How to open a new GitHub issue from gh, GitHub’s CLI

When you’re managing a project on GitHub, it’s crucial to keep track of bugs, enhancements, and general tasks through issues. For developers who prefer working within the command line, GitHub provides a powerful tool—GitHub’s Command Line Interface (CLI). In this article, you’ll learn how to open a new issue from GitHub’s CLI, making it easy to manage your workflow without leaving the comfort of your terminal.

The GitHub CLI is a tool that lets you interact with GitHub functions directly from your command line. You can create issues, pull requests, view the status of your GitHub repositories, and more, all without opening a browser. This adaptability makes it an indispensable tool for developers looking to streamline their GitHub activity.

Key Takeaways

  • How to use GitHub CLI to open new issues
  • Basic understanding of the GitHub CLI installation and authentication process
  • Managing GitHub issues more efficiently

How to Open a New GitHub Issue from GitHub’s CLI?

Opening a new issue from GitHub’s CLI can be accomplished in a few simple steps. This section will provide you with a step-by-step guide to streamline the issue creation process directly from the command line.

Who Is This for?

This guide is for developers, project managers, and any GitHub users who are comfortable with command-line tools and want to improve their GitHub workflow efficiency.

Prerequisites for Using GitHub CLI

Before we proceed, ensure you have GitHub CLI installed on your system and authenticated with your GitHub account. GitHub CLI can run on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Step-by-Step Guide to Opening a New GitHub Issue from GitHub’s CLI:

Installing GitHub CLI

Before creating an issue via CLI, you must install the CLI tool if you haven’t already. Visit the GitHub CLI installation page and select the appropriate method for your operating system. Follow the detailed steps to complete the installation.

Authenticating with GitHub CLI

Once installed, open your terminal and run gh auth login to authenticate. You will be prompted to choose a GitHub.com account or GitHub Enterprise Server, regions, authentication method, and your preferred protocol for Git operations.

Opening a New Issue

Upon successful authentication, navigate to your repository’s directory in your terminal or specify the repository directly. To open an issue, enter the command:

gh issue create

This will initiate a series of prompts to help you specify the title, body, assignee, labels, and more. If you prefer to skip the interactive prompts, you can use flags with the create command like so:

gh issue create --title "Issue Title" --body "Issue description."

Replacing "Issue Title" and "Issue description." with your issue’s actual title and description, respectively.

Additional Options

With GitHub CLI, you’re not just limited to creating issues. View current issues with gh issue list, check the status of a specific issue using gh issue view, or close issues directly from the terminal with gh issue close.

Conclusion

Learning to open new issues from GitHub’s CLI can significantly speed up your workflow. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can manage issues on GitHub directly from your command without interrupting your development process. Remember, to get the most out of GitHub CLI, consider exploring further commands to interact with pull requests, manage repositories, and work with GitHub Codespaces.