Claude Code: GitHub CLI-First Workflow with Safety Checks

github-workflow.md

⚠️ MIGRATED TO REPOSITORY

This gist has been migrated to: https://github.com/nicksteffens/claude-config/blob/main/commands/github-workflow.md

Please use the repository version for the most up-to-date content.

---

GitHub Workflow Slash Command

Gist ID: 9296d3dc6a59e106e2dcac24c193c234
Gist URL: https://gist.github.com/nicksteffens/9296d3dc6a59e106e2dcac24c193c234
Update Command: gh gist edit 9296d3dc6a59e106e2dcac24c193c234

Optimized GitHub operations using CLI-first approach, MCP as fallback.

Tool Preference Hierarchy

1. PRIMARY: GitHub CLI (gh) - Fast, direct, well-established
2. FALLBACK: GitHub MCP - When CLI doesn't support the operation
3. LAST RESORT: WebFetch - Only when both above fail

Common GitHub Operations

Issue Management

# View issue details
gh issue view <number>

# List issues
gh issue list --assignee @me
gh issue list --state open --label bug

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

# Comment on issue
gh issue comment <number> --body "Comment text"

Pull Request Operations

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

# View PR details
gh pr view <number>

# List PRs
gh pr list --author @me
gh pr list --state open

# Review PR
gh pr review <number> --approve
gh pr review <number> --request-changes --body "Comments"

# Merge PR - SAFETY CHECK REQUIRED
gh pr merge <number> --squash

Repository Information

# View repo details
gh repo view

# Clone repo
gh repo clone owner/repo

# Fork repo
gh repo fork owner/repo

CRITICAL SAFETY RULES

PR Merge Safety Check

NEVER merge a PR that you and I didn't author without explicit permission

1. Check PR author: gh pr view <number> --json author
2. If author is NOT you (nicksteffens) or Claude: STOP and ask for permission
3. Only merge PRs we created together unless explicitly told otherwise
4. Always confirm merge action before executing

Workflow Integration

1. Always use gh issue view <number> instead of web scraping
2. Create PRs with gh pr create using repository templates
3. Link issues automatically with "Fixes #123" in PR body
4. Use gh for all GitHub operations before considering alternatives
5. Safety check all destructive operations (merge, close, delete)

MCP Fallback Scenarios

• Complex API operations not supported by CLI
• Bulk operations requiring programmatic access
• When CLI authentication fails

Default approach: Try gh command first, explain what you're doing, then proceed with safety checks.