GitHub

Make use of GitHub repositories, code and user info programmatically

GitHub's REST API (v3) and GraphQL API (v4) provide comprehensive access to repositories, issues, pull requests, actions, packages, users, organizations, and more. With OAuth or personal access tokens, you can automate virtually any GitHub workflow — from creating issues to managing CI/CD pipelines. For OpenClaw agents, GitHub is one of the most powerful integrations available. Your agent can monitor repos for new issues or PRs, create issues from chat commands, check CI/CD status, review code changes, manage releases, and even trigger GitHub Actions workflows. It's essential for any developer-focused AI assistant.

Tags: utility, development

Category: Development

Use Cases

  • Monitor repos for new issues/PRs and send notifications via Telegram
  • Create GitHub issues from chat commands ('file issue: fix login bug')
  • Check CI/CD pipeline status and alert on failures during heartbeat cycles

Tips

  • Use fine-grained PATs with minimal scopes for better security
  • The /notifications endpoint is great for building a unified notification hub
  • Use conditional requests (If-None-Match header) to avoid wasting rate limit on unchanged data

Known Issues & Gotchas

  • Fine-grained PATs expire by default — set a long expiry or use classic tokens for automation
  • GraphQL API has a separate rate limit (5,000 points/hour) calculated differently from REST
  • Some endpoints require specific OAuth scopes — check docs for each endpoint

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use a personal access token or OAuth for OpenClaw?

For personal automation, a fine-grained personal access token (PAT) is simplest. Create one at github.com/settings/tokens with only the scopes you need. OAuth is for multi-user apps.

What's the difference between REST v3 and GraphQL v4?

REST is simpler and well-documented. GraphQL lets you fetch exactly the data you need in one request, reducing API calls. For OpenClaw skills, REST is usually sufficient and easier to work with in curl.

Can my agent trigger GitHub Actions workflows?

Yes. The workflow_dispatch API lets you trigger workflows programmatically. Your agent can kick off deployments, tests, or any custom workflow from a chat command.