Is github-cli safe to install?

SaferSkills independently audited github-cli (Agent Skill) and scored it 100/100 (green). The audit ran 55 deterministic rules across Security, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Transparency, and Community; it found 0 high-severity and 0 lower-severity findings. The full rule-by-rule trace and per-finding evidence are below. Free, methodology-open.

CategoryWeightCategory scoreContribution

Securityprompt, exec, net, exfil, eval

35%

100

35.0 pts

Supply chainhash, typosquat, maintainer, lockfile

20%

100

20.0 pts

Maintenancestaleness, pinning, CI

15%

100

15.0 pts

TransparencySKILL.md, perms, README

15%

100

15.0 pts

Communityinstalls, verify, response

15%

100

15.0 pts

Findings & checks · 0 flagged

Securityscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All security checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Supply chainscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All supply chain checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Maintenancescore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All maintenance checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Transparencyscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All transparency checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

Communityscore 100 · 0 findings

✓—All community checks passedNo findings in this category for the latest scan.pass

The primary manifest — the file an agent reads to learn what this artifact does.

.claude/skills/github-cli/SKILL.md · 1 file

.claude/skills/github-cli/SKILL.md10.6 KB · Markdown

name: github-cli

description: Safety-first GitHub CLI skill wrapping `gh` (v2.86+). Use when performing GitHub operations — PRs, issues, releases, repos, Actions, API calls. Enforces risk classification with mandatory confirmation for destructive/forbidden operations.

author: George Khananaev

GitHub CLI

Safety-first wrapper for GitHub CLI (gh). Every command is classified by risk level before execution.

When to Use

User asks to create, list, merge, or close PRs
User asks to manage issues, releases, or repos
User asks to check CI/CD status or workflow runs
User asks to call the GitHub API via gh api
User asks to manage GitHub Actions secrets or variables

Prerequisites

Install: brew install gh or see https://cli.github.com
Auth: gh auth login
Verify: gh --version (requires v2.86+)
Scopes: gh auth status — confirm repo, read:org scopes minimum

Safety Model

Every gh command falls into one of four risk tiers:

Tier	Action Required	Examples
Safe	Execute immediately	`gh pr list`, `gh issue view`, `gh repo view`
Write	Inform user, then execute	`gh pr create`, `gh issue create`, `gh release create`
Destructive	`AskUserQuestion` BEFORE executing	`gh pr merge`, `gh pr close`, `gh release delete`
Forbidden	Multi-step validation, NEVER auto-confirm	`gh repo delete`, `gh repo transfer`, visibility changes

See references/safety-rules.md for the full classification and confirmation templates.

Decision Flow

Command received
  → Classify risk tier (see Quick Reference)
  → Safe?        Execute immediately
  → Write?       Inform user what will happen → execute
  → Destructive? AskUserQuestion with options → wait for answer → execute or cancel
  → Forbidden?   Warn → require typed confirmation → final confirm → execute or cancel

Quick Reference

Safe (read-only, execute immediately)

Command	Description
`gh pr list`	List pull requests
`gh pr view`	View PR details
`gh pr checks`	View CI status
`gh pr diff`	View PR diff
`gh issue list`	List issues
`gh issue view`	View issue details
`gh repo view`	View repo info
`gh repo list`	List repos
`gh repo clone`	Clone a repo
`gh release list`	List releases
`gh release view`	View release details
`gh run list`	List workflow runs
`gh agent-task list` / `view`	List/inspect Copilot coding-agent tasks (v2.80+)
`gh run view`	View run details
`gh run view --log`	View run logs
`gh workflow list`	List workflows
`gh workflow view`	View workflow details
`gh run download`	Download workflow artifacts
`gh api` (GET)	Read-only API calls
`gh auth status`	Check auth
`gh browse`	Open repo in browser
`gh status`	Check your GitHub dashboard
`gh gist list`	List your gists
`gh gist view`	View gist details
`gh label list`	List labels
`gh search repos`	Search repos
`gh search issues`	Search issues
`gh search prs`	Search PRs
`gh search code`	Search code

