GitHub CLI Workflow Guide (with SSH, PRs & Issues)

A beginner-friendly guide to working with GitHub CLI (gh), including SSH setup, repositories, pull requests, and issues.

What is GitHub and Why Use It?

GitHub is a web-based platform built on top of Git, the version control system. It allows developers and teams to:

• Host code repositories online
• Collaborate with others through pull requests and reviews
• Track issues and bugs with a built-in issue tracker
• Deploy and automate with GitHub Actions
• Secure and manage code using permissions, signed commits, and access controls

Why Use GitHub?

GitHub makes it easy to scale from solo projects to large enterprise teams.

1. Install GitHub CLI

macOS:

brew install gh

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install gh

Check it's working:

gh --version

It will show the current version installed

2. Authenticate with GitHub (SSH)

gh auth login

Follow prompts:

• Select: GitHub.com
• Choose protocol: SSH
• Login method: Login with browser

3. Generate SSH Key (if needed)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

-t is encryption type and -C is comment

Save it to the default path and set a secure passphrase.

4. Add SSH Key to SSH Agent

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

5. Add SSH Key to GitHub

gh ssh-key add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub --title "My Dev Machine"

6. (Optional) Add GPG Key for Signed Commits

If you've created a GPG key:

gpg --armor --export <GPG_KEY_ID> | gh gpg-key add -

Find your GPG key ID:

gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long

7. Verify Authentication

gh auth status        # View login method
ssh -T [email protected] # Test SSH

8. Create and Push a New Repo

mkdir my-app && cd my-app
git init
gh repo create my-app --public --source=. --remote=origin --push

9. Clone a Repo

gh repo clone username/repo-name
cd repo-name

10. Feature Branch + PR Workflow

git checkout -b feature/login
# Make changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add login feature"
git push -u origin feature/login

Create a Pull Request

gh pr create --base main --head feature/login --title "Add login" --body "Implements login form"

Merge PR (when approved)

gh pr merge 123 --merge       # Standard merge
# or
gh pr merge 123 --squash      # Combine all commits

You can also use gh pr merge with no number if you're in the branch folder.

11. Manage Issues

Create a New Issue

gh issue create --title "Bug: Login fails on Safari" --body "Steps to reproduce..."

View Open Issues

gh issue list

View a Specific Issue

gh issue view 42

Comment on an Issue

gh issue comment 42 --body "Looking into this now!"

Close an Issue

gh issue close 42

12. Git Commands Reference

Basic Git commands are not covered here. See full Git guide → git-commands.md

GitHub CLI Cheatsheet