Operates GitHub through gh CLI and the REST/GraphQL APIs with explicit target, authorization, impact preview, and independent readback. Use for pull requests, issues, Actions, repositories, collaborators, teams, organization member privileges, base permissions, 2FA enforcement, repository settings,

GitHub Operations Deliver the requested GitHub state, not a successful looking command. A 200 , 201 , 202 , or 204 response is evidence that GitHub accepted a request; it is not proof that every requested field changed, an invitation was accepted, an asynchronous job finished, or the user's business outcome was achieved. Route by operation Read only the reference required for the task: Task Reference Create, review, merge, close, compare, or converge PRs; clear approved PR body revisions; retire remote PR branches [ references/pr operations.md ](references/pr operations.md) Create, edit, search, transfer, close, or bulk manage issues [ references/issue operations.md ](references/issue operations.md) Inspect, clone, create, edit, rename, archive, transfer, change visibility, or delete repositories [ references/repository operations.md ](references/repository operations.md) Copy repositories accessible to another account while keeping the usual account active; configure private copies and upstream sync [ references/multi account repository sync.md ](references/multi account repository sync.md) Inspect or change collaborators, teams, base permissions, member privileges, or organization 2FA [ references/organization access and settings.md ](references/organization access and settings.md) Protect a default branch while letting collaborators contribute through PRs; inventory protection gaps across an account, roll a baseline out to many repositories, and verify enforcement with a real push [ references/branch protection.md ](references/branch protection.md) Trigger, inspect, rerun, cancel, or purge Actions; manage secrets or variables [ references/workflow operations.md ](references/workflow operations.md) Reduce CI email overload, exhausted Actions allowance, unrelated checks or repeated runs; decide what a template or product actually needs [ references/ci demand and notifications.md ](references/ci demand and notifications.md) before changing runners or notifications Build and publish a Docker/OCI image to GitHub Container Registry (GHCR) [ references/ghcr publishing.md ](references/ghcr publishing.md) Use raw REST/GraphQL endpoints, pagination, rate limits, webhooks, or Enterprise hosts [ references/api reference.md ](references/api reference.md) Build scripts, retries, bulk operations, or machine readable output [ references/best practices.md ](references/best practices.md) For local Git recovery, dirty worktrees, bundles, or lost commits, use git safety net . This skill owns GitHub hosted state. For repository copies, also handle per remote authentication and sync setup. Universal operating contract 1. Classify the request before touching GitHub Answer, inspect, diagnose, or review: read only. Do not create a PR, issue, comment, invitation, workflow run, or setting change. Create, change, merge, close, grant, revoke, publish, or delete: the named state change is authorized. Keep the target and blast radius inside that request. Destructive, public, credential related, production triggering, or externally communicative: require the exact target, consequence, and recovery path. If the user did not provide a material choice such as repository owner, visibility, or message content, stop before the write. Do not turn a read only investigation into a mutation because the fix looks obvious. Do not send a comment, review, issue, or invitation whose recipient or content was not authorized in the current task. For an authorized contributor, assess repository access against their ongoing contribution role, not just today's read or sync command. Repository Write access and permission to update the default branch are separate decisions. Follow the user's chosen contribution scope; use branch protection and PR review to control integration rather than silently reducing a contributor to Read. A diagnosis alone still does not authorize a grant. 2. Bind identity, host, and target Before the first write, verify the active account and resolve a fully qualified target: For github.com , OWNER/REPO is sufficient. Never use gh auth status show token for routine diagnosis, and never print, paste, or log a token. Before the first push to a remote in the current session, read its live visibility: Bind identity to the interface that will perform the write. CLI identity does not establish a connector, browser, REST client, or Git SSH identity. Resolve the expected actor from the user's authorized task; neither the repository owner nor an available credential selects that actor automatically. For connectors, use a read only current user operation from that same connector and confirm its actor. If that interface cannot expose the actor, use the already verified CLI channel for the authorized write; do not make a test comment to discover its identity. For authorized gh API/hosted state writes, use the bundled checked invocation. Resolve <github ops dir to the directory containing this SKILL.md; run the helper by that path from the task's working directory. Its executable argument and rejection contract is [checked gh.py](scripts/checked gh.py). The first command is read only. The second resolves the current credential, checks GET /user , and pins that same credential for one command. A mismatch or unknown actor exits before execution. It guards only gh , not connector calls, browser actions or Git pushes. Authentication/configuration commands are rejected; task authorization, exact targets and independent readback remain required. Supply R OWNER/REPO for repository scoped commands, or an explicit repository operand for gh repo . The wrapper qualifies that target with the checked host, removes inherited GH REPO and alternate token variables