GitHub CLI is for developers who spend much of their day in a terminal and use GitHub to review code, manage issues, or monitor continuous integration. It provides command-line access to common GitHub tasks while leaving local repository work to Git itself.
In daily use, GitHub CLI can create and check out pull requests, list and edit issues, watch Actions runs, and publish releases without switching to a browser for each task. Its commands operate in repositories cloned from GitHub, making it practical to continue a familiar terminal workflow across local code and hosted project activity.
Work with reviews, issues, and automation
Pull request commands support creating, reviewing, checking out, merging, and commenting on PRs. For example, gh pr create starts a pull request from the terminal, while gh pr checkout brings an existing one into the local working environment. These actions let developers move between review and repository work without treating them as separate workflows.
Issue commands can list, create, and edit issues, including their labels and assignees. This is useful when filing a task during development or updating issue details as work progresses. For CI activity, GitHub CLI lists workflow runs, watches their logs, and can re-run failed jobs, giving terminal users a way to follow results without opening a graphical interface.
Release commands create a release and upload its assets in one command. For tasks beyond the built-in command set, gh api calls GitHub’s REST and GraphQL APIs directly, while community-written extensions add further commands. This makes the tool useful both for routine operations and for scripting against GitHub features.
How it fits alongside Git
GitHub CLI runs as gh and complements Git rather than replacing it. Git manages local commits and branches; gh communicates with GitHub for pull requests, issues, releases, gists, repositories, Codespaces, and GitHub Actions. Git must therefore be installed separately, and the command-line tool does not provide a graphical interface.
To begin, install Git for Windows, run the GitHub CLI MSI, and open a new terminal. Then run gh auth login and choose browser sign-in to authorize the tool. It can also configure Git to use its credentials for HTTPS. Later upgrades can be made by installing the newest MSI or running winget upgrade GitHub.cli.
Compatibility and practical boundaries
GitHub CLI is available for Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, and Linux. It also works with GitHub Enterprise Server; use gh auth login –hostname to sign in to an Enterprise Server host. The project is open source under the MIT license and can be used with free and paid GitHub accounts.
The tool is specific to GitHub, so it does not cover GitLab or Bitbucket workflows. Its terminal-based design also makes it a poor fit for people who prefer graphical Git clients. For developers who already work in a shell, its main value is keeping common GitHub tasks close to the commands and local repositories they use every day.
