use-gh-cli

name	use-gh-cli
description	Use `gh` CLI for GitHub operations (CI logs, PRs, issues, releases) instead of HTTP web fetch. GitHub API requires authentication; `web_fetch` returns limited/empty data. The `gh` CLI is pre-authenticated and available in the sandbox.

Use gh CLI for GitHub

Problem

web_fetch / HTTP GET to github.com or api.github.com returns empty or limited data — GitHub requires authentication for most API endpoints and even web pages. This means CI logs, PR diffs, issue details, and release assets all fail via plain web fetch.

The gh CLI is on PATH inside the sandbox, but only pixi run pi -- --with-git (note the --) binds auth credentials. Unsandboxed (pi-unsafe) works too.

First: Check Auth, Stop If Missing

Before any gh command, run gh auth status. If it fails, stop immediately — no workarounds. Tell user:

gh CLI is not authenticated. Restart pi with pixi run pi <path-to-workspace> -- --with-git to bind GitHub auth credentials. Re-run with --with-git and try again.

Do not fall back to web_fetch or other methods.

Use gh Instead

CI Logs (most common failure)

When user pastes a CI log URL — do NOT use web_fetch. Extract owner/repo, run ID, and optional job ID from the URL, then use gh:

URL	Pattern	gh command
https://github.com/owner/repo/actions/runs/12345	run ID = 12345	gh run view 12345 --log
https://github.com/owner/repo/actions/runs/12345/job/67890	run ID = 12345, job ID = 67890	gh run view 12345 --log --job 67890

Example: user pastes https://github.com/dask/dask/actions/runs/27794025788/job/82249639708 → gh run view 27794025788 --log --job 82249639708

For a run-only URL: https://github.com/dask/dask/actions/runs/27794025788 → gh run view 27794025788 --log

# List recent workflow runs for the current repo
gh run list --limit 10

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

# View logs for a specific run (interactive viewer)
gh run view <run-id> --log

# Get full log for a specific job
gh run view <run-id> --log --job <job-id>

# Get log as text (pipe to file or grep)
gh run view <run-id> --log > ci.log

PRs and Issues

gh pr view <number>           # PR details + diff
gh pr view <number> --json    # Full JSON for scripting
gh issue view <number>        # Issue details
gh pr list --state open       # Open PRs

Releases

gh release view <tag>         # Release details + assets
gh release list --limit 5     # Recent releases

Repo Info

gh repo view                  # Repo details
gh repo view --json defaultBranch,description,homepageUrl

Notes

• gh works in the current directory's repo context. Outside a repo, use gh <command> --repo <owner>/<repo>.
• Pipeline: gh run list --json databaseId --jq '.[0].databaseId' to extract IDs for scripting.
• For long outputs, redirect to file and read with read tool.