Github api queries

GitHub API Queries for Metrics Collection

This skill demonstrates how to query the GitHub API for pull requests and issues using the gh CLI tool, extracting all necessary metadata for downstream analysis.

Prerequisites

• gh CLI installed and authenticated to GitHub
• Target repository in the format owner/repo (e.g., cli/cli)
• Date range for filtering (e.g., 2024-12-01..2024-12-31)

Querying Pull Requests

Use gh pr list with date filtering to retrieve all PRs created during a period:

gh pr list --repo cli/cli \
  --state all \
  --search "created:2024-12-01..2024-12-31" \
  --json number,title,author,createdAt,mergedAt,closedAt,state \
  --limit 1000

Key flags:

• --state all: Includes both open and closed PRs
• --search "created:2024-12-01..2024-12-31": GitHub search syntax for date ranges
• --json: Specify exact fields needed (number, author, timestamps, state)
• --limit 1000: Fetch up to 1000 results (pagination handled by gh)

Important fields for metrics:

• number: PR identifier
• author: Object with login field for contributor tracking
• createdAt: ISO timestamp for PR creation
• mergedAt: ISO timestamp for merge (null if not merged)
• closedAt: ISO timestamp for closure (null if still open)
• state: OPEN, CLOSED, or MERGED

Querying Issues

Use gh issue list for issues:

gh issue list --repo cli/cli \
  --state all \
  --search "created:2024-12-01..2024-12-31" \
  --json number,title,labels,createdAt,closedAt,state \
  --limit 1000

Key fields for metrics:

• labels: Array of label objects with name field (use for bug detection)
• closedAt: Timestamp for closure (null if still open)

Error Handling

If gh returns a rate limit error, wait and retry:

# Check remaining API quota
gh api rate_limit

If authentication fails, ensure:

gh auth status

Output Format

Both queries return JSON arrays. Each item includes the fields specified in --json. Example PR object:

{
  "number": 12345,
  "title": "Add feature X",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat"
  },
  "createdAt": "2024-12-05T14:30:00Z",
  "mergedAt": "2024-12-10T16:45:00Z",
  "closedAt": null,
  "state": "MERGED"
}

Date Format

All timestamps use ISO 8601 format (UTC). For calculations, parse with standard datetime libraries:

• Python: datetime.fromisoformat()
• JavaScript: new Date() or Date.parse()
• Bash: Convert via epoch for arithmetic

Tips for Reliability

• Always use --limit 1000 or higher to ensure all results are captured (verify count matches expectation)
• Dates must use YYYY-MM-DD format in search queries
• Include both endpoints of the range (results are inclusive of both dates)
• When comparing timestamps, ensure consistent timezone handling (all GitHub timestamps are UTC)