SkillsAdd

smithery.ai

gh-search

Use when searching GitHub via CLI for issues, PRs, repos, code, or commits - provides correct syntax for exclusions, qualifiers, quoting, and platform-specific handling to avoid command failures

First seen May 2, 2026

Installation

$ npx skills add https://smithery.ai
View on skills.sh ↗ Website ↗

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Also in this package

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npx skills add https://smithery.ai
smithery-ai-cli 7.8K frontend-design 6.2K skill-creator 2.5K ck:ui-ux-pro-max 1.3K pdf 1.2K xlsx 966 pptx 894 docx 884 webapp-testing 1 web-design-reviewer 657

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More details

Agent compatibility

Declared targets from SKILL.md / docs. Unmarked agents are not listed — the skill may still install via the CLI.

Claude Code Not declared
Cursor Not declared
Codex Not declared
GitHub Copilot Not declared
Windsurf Not declared
Gemini CLI Not declared
Cline Not declared
OpenCode Not declared

Package contents

Files included with this skill beyond the listing page.

  • skill md SKILL.md 4,574 B
  • docs SUMMARY.md 211 B

History

  1. First seen on skills.sh
  2. First recorded snapshot · 2 installs

SKILL.md

GitHub CLI Search

Overview

Search GitHub from the command line using gh search subcommands. The key principle: Always use -- before queries with exclusions to prevent shell interpretation of - prefixes.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

  • Searching GitHub via gh CLI for issues, PRs, repos, code, or commits
  • User requests searches with exclusions (NOT, minus prefix)
  • Constructing complex queries with multiple qualifiers
  • Queries contain spaces or special characters

Subcommands Quick Reference

Subcommand Use For Common Flags
gh search issues Issues (add --include-prs for PRs too) --label, --state, --author, --assignee
gh search prs Pull requests only --label, --state, --author, --draft, --merged
gh search repos Repositories --language, --stars, --topic, --owner
gh search code Code within files --repo, --language, --filename
gh search commits Commit messages --repo, --author, --committer

Critical Syntax Rules

1. Exclusions Require -- Flag

Unix/Linux/Mac:

gh search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"

PowerShell:

gh --% search issues -- "bug -label:duplicate"

Why: The - prefix gets interpreted as a command flag without --. PowerShell needs --% to stop parsing.

2. Quoting Rules

Multi-word queries need quotes:

gh search issues "memory leak"

Entire query with spaces should be quoted:

gh search issues "bug label:urgent created:>2024-01-01"

Qualifier values with spaces need inner quotes:

gh search prs -- 'security label:"bug fix"'

3. Qualifier Syntax

Inline qualifiers (use within search query):

gh search repos "react stars:>1000 language:typescript"

Flag-based (use as separate flags):

gh search repos "react" --language typescript --stars ">1000"

Can mix both:

gh search issues "crash" --label bug created:>2024-01-01

Common Qualifiers

Comparison Operators

  • >, >=, <, <= - Numeric: stars:>100, comments:>=5
  • .. - Ranges: stars:10..50, created:2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Special Values

  • @me - Current user: author:@me, assignee:@me, owner:@me
  • Dates use ISO8601: created:>2024-01-01 or created:2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Field-Specific Search

  • in:title - Search in title only
  • in:body - Search in body only
  • in:comments - Search in comments only

Exclusions

  • -qualifier:value - Exclude: -label:bug, -language:javascript
  • NOT keyword - For words only: "hello NOT world"

Examples

Find your open issues without bug label:

gh search issues -- "is:open author:@me -label:bug"

Find popular Python ML repos updated recently:

gh search repos "machine learning" --language python --stars ">1000" --updated ">2024-01-01"

Find PRs with specific label and text:

gh search prs -- 'security label:"bug fix" created:>2024-01-01'

Search code in organization repos:

gh search code "TODO" --owner myorg --language javascript

Common Mistakes

Mistake Problem Fix
gh search issues -label:bug -label interpreted as flag Add --: gh search issues -- "-label:bug"
gh search repos machine learning Searches "machine" OR "learning" Quote it: "machine learning"
in:title outside quotes Shell interprets : oddly Include in query: "crash in:title"
Mixing @ with value Invalid syntax Use @me or username, not both: author:@me ✓, author:@username ✗ (drop @)
PowerShell without --% Parsing breaks with exclusions Add gh --% before command

Output Options

All subcommands support:

  • --limit <n> - Max results (default: 30, max: 1000)
  • --json <fields> - JSON output for scripting
  • --web - Open results in browser
  • --sort <field> - Sort by: comments, created, reactions, updated, stars, etc.
  • --order asc|desc - Sort direction (default: desc)

Real-World Impact

Correct syntax prevents:

  • Command failures from misinterpreted flags
  • Missing results from incorrect exclusions
  • Errors from unquoted spaces
  • Platform-specific parsing issues