GitHub CLI: The Secret Weapon You're Not Using ⚡🚀

Real talk: If you're still clicking through GitHub's web interface to create PRs, you're living in the Stone Age. 🦕

I used to be you. Click, click, scroll, paste, type, click again. Then I discovered gh - GitHub's official CLI tool - and suddenly I'm creating pull requests in 3 seconds without leaving my terminal.

It's not just faster. It's a whole different way of working. Let me show you why you need this in your life!

What Even Is GitHub CLI? 🤔

Think of it as GitHub's web interface, but on steroids and living in your terminal.

The magic:

Create PRs without touching your mouse
Review code from the command line
Manage issues like a boss
Run workflows with one command
Clone repos faster than you can say "git clone"

Translation: Everything you do on github.com, but 10x faster and infinitely cooler! 😎

Why You Should Care 💡

Before GitHub CLI:

# The old way (7 steps!)
git add .
git commit -m "Fix bug"
git push origin feature-branch
# Open browser
# Navigate to GitHub
# Click "Compare & pull request"
# Fill out the form
# Click "Create pull request"

After GitHub CLI:

# The new way (2 commands!)
git add . && git commit -m "Fix bug" && git push
gh pr create --fill
# Done! PR created! ✨

Time saved: About 30 seconds per PR. Do this 20 times a day? That's 10 minutes saved daily. Over a year? 60+ hours of your life back!

Plus, you look like a hacker from a movie. Your non-technical friends will be impressed! 🎬

Getting Started (It Takes 2 Minutes) ⚙️

Installation

macOS:

brew install gh

Linux:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install gh

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install gh

Windows:

# Using winget
winget install --id GitHub.cli

# Or use Chocolatey
choco install gh

The Magic Login

# Authenticate with GitHub
gh auth login

# Follow the prompts:
# 1. Choose GitHub.com (unless you use Enterprise)
# 2. Choose HTTPS or SSH (I use HTTPS)
# 3. Authenticate in browser

# That's it! You're a CLI wizard now! 🧙‍♂️

Pro tip: The authentication works for both gh and regular git commands. One login, infinite power!

The Commands That'll Change Your Life 🎯

1. Creating PRs (The Game-Changer)

The lazy way (auto-fill everything):

gh pr create --fill

What it does:

Creates PR from your current branch
Uses your commit messages as PR description
Opens in your default branch
Time saved: 30 seconds per PR!

The detailed way:

gh pr create --title "Add user authentication" \
             --body "Implements JWT auth with refresh tokens" \
             --reviewer alice,bob \
             --label "enhancement" \
             --assignee @me

The interactive way (my favorite!):

gh pr create

# It'll ask you:
# - Title? (suggests from commits)
# - Description? (pulls from commits)
# - Which branch? (knows your default)
# - Submit? (y/n)

Real story: I used to spend 2 minutes per PR filling out forms. Now it's literally 5 seconds. My productivity went 📈!

2. Checking Out PRs (Code Review on Steroids)

Someone sent you a PR? Check it out instantly:

# See all PRs
gh pr list

# Check out PR #42 to review it locally
gh pr checkout 42

# Now you can run it, test it, break it!

The power move:

# Review PR #42 with comments
gh pr review 42

# Approve it
gh pr review 42 --approve

# Request changes with a comment
gh pr review 42 --request-changes \
  --body "Looks good but needs tests!"

Why this is awesome: Test PRs locally BEFORE merging. No more "it worked on their machine" surprises! 🎉

3. Managing Issues (Like a Boss)

Create an issue (from your terminal!):

gh issue create --title "Button doesn't work on mobile" \
                --body "Tested on iPhone 13, button is invisible" \
                --label "bug"

List issues:

# All issues
gh issue list

# Only YOUR issues
gh issue list --assignee @me

# Only bugs
gh issue list --label bug

# Open issues in browser
gh issue list --web

Close an issue:

gh issue close 123

The workflow:

# Morning standup routine
gh issue list --assignee @me
# See what you're working on
# Pick one, get to work
# Close it when done
# Repeat!

