docs(skills): add gh and gh-skill agent skills

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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Kynan Ware 2026-04-20 13:38:59 -06:00
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---
name: gh-skill
description: Manage agent skills with gh skill. Use this skill to discover, preview, install, update, and publish Agent Skills so an agent can self-manage the skills available in its environment.
---
# Managing skills with `gh skill`
`gh skill` installs, previews, searches, updates, and publishes
[Agent Skills](https://agentskills.io). An agent can use it to keep its
own skill set in sync with one or more GitHub repositories.
The command is also aliased as `gh skills`. Prefer the canonical singular
`gh skill` in scripts and docs.
## Search
```bash
gh skill search <query> # free-text search
gh skill search <query> --owner <org> # restrict to one owner
gh skill search <query> --limit 20 --page 2
gh skill search <query> --json skillName,repo,description
```
## Preview before installing
```bash
gh skill preview <owner>/<repo> <skill-name>
gh skill preview <owner>/<repo> <skill-name>@v1.2.0 # pin a version
```
## Install
```bash
gh skill install <owner>/<repo> <skill-name>
gh skill install <owner>/<repo> <skill-name>@v1.2.0
gh skill install <owner>/<repo> skills/<scope>/<skill-name> # exact path, fastest
gh skill install ./local-skills-repo --from-local
```
`<owner>/<repo>` and `<skill-name>` are both required.
Useful flags:
- `--agent <id>` - target host (e.g. `github-copilot`, `claude-code`,
`cursor`, `codex`, `gemini-cli`). Repeat for multiple. Default is
`github-copilot` when non-interactive. You should know what agent you are,
so set this appropriately to install for yourself.
- `--scope project|user` - `project` (default) writes inside the current
git repo; `user` writes to the home directory and applies everywhere.
- `--pin <ref>` - pin to a tag, branch, or commit SHA. Mutually exclusive
with `--from-local` and with inline `@version` syntax.
- `--allow-hidden-dirs` - also discover skills under dot-directories such
as `.claude/skills/`. Don't use this unless you need to, it comes with risks.
- `--force` - overwrite an existing install.
## Update
```bash
gh skill update --all # update every installed skill
gh skill update <skill> # update one
gh skill update <skill> --force
gh skill update --unpin # drop the pin and move to latest
```
## Publish
Publishing turns a repo into a discoverable skill source. Skills are
discovered with these conventions:
- `skills/<name>/SKILL.md`
- `skills/<scope>/<name>/SKILL.md`
- `<name>/SKILL.md` (root-level)
- `plugins/<scope>/skills/<name>/SKILL.md`
Each `SKILL.md` needs YAML frontmatter:
```yaml
---
name: my-skill # must equal the directory name
description: One sentence... # required, recommended <= 1024 chars
license: MIT # optional but recommended
---
```
Naming rules (enforced by `publish`):
- Lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens only, 164 chars.
- Must start and end with `[a-z0-9]`.
- No double hyphens (`--`).
- `allowed-tools`, if present, must be a string (space-delimited), not a
YAML array.
### Validate, then publish
```bash
gh skill publish --dry-run # validate only, no release
gh skill publish --dry-run ./path/to/repo # validate a specific dir
gh skill publish --fix # auto-strip install metadata
gh skill publish --tag v1.0.0 # non-interactive publish
gh skill publish # interactive publish flow
```
`--fix` and `--dry-run` are mutually exclusive. `--fix` only rewrites
install-injected `metadata.github-*` keys and does not publish; commit
the result and re-run `publish`.
The publish flow will:
1. Add the `agent-skills` topic to the repo (so search can find it).
2. Use `--tag` (or prompt for one in a TTY).
3. Auto-push any unpushed commits.
4. Create a GitHub release with auto-generated notes.
Always pass `--tag` so it doesn't fall through to the interactive flow.
## Self-management pattern for agents
A reasonable loop:
1. `gh skill search <topic> --json name,repository`
2. `gh skill preview <repo> <skill>` to inspect the SKILL.md.
3. `gh skill install <repo> <skill> --agent <host> --pin <ref>` for a
reproducible install.
4. Periodically `gh skill update --all` to refresh.

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---
name: gh
description: Patterns for invoking the GitHub CLI (gh) from agents. Covers structured output, pagination, repo targeting, search vs list, gh api fallback.
---
# Reference
## Interactivity policy
`gh` already does the right thing in non-TTY contexts: it skips the pager,
strips ANSI color, and errors out fast with a helpful message instead of
prompting (e.g. `must provide --title and --body when not running interactively`).
You don't need to defensively set `GH_PAGER` or pass `--no-pager` (no such
flag exists).
## Parsing JSON
Human output from `gh` is column-formatted. If you want structured data:
- Add `--json field1,field2,...` for structured output.
- Run a command with `--json` and **no field list** to print the full set of
available fields, then pick what you need.
- Use `--jq '<expr>'` for filtering without piping through a separate `jq`.
- Use `--template '<go-template>'` when you want shaped text output.
## Pagination and silent truncation
List commands cap results.
- `gh issue list`, `gh pr list`, `gh search ...`: pass `-L N` (`--limit N`).
The default is usually 30.
- Use `--json totalCount` to get the total number of items. This helps you know
if you need to paginate.
- For raw API calls use `gh api --paginate <path>`. Combine with
`--jq` and (optionally) `--slurp` to assemble one array.
## Repo targeting
`gh` infers the repo from the cwd's git remotes.
Pass `--repo OWNER/REPO` (`-R`) to override the resolved CWD repo.
## Search vs list
- `gh search issues|prs|code|repos|commits|users` uses GitHub's search
index and accepts the full search syntax (`is:open`, `author:`,
`label:`, `repo:owner/name`, `in:title`, ...). Prefer it for anything
cross-repo or filtered by author/label.
- `gh issue list --search "..."` and `gh pr list --search "..."` accept
the same syntax but are scoped to one repo.
## Fall back to `gh api` for anything `--json` doesn't expose
Sometimes useful data isn't on the typed commands. Examples:
- Review-thread comments on a PR: `gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{n}/comments`
(the `--comments` flag on `gh pr view` shows issue-level comments only).
- Arbitrary GraphQL: `gh api graphql -f query='...' -F var=value`.
- REST shortcuts: `gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/...` - note the
`{owner}/{repo}` placeholder is filled in for you when run from a repo
with detected remotes; pass them literally if you want determinism.
## Authentication
- `gh auth status` prints the active host(s), user, and which env var (if
any) is being honored.
- `gh auth status --json` is supported.
## Other notes
- `gh pr checkout <n>` switches branches. Use `gh pr diff <n>` or
`gh pr view <n>` if you only need to read.
- `NO_COLOR`, `CLICOLOR_FORCE`, and `GH_FORCE_TTY` are honored. Set
`GH_FORCE_TTY=1` if you want TTY-style output (colors, tables, the
pager, interactivity) inside an agent harness; leave it unset unless needed.