---
name: Issue Query
slug: issue-query
category: Data
description: Issue Query retrieves GitHub issues and filters them with jq expressions. Use it to inspect issue data without overwhelming output, and run targeted queries by state, author, labels, and more.
github: "https://github.com/github/gh-aw/tree/main/.github/skills/github-issue-query"
language: Go
stars: 4934
forks: 495
install: "npx degit https://github.com/github/gh-aw/tree/main/.github/skills/github-issue-query ~/.claude/skills/github-issue-query"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/github-issue-query
source_path: .github/skills/github-issue-query/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 668
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/github/gh-aw"
added: 2026-08-16T07:00:57.705Z
last_synced: 2026-08-16T07:00:57.705Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/issue-query"
---

# Issue Query

Issue Query retrieves GitHub issues and filters them with jq expressions. Use it to inspect issue data without overwhelming output, and run targeted queries by state, author, labels, and more.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/github/gh-aw/tree/main/.github/skills/github-issue-query ~/.claude/skills/github-issue-query
```

## README

# GitHub Issue Query Skill

Query GitHub issues efficiently with built-in jq filtering.

## Important: jq Parameter is Optional

The `--jq` parameter is **optional**. Without `--jq`, this skill returns **schema and data size information** instead of full data.
Use this to avoid oversized responses and inspect structure before targeted queries.

Use `--jq '.'` to get all data, or use a more specific filter for targeted results.

## Usage

Use this skill to query issues from the current repository or any specified repository.

### Basic Query (Returns Schema Only)

To list issues from the current repository:

```bash
./query-issues.sh
# Returns schema and data size, not full data
```

### Get All Data

To get all issue data:

```bash
./query-issues.sh --jq '.'
```

### With Repository

To query a specific repository:

```bash
./query-issues.sh --repo owner/repo
```

### With jq Filtering

Use the `--jq` argument to filter and transform the output:

```bash
# Get only open issues
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | select(.state == "OPEN")'

# Get issue numbers and titles
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | {number, title}'

# Get issues by a specific author
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | select(.author.login == "username")'

# Get issues with specific label
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | select(.labels | map(.name) | index("bug"))'

# Count issues by state
./query-issues.sh --jq 'group_by(.state) | map({state: .[0].state, count: length})'
```

### Common Options

- `--state`: Filter by state (open, closed, all). Default: open
- `--limit`: Maximum number of issues to fetch. Default: 30
- `--repo`: Repository in owner/repo format. Default: current repo
- `--jq`: (Optional) jq expression for filtering/transforming output. If omitted, returns schema info

### Example Queries

**Find issues with many comments:**
```bash
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | select(.comments.totalCount > 5) | {number, title, comments: .comments.totalCount}'
```

**Get issues assigned to someone:**
```bash
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | select(.assignees | length > 0) | {number, title, assignees: [.assignees[].login]}'
```

**List issues with their labels:**
```bash
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | {number, title, labels: [.labels[].name]}'
```

**Get project board assignments:**
```bash
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | {number, title, projects: [.projectItems.nodes[]? | .project?.url]}'
```

**Find old issues (created over 30 days ago):**
```bash
./query-issues.sh --jq '.[] | select(.createdAt < (now - 2592000 | strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")))'
```

## Output Format

The script outputs JSON by default, making it easy to pipe through jq for additional processing.

## Requirements

- GitHub CLI (`gh`) authenticated
- `jq` for filtering (installed by default on most systems)