No more context switching to your browser! Stay in the zone! 🎮

4. Repo Operations (Speed Run Edition)

Clone repos faster:

# Old way
git clone https://github.com/facebook/react.git

# New way (shorter!)
gh repo clone facebook/react

# Even works with short syntax
gh repo clone react
# If you're in facebook's org!

Create a new repo:

# Create locally and on GitHub at the same time!
gh repo create my-awesome-project --public --source=. --remote=origin

# Translation:
# - Creates GitHub repo
# - Initializes local repo
# - Sets up remote
# - All in ONE command!

Fork repos:

# Fork and clone in one shot
gh repo fork vercel/next.js --clone

# Start contributing immediately!

The magic: No more clicking through GitHub's "New Repository" form! 🎉

5. GitHub Actions (CI/CD from Your Terminal)

Watch your workflow runs:

# See all workflow runs
gh run list

# Watch a specific run (LIVE!)
gh run watch

# See logs from the latest run
gh run view --log

Re-run failed workflows:

# Retry the latest failed run
gh run rerun

# Retry a specific run
gh run rerun 123456789

Real use case:

# Push code
git push

# Immediately watch the CI run
gh run watch

# See it pass in real-time
# Or catch failures FAST!

Why I love this: No more refreshing the Actions tab! Live updates in your terminal! 🔥

The Power User Moves 💪

Aliases (Make It Your Own)

# Create shortcuts for common commands
gh alias set prc 'pr create --fill'
gh alias set prv 'pr view --web'
gh alias set issues 'issue list --assignee @me'

# Now use them
gh prc      # Create PR instantly
gh prv      # View current PR in browser
gh issues   # See your issues

My personal favorites:

# Quick PR
gh alias set quickpr '!git push && gh pr create --fill'

# Today's work
gh alias set today 'issue list --assignee @me --label "in-progress"'

# Latest actions
gh alias set ci 'run watch'

Combined Workflows (The Real Magic)

The "Push and PR" one-liner:

git add . && git commit -m "Add feature" && git push && gh pr create --fill

The "Review and Approve" speedrun:

gh pr checkout 42 && npm test && gh pr review 42 --approve

The "Issue to Branch" workflow:

# Create a branch from an issue
gh issue develop 123 --checkout

# Work on it, push
git push

# Create PR that closes the issue
gh pr create --fill --body "Closes #123"

Mind = Blown! 🤯

Cool Tricks You Didn't Know Existed 🎪

1. Interactive Modes

# Browse issues interactively
gh issue list --web

# Browse PRs interactively
gh pr list --web

# Choose from a list with arrow keys!

2. Output as JSON (For Script Nerds)

# Get PR data as JSON
gh pr list --json number,title,author

# Pipe it to jq for processing
gh pr list --json title,number | jq '.[] | .title'

# Build custom dashboards!

3. GitHub Codespaces (From CLI!)

# Create a codespace
gh codespace create

# Connect to it
gh codespace ssh

# Code in the cloud from your terminal!

4. The Secret `gh browse` Command

# Open current repo in browser
gh browse

# Open specific PR
gh browse 42

# Open issues page
gh browse -- issues

# Open Actions page
gh browse -- actions

Use case: Terminal workflow, but need the browser for ONE thing? gh browse! 🎯

The Cheat Sheet You'll Bookmark 📋

# PRs
gh pr create --fill           # Create PR
gh pr list                    # List PRs
gh pr checkout 42             # Check out PR #42
gh pr review 42 --approve     # Approve PR
gh pr merge 42                # Merge PR
gh pr view 42                 # View PR details

# Issues
gh issue create               # Create issue
gh issue list                 # List issues
gh issue close 123            # Close issue
gh issue view 123             # View issue

