GitHub Create Label Skill

Create GitHub issue labels using the best available tool with automatic tool selection.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a new label in the current repository
• Create multiple labels with specific names, descriptions, and colors
• Use the best available tool (MCP Server, CLI, or REST API) automatically
• Define labels before creating issues or assigning them

Quick Start

Create a Single Label

Input: "Create a label called 'bug' with description 'Something isn't working' and color d73a4a"

Process:

1. Detects available tools (MCP Server → CLI → REST API)
2. Uses the first available tool
3. Creates the label with provided parameters
4. Returns success confirmation

Create Multiple Labels

Input: "Create these labels: bug (red #d73a4a), enhancement (cyan #a2eeef), documentation (blue #0075ca)"

Process:

1. Parses label definitions
2. Creates each label using available tool
3. Returns list of created labels or errors

Tool Selection Workflow

The skill attempts label creation in this precedence order:

1. GitHub MCP Server

Best for: Integrated Claude workflows When available: Claude with GitHub tools enabled Advantages: Native integration, no external tools needed

2. GitHub CLI (gh)

Best for: Local development, interactive workflows When available: gh command installed and authenticated Command: gh label create --name --description --color

Requirements:

• gh command installed
• Authenticated via gh auth login

3. GitHub REST API

Best for: CI/CD, automation, programmatic access When available: GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN environment variable set Endpoint: POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/labels

Requirements:

• GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN environment variable
• Token must have repo scope

Label Parameters

Required

• name (string): Label name
  • Max 50 characters
  • Examples: "bug", "enhancement", "documentation"

Optional

• description (string): Label description

  • Max 100 characters
  • Examples: "Something isn't working"
  • Default: empty string

• color (string): Hex color code

  • 6 characters without # prefix
  • Examples: "d73a4a" (red), "a2eeef" (cyan), "0075ca" (blue)
  • Default: random color assigned by GitHub

Common Label Patterns

Bug Tracking

bug: d73a4a (red)
"Something isn't working"

help wanted: 008672 (dark green)
"Extra attention is needed"

Feature Management

enhancement: a2eeef (cyan)
"New feature or request"

good first issue: 7057ff (purple)
"Good for newcomers"

Documentation & Questions

documentation: 0075ca (blue)
"Improvements or additions to documentation"

question: cc317c (purple)
"Further information is requested"

Maintenance

wontfix: ffffff (white)
"This will not be worked on"

invalid: e4e669 (yellow)
"This doesn't seem right"

Configuration

Environment Variables

# GitHub CLI authentication (handled by gh auth login)
# No manual setup needed

# REST API authentication
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
# or
export GH_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Repository Detection

The skill automatically detects:

• Repository owner and name from git remote URL
• Current directory as repository root (can be overridden)

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Create Standard Labels for New Repository

User Input: "Set up standard labels for bug tracking and feature management"

Process:

1. Creates "bug" label (red)
2. Creates "enhancement" label (cyan)
3. Creates "documentation" label (blue)
4. Creates "help wanted" label (dark green)
5. Returns confirmation

Scenario 2: Create Custom Label

User Input: "Create a label for security issues with color ff0000"

Process:

1. Parses label: name="security", color="ff0000"
2. Uses available tool to create
3. Returns confirmation

Scenario 3: Tool Fallback

User Input: Create label (gh CLI not installed)

Process:

1. Detects gh not available
2. Checks for GITHUB_TOKEN
3. Uses REST API if available
4. Returns error if no tools available

Scenario 4: Batch Label Creation

User Input: Create labels from a list

Process:

1. Iterates through label definitions
2. Creates each label using available tool
3. Tracks successes and failures
4. Returns summary report

Reference

For detailed information about:

• GitHub API and CLI commands: See api_reference.md
• Label color suggestions and examples
• Error handling and troubleshooting

Error Handling

The skill handles these common errors gracefully:

Error	Solution
"gh: not found"	Install GitHub CLI from https://cli.github.com
"Not authenticated"	Run gh auth login to authenticate
"GITHUB_TOKEN not set"	Set GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable
"Repository not found"	Verify git remote is configured correctly
"Label already exists"	Use different name or update existing label
"Invalid color format"	Use 6-character hex code (e.g., d73a4a)
"Name too long"	Keep label name under 50 characters

Integration Example

When using this skill in Claude tasks:

I need to set up labels for this repository.
Create these labels:
- bug (red, "Something isn't working")
- enhancement (cyan, "New feature or request")
- documentation (blue, "Documentation improvements")
- help wanted (dark green, "Extra attention needed")

The skill will:

1. Check for available tools in order of precedence
2. Create each label using the best available tool
3. Return confirmation for each created label
4. Report any errors that occur

Best Practices

1. Consistency: Use consistent naming across projects (lowercase, hyphens for spaces)
2. Documentation: Always include descriptions for clarity
3. Colors: Use colors to create visual patterns (red for bugs, green for help, blue for docs)
4. Batch Creation: Create all needed labels upfront during project setup
5. Naming Conventions: Follow repository guidelines for label naming