GitHub Workflow Orchestration

Overview

Manage the complete GitHub development workflow from the terminal using gh and git. Covers branch hygiene, commit crafting, issue triage, PR lifecycle, and parallel worktree operations.

Branch Management

Sync & Create

# Sync with upstream
gh repo sync --force
git fetch origin main && git rebase origin/main

# Create feature branch
git switch -c feature/payments-123 origin/main

# Checkout existing PR
gh pr checkout <number>

# Set default repo
gh repo set-default org/repo

Naming Convention

feature/<area>-<ticket>     # New features
bugfix/<ticket>             # Bug fixes
hotfix/<ticket>             # Production fixes
release/<version>           # Release branches

Daily Hygiene

# Rebase on main
git fetch origin main && git rebase origin/main

# Push with tracking
git push -u origin feature/payments-123

# If conflicts: abort, fix, rerun
git rebase --abort

Audit & Cleanup

# List remote branches
gh api repos/:owner/:repo/git/refs/heads --jq '.[].ref'

# Delete merged branches
git branch -d <branch>
git push origin --delete <branch>

# Stale branch alias
gh alias set stale-branches '!git branch -r --merged main | grep -v main'

Cross-Platform Tips

• Use .gitconfig alias: sync = !gh repo sync && git fetch -p
• Windows: git config --global core.autocrlf false for team consistency

Commit Quality

Configure

# Signing
git config --global user.signingkey <GPG_KEY>
git config --global commit.gpgsign true

# Message template
git config commit.template ~/.gitmessage

Craft Commits

# Selective staging
git add -p

# Commit with conventional message
git commit -m "feat(auth): add biometric fallback

Resolves #123. Adds TouchID/FaceID fallback for password-less login."

Commit Conventions

Prefix	Meaning
feat:	New feature
fix:	Bug fix
refactor:	Code refactoring
perf:	Performance improvement
docs:	Documentation
test:	Tests
chore:	Maintenance
breaking:	Breaking change

Link Issues

• Body: Fixes #123 or Refs #123 (auto-closes on merge)
• Verify context: gh issue view <id> before referencing

Amend Safely

git commit --amend                    # Edit last message
git commit --amend --no-edit          # Add staged, keep message
git push --force-with-lease           # Safe force push (only for unpushed)

Verify

git log --show-signature -1           # Check signature
gh pr status                          # Clean diff vs base

Issue Triage

List & Filter

gh issue list --label bug --state open --limit 50
gh issue list --state open --search "updated:<-30d"    # Stale issues
gh issue list --assignee @me --state open

Create Issues

gh issue create --title "Crash on resume" \
  --body-file templates/bug.md \
  --label bug \
  --assignee @me \
  --project "Product Roadmap"

Triage Existing

# View details
gh issue view 123 --json title,body,labels,comments

# Update labels
gh issue edit 123 --add-label priority/high --remove-label triage

# Assign owner
gh issue edit 123 --assignee user1

# Cross-link to PR
gh issue comment 123 --body "Tracking in PR #456"

Export for Reporting

gh issue list --json number,title,state,assignees --jq \
  '.[] | [.number,.title,.state,(.assignees[].login? // "")] | @csv'

Automation Aliases

gh alias set stale '!gh issue list --state open --search "updated:<-30d"'
gh alias set my-issues '!gh issue list --assignee @me --state open'
gh alias set triage '!gh issue list --label triage --state open --limit 20'

PR Lifecycle

Create PR

gh pr create --base main \
  --title "feat: add biometric login" \
  --body-file .github/pull_request_template.md \
  --reviewer user1,user2 \
  --label "area:core" \
  --project "Roadmap"

Monitor & Update

# Preview diff
gh pr diff

# Watch CI checks
gh pr checks --watch

# Rerun failed jobs
gh run rerun <run-id>

# Add notes
gh pr comment --body "Updated screenshots for iOS"

Review & Merge

# Checkout PR locally
gh pr checkout <number>

# Approve
gh pr review <number> --approve

# Request changes
gh pr review <number> --request-changes --body "See inline comments"

# Merge with rebase + delete branch
gh pr merge <number> --rebase --delete-branch

Triage Open PRs

gh pr list --state open --label "needs-review"
gh pr list --state open --search "review:required"

Automation Aliases

gh alias set pim '!gh pr status && gh pr checks'
gh alias set my-prs '!gh pr list --author @me --state open'

Worktree Operations

Setup

# Clone once
gh repo clone org/repo ~/code/repo
cd ~/code/repo && gh repo set-default

# Create worktree directory
mkdir -p ~/code/worktrees

Create Worktrees

# From existing branch
git worktree add ../worktrees/feature-login feature/login-form

# Create new branch
git worktree add ../worktrees/bugfix-123 -b bugfix/123

# List all
git worktree list

Sync & Cleanup

# Fetch all
gh repo sync
git fetch --all --prune

# Remove merged worktree
git worktree remove ../worktrees/bugfix-123
git branch -d bugfix/123

# Prune stale
git worktree prune

Cross-Platform Paths

# macOS/Linux
git worktree add ~/code/worktrees/feature feature/branch

# Windows PowerShell
git worktree add $env:USERPROFILE\code\worktrees\feature feature/branch

Tips

• Run CI from worktree: gh workflow run validates branch-specific tests
• Each worktree should track upstream: git rev-parse --abbrev-ref @{u}
• Audit weekly: remove stale worktrees, reclaim disk

Verification

• git status clean before switching branches
• All new issues tagged with priority + area within SLA
• Every PR includes template, reviewers, and passing CI
• Branch list free of stale branches older than 30 days
• git worktree list shows only active tasks