# Repos
gh repo clone user/repo       # Clone repo
gh repo create my-repo        # Create repo
gh repo fork user/repo        # Fork repo
gh repo view                  # View current repo

# Actions
gh run list                   # List workflow runs
gh run watch                  # Watch live run
gh run view --log             # View logs

# Auth
gh auth login                 # Login
gh auth status                # Check status

# Help
gh help                       # General help
gh pr --help                  # PR-specific help

Print this, tape it to your monitor, become unstoppable! 💪

When GitHub CLI Really Shines ⭐

Use Case 1: Rapid Development

# Your flow:
# 1. Fix bug
git commit -am "Fix login bug"

# 2. Push and create PR
git push && gh pr create --fill

# 3. Watch CI
gh run watch

# 4. Merge when green
gh pr merge --auto

Time per iteration: 10 seconds. You're a machine! 🤖

Use Case 2: Code Reviews

# Morning review routine
gh pr list

# Pick one
gh pr checkout 42

# Test it locally
npm test

# Approve if good
gh pr review 42 --approve --body "LGTM! 🚀"

# Next PR
gh pr checkout 43

Review 10 PRs before your coffee gets cold! ☕

Use Case 3: Issue Triage

# See what's new
gh issue list --label "needs-triage"

# Quick fix? Create branch
gh issue develop 123 --checkout

# Not a bug? Close with comment
gh issue close 124 --comment "Working as designed"

# Needs more info? Label it
gh issue edit 125 --add-label "needs-info"

Triage 20 issues in 5 minutes! 🏃‍♂️

Common Pitfalls (Learn from My Mistakes) 🚨

Mistake #1: Forgetting to Push

# This WON'T work
gh pr create --fill

# Error: no commits pushed yet!

# Remember to push first!
git push && gh pr create --fill

Lesson: PR creation needs your branch on GitHub!

Mistake #2: Wrong Directory

# Running gh commands outside a git repo
cd ~/Documents
gh pr create

# Error: not in a git repository

# Always run gh commands IN your project!

Mistake #3: Not Checking PR Status

# Creating PR when one already exists
gh pr create --fill

# Error: PR already exists!

# Check first
gh pr list

The Bottom Line 🎯

GitHub CLI is like having a GitHub superpower. You're not just "using GitHub" anymore - you're dominating it!

What you learned today:

Create PRs in 3 seconds (gh pr create --fill)
Review PRs locally (gh pr checkout)
Manage issues without the browser (gh issue list)
Clone repos with less typing (gh repo clone)
Watch CI/CD runs live (gh run watch)
Build custom workflows with aliases
Look incredibly cool doing it all 😎

The best part? This is just scratching the surface. GitHub CLI has SO many more features:

Releases management
Gists from terminal
Secrets management
API calls
Extensions

Most importantly: You'll save hours every week and never break your terminal flow again!

Your Action Plan 🚀

Today:

Install GitHub CLI (brew install gh or equivalent)
Run gh auth login
Try gh pr list in your current project

This Week:

Create your next PR with gh pr create --fill
Review a PR with gh pr checkout
Set up 2-3 aliases for your common workflows

This Month:

Never open GitHub in browser for basic tasks
Share this with your team
Become the CLI wizard everyone admires
Enjoy your new superpower! 🦸‍♂️

Pro Tips from the Trenches 💎

Tip #1: Combine with fzf for fuzzy finding:

gh pr list | fzf
# Select PR with fuzzy search!

Tip #2: Use tab completion:

# Enable it (bash)
gh completion -s bash > /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/gh

# Now tab-complete everything
gh pr <TAB>

Tip #3: Set your editor for PR descriptions:

export EDITOR=vim
# Or code, nano, emacs, whatever you prefer

Tip #4: Check out GitHub CLI extensions:

gh extension list
gh extension install owner/repo
# Extend gh with community plugins!

The Truth About Productivity 📈