{"slug":"gh-cli","title":"gh-cli","summary":"GitHub CLI for remote repository analysis, file fetching, codebase comparison, and discovering trending code/repos. Use when analyzing repos without cloning, comparing codebases, or searching for popular GitHub projects.","platform":"Claude","tags":[],"authorName":"LLM Mart","authorSlug":"llm-mart","score":0,"source":"github","price":null,"verified":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-30T09:47:19.399022Z","repo":{"url":"https://github.com/tenequm/skills","stars":37,"forks":1,"license":"MIT","updatedAt":"2026-09-17T20:34:08Z"},"bodyHtml":"
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name: gh-cli\ndescription: GitHub CLI for remote repository analysis, file fetching, codebase comparison, and discovering trending code/repos. Use when analyzing repos without cloning, comparing codebases, or searching for popular GitHub projects.\nmetadata:\nversion: \"1.3.3\"\ncategories: \"development, integrations\"\ntopics: \"github, gh-cli, code-search, repo-analysis, pull-requests\"\nupstream: \"gh@2.96.0\"\nopenclaw:\nhomepage: https://github.com/tenequm/skills/tree/main/skills/gh-cli\nemoji: \"\uD83D\uDC19\"\nprimaryEnv: GH_TOKEN\nrequires:\nbins:\n- gh\ninstall:\n- kind: brew\nformula: gh\nbins:\n- gh\nenvVars:\n- name: GH_TOKEN\nrequired: false\ndescription: GitHub auth token used by gh CLI.\n- name: GITHUB_TOKEN\nrequired: false\ndescription: Alias for GH_TOKEN.\n- name: GH_HOST\nrequired: false\ndescription: GitHub Enterprise host override.

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GitHub CLI - Remote Analysis & Discovery

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Remote repository operations, codebase comparison, and code discovery without cloning.

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When to Use

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Quick Operations

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Fetch a file remotely

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gh repo read-file path/file.ts --repo OWNER/REPO\n
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gh repo read-file (preview) is the preferred path: it prints raw content, takes --ref for any branch/tag/commit, and handles files above the Contents API's 1MB inline limit. Fall back to gh api where the command is unavailable:

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gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/path/file.ts -H \"Accept: application/vnd.github.raw\"\n
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There is no base64decode template function - --template '{{.content | base64decode}}' fails with function \"base64decode\" not defined. To decode the default JSON response, pipe it:

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gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/path/file.ts --jq '.content' | base64 -d\n
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Get directory listing

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gh repo read-dir PATH --repo OWNER/REPO\n\n# Or via the API\ngh api repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/PATH\n
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Pin the repo in scripted workflows

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gh infers the repository from the current working directory. In agent or CI workflows - where a cd may persist - always pass --repo OWNER/REPO so a stray cwd cannot silently retarget the command.

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Search code

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gh search code \"pattern\" --language=typescript\n
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Find trending repos

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gh search repos --language=rust --sort stars --order desc\n
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Compare Two Codebases

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Systematic workflow for comparing repositories to identify similarities and differences.

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Example use: \"Compare solana-fm/explorer-kit and tenequm/solana-idls\"

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Step 1: Fetch directory structures

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gh repo read-dir PATH --repo OWNER-A/REPO-A\ngh repo read-dir PATH --repo OWNER-B/REPO-B\n
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If comparing a monorepo package, specify the path (e.g., packages/explorerkit-idls).

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Step 2: Compare file lists

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gh repo read-dir PATH --repo OWNER-A/REPO-A --json name --jq '.[].name'\ngh repo read-dir PATH --repo OWNER-B/REPO-B --json name --jq '.[].name'\n
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Compare the output of each command to identify files unique to each repo and common files.

