GitHub CLI

GitHub CLI is the official command-line tool from GitHub that brings the full GitHub experience to the terminal. It is free and open source, enabling developers to work with issues, pull requests, checks, releases, discussions, repositories, and actions without leaving the command line. The tool provides commands for cloning repositories, creating and managing branches, opening and reviewing pull requests, checking CI status, viewing release notes, and managing GitHub Actions workflows. It supports authentication with both GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Server, making it suitable for enterprise environments. One of its most powerful features is the ability to call the GitHub REST and GraphQL APIs directly from the command line, allowing developers to script and automate virtually any GitHub operation. Custom aliases can be defined for frequently used commands, and the tool supports shell completion for Bash, Zsh, Fish, and PowerShell. Installation is available through major package managers including Homebrew, WinGet, apt, Chocolatey, conda, and Scoop, with pre-built binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The CLI integrates deeply with Git workflows, supporting automatic fork creation when contributing to repositories, draft pull request creation, and the ability to checkout pull requests by number, URL, or branch name. It also supports GitHub Extensions, allowing third-party tools to extend its functionality through custom subcommands. The project is actively developed on GitHub with over 38,000 stars and regular releases adding new features and improving existing workflows. Enterprise features include support for GitHub Enterprise Server and GitHub Enterprise Cloud, with seamless authentication configuration.