from the child, and rejects conflicting host operands. Omit the command for an identity only read. Organization secret/variable operations instead use their explicit org scope; personal Codespaces secrets use user . Body/title/field values remain unchanged even when they resemble flags or URLs. Public API absolute URLs use api.github.com ; relative API endpoints remain supported. Switching account, credential, host or interface invalidates earlier identity evidence. Recheck before the next write; do not reuse a prior session's pass. Reference examples show native gh operation syntax. Execute hosted state mutations by passing those arguments after the helper's , with an explicit repository or account scope; bare gh remains suitable for readback and separately authorized authentication/configuration. When a builtin's operand shape is rejected, use its supported explicit REST/GraphQL equivalent through the same helper; do not bypass the actor check. A failed or timed out invocation does not prove the mutation was absent: read the exact target before retrying. For incident attribution, preserve event ID/time, actor and interface separately from the ChatGPT execution account. A comment author's login and performed via github app establish GitHub actor/application, not the ChatGPT email. A session's creator identity and today's auth file do not establish its historical execution account. Keep missing links unknown. 3. Read current authority and preview the delta Use GitHub hosted state, not a stale local ref or remembered setting. Capture only the fields required to prove the requested transition. Before a consequential write, make this plan explicit: If the user already authorized this exact consequence, execute it. Do not add a ceremonial second confirmation. If target, scope, public exposure, deletion, recipient, or recovery remains ambiguous, pause before the write. 4. Choose an interface whose input contract actually supports the change Prefer, in order: 1. a purpose built gh subcommand; 2. a documented REST endpoint for one resource or authoritative readback; 3. GraphQL when the required mutation/query is GraphQL only or combines related data; 4. the documented GitHub UI when the setting has no supported API input. Response fields are not automatically writable fields. Before using PATCH , compare the desired key against the operation's current request body parameters , not the shape returned by GET . GitHub may ignore an unsupported key while still returning a successful response. Do not switch API families merely to make the command run. Use explicit methods with gh api . Adding f or F changes the default method to POST ; filtered GET requests must include X GET . 5. Mutate once; do not retry ambiguity Pin repository, object number, branch, run ID, username, and expected SHA where the operation supports it. Do not blindly retry non idempotent writes such as comments, invitations, workflow dispatches, releases, or PR/issue creation. After a timeout or 5xx, read back first to determine whether the first request landed. For bulk changes, freeze and display the finite target list, then process one target at a time with per item results. Never pipe an unreviewed live query directly into a destructive xargs command. Do not bypass repository hooks, required checks, branch protections, signatures, or visibility consequence acknowledgements. 6. Verify through an independent readback Run a fresh read that does not trust the mutation response or a cached local ref: Mutation Required acceptance evidence PR merge/close/edit PR state plus accepted behavior on the fetched base when landing matters Branch deletion Hosted branch/ref is absent; local remote tracking cleanup is a separate check Issue/comment/review Exact object exists once with the intended state/content Repository create/edit/visibility Fully qualified repository readback matches owner, visibility, and requested fields Collaborator/team permission Invitation state if pending, then effective permission; also identify remaining base/team grants when revoking Organization setting A fresh organization/settings read returns every requested field; UI only settings require UI readback plus any available API signal 2FA requirement Preflight affected accounts, UI confirmation, API readback, then membership/outside collaborator audit Workflow dispatch/rerun/cancel The intended run ID reaches the expected state; command acceptance is not completion Secret/variable change Metadata and consumer behavior, never secret value disclosure For asynchronous state, poll with a bounded deadline and report pending if the terminal state is not observed. If readback differs, report failed/no op or partially applied , show the mismatched fields, and keep recovery available. Never say “done” from the write receipt alone. 7. Report the business outcome End with one of four honest states: changed and verified — requested state is independently observed; already satisfied — no write was necessary; pending — accepted but not yet terminal, with the next authoritative check; failed/no op or partial — requested and observed states differ, with recovery and unresolved risk. 8. Authenticate only for the named write Authentication is scoped to the authorized operation; it is not a reason to reopen an already authorized exact write. Before starting an interactive browser or device flow, state the GitHub application, active account, target host, and the exact permission delta. Continue the steps the browser can complete after that explanation. A Confirm access page is a reauthentication prompt; its heading alone does not establish that the user's physical presence is required. For the verified browser account, host and exact operation, use the already authorized normal password manager workflow through the trusted page, without extracting or displaying credentials. Resume from the first unmet step, then independently read the actual

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