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Step 3: Fetch key files for comparison

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Compare package dependencies:

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gh repo read-file package.json --repo OWNER-A/REPO-A\ngh repo read-file package.json --repo OWNER-B/REPO-B\n
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Compare main entry points:

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gh repo read-file src/index.ts --repo OWNER-A/REPO-A\ngh repo read-file src/index.ts --repo OWNER-B/REPO-B\n
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Add --cache 1h to gh api calls when iterating on the same files repeatedly, to avoid re-spending rate limit.

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Step 4: Analyze differences

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Compare the fetched files to identify:

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API Surface

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Dependencies

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Unique Features

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For detailed comparison strategies, see references/comparison.md.

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Discover Trending Content

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Find trending repositories

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# Most starred repos\ngh search repos --sort stars --order desc --limit 20\n\n# Trending in specific language\ngh search repos --language=rust --sort stars --order desc\n\n# Recently popular (created in last month)\ngh search repos \"created:>2024-10-01\" --sort stars --order desc\n\n# Trending in specific topic\ngh search repos \"topic:machine-learning\" --sort stars --order desc\n
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Discover popular code patterns

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# Find popular implementations (code search has no sorting - scope with filters)\ngh search code \"function useWallet\" --language=typescript\n\n# Scope to a known repo (code search can't filter by stars - stars:>N is literal text)\ngh search code \"implementation\" --repo=honojs/hono\n\n# Search specific organization\ngh search code \"authentication\" --owner=anthropics\n
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For complete discovery queries and patterns, see references/discovery.md.

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Search Basics

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Code search

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# Search across all repositories\ngh search code \"API endpoint\" --language=python\n\n# Search in specific organization\ngh search code \"auth\" --owner=anthropics\n\n# Exclude results with negative qualifiers\ngh search issues -- \"bug report -label:wontfix\"\n
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Issue & PR search

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# Find open bugs\ngh search issues --label=bug --state=open\n\n# Search assigned issues\ngh search issues --assignee=@me --state=open\n
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Search rate limits

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Search runs on a much tighter budget than the 5000/hr core API - check with gh api rate_limit:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
ResourceLimit (authenticated)
core (incl. gh api, gh repo read-file)5000/hr
search (repos, issues, prs, commits)30/min
code_search10/min
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For advanced search syntax, see references/search.md.

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Special Syntax

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Field name inconsistencies

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IMPORTANT: GitHub CLI uses inconsistent field names across commands:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Fieldgh repo viewgh search repos
StarsstargazerCountstargazersCount
ForksforkCountforksCount
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Examples:

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# ✅ Correct for gh repo view\ngh repo view owner/repo --json stargazerCount,forkCount\n\n# ✅ Correct for gh search repos\ngh search repos \"query\" --json stargazersCount,forksCount\n
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Excluding search results

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A negative qualifier inside a quoted query (\"bug -label:wontfix\") works as-is. -- is only required when the query starts with a hyphen, which the shell would otherwise read as a flag.

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Put every flag before --. Everything after -- is positional, so trailing flags get swallowed into the query string:

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# ✅ Correct - flags first\ngh search issues --limit 5 -- \"-label:wontfix bug\"\n\n# ❌ Wrong - --limit 5 becomes part of the search query, silently returning 30 results\ngh search issues -- \"-label:wontfix bug\" --limit 5\n
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For more syntax gotchas, see references/syntax.md.

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Preview Commands

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Recent gh releases added preview commands relevant to remote analysis and discovery. They are subject to change without notice.

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# Read a repo without cloning (see Quick Operations above)\ngh repo read-file PATH --repo OWNER/REPO\ngh repo read-dir PATH --repo OWNER/REPO\n\n# GitHub Discussions - often where design rationale lives\ngh discussion list --repo OWNER/REPO\ngh discussion view <number> --repo OWNER/REPO\n\n# Agent skills on GitHub\ngh skill search <query>\ngh skill install <skill>\n\n# Revert a merged PR\ngh pr revert <number> --repo OWNER/REPO\n
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Advanced Workflows

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For detailed documentation on specific workflows:

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Core Workflows:

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GitHub Operations:

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Setup & Configuration:

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Resources

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