gh-axi CLI
A GitHub CLI wrapper for agents: compact TOON output, next-step hints and structured errors for issues, PRs, CI and releases
- 345 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Broad access
Why this level
- The tool creates, edits and deletes issues, gists, Actions secrets and variables, triggers workflows and cuts releases under your `gh` token
- Through `gh-axi api` the agent gets direct GitHub API access with the rights of your login
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add cli/gh-axiDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewBroad accessThe tool can change data, run commands or handle secrets.
- The tool creates, edits and deletes issues, gists, Actions secrets and variables, triggers workflows and cuts releases under your `gh` token
- Through `gh-axi api` the agent gets direct GitHub API access with the rights of your login
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
gh-axi wraps the official `gh` and returns results in the compact TOON format so the agent spends fewer tokens on GitHub responses. The output carries next-step hints, and errors arrive as structures. Run with no arguments, `gh-axi` shows a dashboard with the live state of the current repository: open issues and PRs. The commands cover issues and sub-issues, pull requests, discussions, PR stacks, CI runs and failed-job logs, workflows, releases, repositories, labels, gists, Projects (v2), Actions secrets and variables, search and raw API access. Multi-line text goes through `--body-file`, and images and videos attach to issues and PRs with `--attach`. The `gh-axi` skill is only a discovery stub: it points the agent to the current help in `npx -y gh-axi --help` and duplicates no commands, so there is nothing in it to go stale.
Who it is for. For developers whose agents work with GitHub through the shell: issue triage, PR review, CI checks, releases and Projects boards.
Good fit when
- The agent triages a failing CI run: `gh-axi run view --job 789012 --log-failed` shows only the failed log lines of one job
- You need to prepare a PR review or cut a release without flooding the context with long `gh` output
- You keep stacks of PRs on branches: `gh-axi stack init`, `stack submit` and `stack view` work through the `gh-stack` extension
- The agent needs Actions secrets or variables: `echo -n "sk-..." | gh-axi secret set OPENAI_API_KEY` takes the value from stdin
- You want the repository state in view at the start of a session: the `SessionStart` hook pulls in open issues and PRs
Not a fit when
- `gh` or Node 20+ is missing on the machine: the wrapper needs both
- You want to authenticate without `gh auth login`: the tool takes access from an installed, authenticated `gh`
- You want an MCP server with separate tools: gh-axi works through shell commands rather than the MCP protocol
- The agent must not change data on GitHub: the tool can create, edit and delete issues, gists, secrets and releases
Example request
Find out why the last CI run in this repository failed and show only the failed log linesLimitations
You need an installed, authenticated `gh` (`gh auth login`) and Node 20 or newer. Attaching files with `--attach` requires `gh` 2.99.0 or newer, and closing an issue as a duplicate requires 2.88.0. PR stacks work only with the `gh extension install github/gh-stack` extension. For GitHub Enterprise or another host, authenticate `gh` on that host and pass `--hostname` or set `GH_HOST`. Point to a specific `gh` copy with `GH_BIN`.
The skill is marked as not user-invocable: the agent loads it on its own when a task touches GitHub. The optional `SessionStart` hook installs for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode with `gh-axi setup hooks`, after which the agent session must be restarted.
How to disable. A skill installed with `-g` lives in `~/.claude/skills/`; delete the `gh-axi` folder there. Remove the global package with `npm uninstall -g gh-axi`.
FAQ
How do I install gh-axi in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add kunchenguid/gh-axi --skill gh-axi -g`. The `-g` flag puts the skill in `~/.claude/skills/` for all projects; without it the skill goes to `.claude/skills/` of the current project. No separate `npm install` is needed.
Can I use it without installing?
Yes. Tell the agent "Execute `npx -y gh-axi` to get GitHub tools": gh-axi is built as an AXI, so any capable agent can run the CLI directly.
How does gh-axi differ from plain gh?
It returns output in the TOON format and adds next-step hints. In the author's benchmark of 17 tasks with the `claude-sonnet-4-6` model, gh-axi passed every run (100% against 86% for raw `gh`) at $0.050 per task against $0.054.
How does it differ from GitHub MCP?
In the same benchmark, going through GitHub MCP cost more: $0.101 to $0.148 per task against $0.050, with 137 to 176 thousand input tokens against 46 thousand. Success ranged from 82% to 87%.
How do I get the repository state at the start of a session?
Install the package globally with `npm install -g gh-axi`, then run `gh-axi setup hooks`. The `SessionStart` hook for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode shows the current repository's open issues and PRs. Restart the agent session afterwards.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Entries that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Entry | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gh-axi (this entry) | no | 345 | ||
| GitHub MCP Server | no | key is optional | 33,858 | the official GitHub MCP server, while this is a gh wrapper with no MCP protocol |
| GitHub CLI skills | no | 46,712 | official skills that teach the agent to call gh itself, while this is a separate wrapper with compact output | |
| gh-image | no | 279 | a GitHub CLI extension and agent skill that uploads screenshots |
README in short
The description opens with a short definition and the axi benchmark of 17 real GitHub tasks across five interface setups, then a quick start with the skill install. It goes on to other ways to connect: running without installing and a session hook. The main part is a command reference with examples, rules for passing body text from a file, the `--attach` flag and repeatable flags.