building an app or backend on Neon, or when "Neon" or "Lakebase Postgres" is mentioned. Child skill neon-postgres wins for an existing DATABASEURL, SQL, schema, inspect, or search. Child skill neon-auth wins for login, users, sessions, identity routing, and Managed Better Auth setup. Child skill neon-realtime wins for live queries in reactive apps and agents. Also use for object storage, S3, buckets, serverless functions, function triggers, cron, AI gateway, LLM calls, realtime, logs, Loki, Grafana, observability, postgres, database, backend, Claimable Neon, neon.new, or a no-signup database.