Write (inform, then execute)

Command	Description
`gh pr create`	Create PR
`gh agent-task create`	Kick off a Copilot coding-agent session (opens PRs on your repo — inform user; v2.80+)
`gh skill install`	Install an agent skill (`gh skill` is public preview, Apr 2026)
`gh pr edit`	Edit PR metadata
`gh pr comment`	Comment on PR
`gh pr review`	Submit review
`gh pr ready`	Mark PR as ready
`gh pr checkout`	Check out a PR branch locally
`gh issue create`	Create issue
`gh issue edit`	Edit issue
`gh issue comment`	Comment on issue
`gh issue reopen`	Reopen a closed issue
`gh issue pin`	Pin an issue
`gh issue unpin`	Unpin an issue
`gh label create`	Create label
`gh label edit`	Edit label
`gh release create`	Create release
`gh repo create`	Create new repo
`gh repo edit`	Edit repo settings (non-visibility)
`gh repo fork`	Fork a repo
`gh repo rename`	Rename a repository
`gh gist create`	Create a new gist
`gh gist edit`	Edit an existing gist
`gh run rerun`	Re-run workflow
`gh workflow enable`	Enable workflow
`gh workflow disable`	Disable workflow
`gh workflow run`	Manually trigger a workflow
`gh secret set`	Set secret
`gh variable set`	Set variable
`gh api -X POST/PUT/PATCH`	Write API calls

Destructive (AskUserQuestion required)

Command	Description
`gh pr merge`	Merge PR (irreversible in most workflows)
`gh pr close`	Close PR
`gh issue close`	Close issue
`gh issue delete`	Delete issue (permanent)
`gh issue transfer`	Transfer issue to another repo
`gh release delete`	Delete release
`gh label delete`	Delete label
`gh repo archive`	Archive repo
`gh secret delete`	Delete secret
`gh variable delete`	Delete variable
`gh auth logout`	Log out of GitHub CLI
`gh run cancel`	Cancel running workflow
`gh api -X DELETE`	Delete API calls

Forbidden (multi-step validation)

Command	Description
`gh repo delete`	Delete repository (PERMANENT)
`gh repo transfer`	Transfer repo ownership
`gh repo edit --visibility`	Change repo visibility
Bulk destructive loops	Any loop running delete/close/merge

Workflow Patterns

Pull Requests

# List open PRs
gh pr list

# Create PR (Write — inform user first)
gh pr create --title "feat: add auth" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
- Add JWT authentication middleware

