# GitHub CLI (gh) — GitHub Official Command Line Tool

> GitHub CLI brings GitHub to your terminal. Create PRs, manage issues, review code, run Actions, browse releases — without leaving the command line. Written in Go and the official cross-platform tool from GitHub.

## Install

Save in your project root:

## Quick Use

```bash
# Install
brew install gh                          # macOS
sudo apt install gh                      # Debian/Ubuntu (needs PPA)
winget install GitHub.cli                # Windows

# Auth
gh auth login
```

Common commands:
```bash
gh repo create my-app --public --source=. --push
gh pr create --title "Add feature" --body "Description"
gh pr list
gh pr view 42 --web
gh pr checkout 42
gh pr review 42 --approve
gh pr merge 42 --squash --delete-branch

gh issue create --title "Bug" --body "Steps to reproduce"
gh issue list --assignee @me

gh run list                              # Actions runs
gh run view <id>
gh run watch                             # Tail a running workflow

gh release create v1.0.0 --generate-notes
gh gist create file.txt --public
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/stargazers
```

## Intro

GitHub CLI (binary `gh`) is the official command line tool for GitHub. Written in Go by the GitHub team, it brings issues, pull requests, Actions, releases, gists, and the REST/GraphQL API directly to your terminal. Cross-platform and works with GitHub.com + GitHub Enterprise.

- **Repo**: https://github.com/cli/cli
- **Stars**: 43K+
- **Language**: Go
- **License**: MIT

## What gh Does

- **Repos** — create, clone, fork, view, archive
- **Pull requests** — create, checkout, review, merge
- **Issues** — create, close, comment, assign, label
- **Actions** — list runs, view logs, rerun, watch
- **Releases** — create, upload assets, generate notes
- **Gists** — create, list, view
- **API passthrough** — `gh api` for any REST/GraphQL endpoint
- **Extensions** — install community extensions (`gh extension install`)
- **Codespaces** — create, list, ssh into Codespaces
- **Copilot integration** — `gh copilot explain` / `gh copilot suggest`

## Architecture

Go CLI that hits the GitHub REST + GraphQL APIs. Auth stored via OAuth device flow in keyring. Commands are composable (`--json fields | jq`). Extensions add new subcommands by installing binaries or scripts into `~/.local/share/gh/extensions`.

## Self-Hosting

CLI tool. Authenticates to github.com or your GHES instance.

## Key Features

- Full PR workflow
- Issue management
- Actions monitoring and rerun
- Release management
- Gist creation
- GraphQL API passthrough
- Extension system
- Copilot CLI integration
- Cross-platform
- JSON output for scripting

## Comparison

| Tool | Platform | Auth | Extensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| gh | GitHub | OAuth | Yes |
| glab | GitLab | Token | Limited |
| hub | GitHub (legacy) | Token | No |
| tea | Gitea | Token | No |
| bitbucket-cli | Bitbucket | Token | No |

## FAQ

**Q: What's the difference between hub and gh?**
A: hub is the older third-party CLI; gh is the official GitHub tool (2020+) with more features and a better experience. hub no longer gets new features.

**Q: Can it be scripted?**
A: Yes. `gh pr list --json title,url --jq .[].url` outputs JSON; paired with jq, it's easy to script CI tasks.

**Q: Can I call the API directly?**
A: Yes. `gh api /repos/owner/repo/issues` hits any REST endpoint; `gh api graphql -f query=...` runs GraphQL.

## Sources & Credits

- Docs: https://cli.github.com/manual
- GitHub: https://github.com/cli/cli
- License: MIT

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/github-cli-gh-github-official-command-line-tool-6ed07b71
Author: AI Open Source