GitHub CLI Agentic Patterns

Optimized gh commands for AI agent consumption using JSON output and structured field selection.

Core Principle

Always use --json <fields> for machine-readable output. The --jq filter is built-in (no jq installation required).

Pull Request Operations

Check Status

# Get all check statuses
gh pr checks $PR_NUMBER --json name,state,conclusion,detailsUrl

# Filter to failed only
gh pr checks $PR_NUMBER --json name,state,conclusion --jq '.[] | select(.conclusion == "FAILURE")'