## Test plan
- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Manual login flow verified
EOF
)"

# View PR with checks
gh pr view 42
gh pr checks 42

# Merge PR (Destructive — AskUserQuestion first)
gh pr merge 42 --squash --delete-branch

Issues

# List issues with filters
gh issue list --label bug --assignee @me
gh issue list --state closed --limit 10

# Create issue (Write)
gh issue create --title "Bug: login fails" --body "Steps to reproduce..." --label bug

# View issue
gh issue view 123

# Close issue (Destructive — confirm first)
gh issue close 123 --reason completed

Releases

# List releases
gh release list

# Create release (Write — inform user)
gh release create v1.2.0 --generate-notes --title "v1.2.0"

# Create release with assets
gh release create v1.2.0 ./dist/*.tar.gz --title "v1.2.0" --notes "Release notes here"

# Delete release (Destructive — confirm first)
gh release delete v1.2.0

CI/CD & Actions

# List recent runs
gh run list --limit 10

# View specific run
gh run view 12345

# View logs for failed run
gh run view 12345 --log-failed

# Re-run failed jobs (Write)
gh run rerun 12345 --failed

# Cancel running workflow (Destructive — confirm)
gh run cancel 12345

# Manage secrets (Write for set, Destructive for delete)
gh secret set API_KEY --body "sk-..."
gh secret list

Repository

# View repo info
gh repo view

# Create repo (Write)
gh repo create my-app --public --clone

# Clone
gh repo clone owner/repo

# Fork (Write)
gh repo fork owner/repo --clone

# Archive (Destructive — confirm first)
gh repo archive owner/repo

API

# GET (Safe)
gh api repos/owner/repo/pulls
gh api repos/owner/repo/issues/123/comments

# POST (Write)
gh api repos/owner/repo/issues -f title="Bug" -f body="Description"

# DELETE (Destructive — confirm first)
gh api repos/owner/repo/issues/123/labels/bug -X DELETE

Self-Healing

gh evolves monthly. On any error: read it → gh help <command> → if still unclear, WebFetch https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_<command> (underscores join subcommands, e.g. gh_pr_merge) → adjust → re-run. Release notes: https://github.com/cli/cli/releases.

AskUserQuestion Integration

For Destructive operations, use AskUserQuestion with tailored options:

PR Merge Example

Question: "How should PR #42 'feat: add auth' be merged?"
Options:
  - "Squash and merge" — Combine all commits into one
  - "Create merge commit" — Preserve commit history
  - "Rebase and merge" — Rebase onto base branch
  - "Cancel" — Do not merge

PR/Issue Close Example

Question: "Close PR #42 'feat: add auth'?"
Options:
  - "Close only" — Close without deleting branch
  - "Close and delete branch" — Close PR and remove source branch
  - "Cancel" — Keep open

Delete Example

Question: "Delete release v1.2.0?"
Options:
  - "Delete release only" — Keep the git tag
  - "Delete release and tag" — Remove both release and git tag
  - "Cancel" — Keep release

For Forbidden operations, follow the triple-confirmation protocol in references/safety-rules.md.

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Fix
`gh: command not found`	Not installed	`brew install gh`
`authentication required`	Not logged in	`gh auth login`
`HTTP 403`	Insufficient scopes	`gh auth refresh -s scope`
`HTTP 404`	Repo not found or no access	Check repo name and permissions
`HTTP 422`	Validation failed	Check required fields, branch exists
`HTTP 409`	Merge conflict	Resolve conflicts first
`HTTP 429`	Rate limited	Wait, or use `--limit` to reduce calls
`GraphQL: ...`	API query error	Check field names and types

CLI Flags Reference

Flag	Description
`--json fields`	Output specific JSON fields
`--jq expr`	Filter JSON with jq expressions
`--template tmpl`	Format output with Go templates
`-R owner/repo`	Target a different repo
`--limit N`	Limit results
`--state open\	closed\	all`	Filter by state
`--label name`	Filter by label
`--assignee user`	Filter by assignee
`--author user`	Filter by author
`--web`	Open in browser

Shell Safety

No interactive mode: Never use -i or --interactive flags
No pagers: Always pipe to cat if output may trigger a pager: gh pr list | cat
Timeouts: Set reasonable timeouts for commands that could hang
Quote arguments: Always quote multi-word arguments and heredoc bodies
Never pass `--yes` to forbidden operations — always require explicit confirmation

Integration

Pairs with:

code-quality — Review code before PR creation
brainstorm — Design features before opening issues
codex-cli — Second-opinion audit before merging PRs
gemini-cli — Alternative AI review for PR changes

github-cli— agent skill

Is github-cli safe to install?

GitHub CLI

When to Use

Prerequisites

Safety Model

Decision Flow

Quick Reference

Safe (read-only, execute immediately)

Write (inform, then execute)

Destructive (AskUserQuestion required)

Forbidden (multi-step validation)

Workflow Patterns

Pull Requests

Issues

Releases

CI/CD & Actions

Repository

API

Self-Healing

AskUserQuestion Integration

PR Merge Example

PR/Issue Close Example

Delete Example

Error Handling

CLI Flags Reference

Shell Safety

Integration

Audit the pieces. Scan the whole. Decide.