How to use the command `gh help` (with examples)

This article will guide you through various use cases of the gh help command, which is a command-line interface (CLI) tool provided by GitHub. The gh help command allows you to display information about the GitHub CLI commands and their usage.

Use case 1: Display general help

Code:

gh help

Motivation:

• You want to get a general overview of the gh command and how it works.

Explanation:

• The command gh help displays the general help information for the GitHub CLI command.

Example output:

gh is the GitHub CLI.
...

USAGE
  gh <command> <subcommand> [flags]

CORE COMMANDS
  help        Display help about the GitHub CLI
  config      Manage configuration for the GitHub CLI
  ...

SEE ALSO
  gh help <command> or gh <command> --help
    Get help about any command or flag

Use case 2: Display help for the gh help subcommand

Code:

gh help --help

Motivation:

• You want to understand the usage and available options for the gh help subcommand.

Explanation:

• The gh help --help command displays the help information specifically for the gh help subcommand.

Example output:

Display help about the GitHub CLI command.

USAGE
  gh help <command>

FLAGS
  -h, --help   Show help for command

AVAILABLE COMMANDS
  alias, api, completion, config, feedback, help, issue, ...

Use case 3: Display help about environment variables that can be used with gh

Code:

gh help environment

Motivation:

• You want to learn about the environment variables that can be utilized with the gh command.

Explanation:

• Running the gh help environment command provides information about the environment variables that can be used in conjunction with the gh command.

Example output:

Environment variables that can be set:

  GH_HOME
    Set the directory where gh should store configuration data.

  GH_CONFIG_DIR
    Set the directory where gh should find configuration data.
...

Use case 4: Display a markdown reference of all gh commands

Code:

gh help reference

Motivation:

• You wish to obtain a markdown reference that lists all the available gh commands.

Explanation:

• The gh help reference command displays a markdown reference of all the GitHub CLI commands.

Example output:

All available gh commands:

COMMAND                                                                     DESCRIPTION
alias                                                                       Create command shortcuts
api                                                                         Make an authenticated GitHub API request
completion                                                                  Generate shell completion scripts
config                                                                      Manage configuration for gh
feedback                                                                    Create a new GitHub issue or pull request
help                                                                        Display help about any command
...

Use case 5: Display help about formatting JSON output from gh using jq

Code:

gh help formatting

Motivation:

• You want to learn about the formatting options available for JSON output when using gh with the jq command-line tool.

Explanation:

• Running the gh help formatting command provides help information about formatting JSON output obtained from the gh command using the jq syntax.

Example output:

gh help formatting
Displays help about formatting JSON output with 'jq'.

Arguments:
  <query>
    A jq query for selecting fields to include in the output. (optional)

Flags:
  -r, --raw-strings
    Do not escape JSON strings in the output.

  -c, --compact
    Generate a compact JSON output.

  ...

Use case 6: Display help about using gh with MinTTY

Code:

gh help mintty

Motivation:

• You want to find guidance on using the gh command with the MinTTY terminal.

Explanation:

• The gh help mintty command provides help information specifically about using the gh command with MinTTY, which is an alternate terminal for Windows.

Example output:

MinTTY is not supported on your platform. If you believe this message is an error,
please raise an issue at https://github.com/cli/cli.

ERROR: unsupported platform

Use case 7: Display help for a subcommand

Code:

gh help subcommand

Motivation:

• You need help and information about a specific subcommand for the gh command.

Explanation:

• By replacing “subcommand” with the desired subcommand, you can get help about that specific subcommand using the gh help <subcommand> command.

Example output:

Display help information about the specific subcommand.

USAGE
  gh help <subcommand>

Use case 8: Display help for a subcommand action

Code:

gh help pr create

Motivation:

• You want to get help and instructions about a particular action within a subcommand, such as creating a pull request (pr create).

Explanation:

• Using the gh help <subcommand> <action> command, you can view help information specifically about a particular action within a subcommand.

Example output:

Create a new pull request.

Usage:
  gh pr create [flags]

...

Conclusion:

The gh help command is a versatile tool that provides detailed help information and documentation about the GitHub CLI commands, subcommands, actions, and various usage scenarios. By utilizing the different options and arguments of the gh help command, developers can easily access the information they need to maximize their productivity with the GitHub CLI.