Configuration — Understanding GitHub CLI

The `gh config` Command

GitHub CLI configuration works similarly to git config — you can get, set, and list settings.

Setting Values

gh config set <key> <value>
 
# Examples
gh config set editor vim
gh config set pager "less -R"
gh config set git_protocol ssh
gh config set browser "firefox"
gh config set prompt disabled       # Disable interactive prompts

Getting Values

gh config get <key>
 
# Examples
gh config get editor
gh config get git_protocol

Listing All Settings

gh config list

Clearing the Cache

gh config clear-cache

Configuration Keys

Key	Values	Default	Description
`git_protocol`	`https`, `ssh`	`https`	Default protocol for Git operations
`editor`	Any editor command	`$GH_EDITOR`, `$VISUAL`, or `$EDITOR`	Editor for composing text (issues, PRs)
`prompt`	`enabled`, `disabled`	`enabled`	Whether to use interactive prompts
`pager`	Any pager command	`$GH_PAGER`, `$PAGER`, or `less`	Pager for long output
`http_unix_socket`	Socket path		Unix socket for HTTP connections
`browser`	Any browser command	`$GH_BROWSER` or `$BROWSER`	Web browser for `--web` commands

Host-Specific Configuration

Settings can be scoped to a specific host:

# Set SSH only for github.com, keep HTTPS for enterprise
gh config set git_protocol ssh --host github.com
gh config set git_protocol https --host github.example.com

Configuration Files

All files live in ~/.config/gh/ (override with $GH_CONFIG_DIR).

`config.yml`

Global settings and aliases:

git_protocol: ssh
editor: vim
prompt: enabled
pager: less
aliases:
  co: pr checkout
  pvw: pr view --web

`hosts.yml`

Per-host authentication and settings:

github.com:
  user: yourname
  oauth_token: gho_xxxxxxxxxxxx
  git_protocol: ssh

You can edit these files directly or use gh config set.

Environment Variables

Environment variables override config file settings. They are especially useful in CI/CD and scripts.

Authentication

Variable	Purpose
`GH_TOKEN` / `GITHUB_TOKEN`	Auth token for github.com and `*.ghe.com`
`GH_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN` / `GITHUB_ENTERPRISE_TOKEN`	Auth token for GitHub Enterprise Server

Host & Repository

Variable	Purpose
`GH_HOST`	Default GitHub hostname when not specified
`GH_REPO`	Default repository in `[HOST/]OWNER/REPO` format

Editors & Browsers

Variable	Purpose
`GH_EDITOR`	Editor for composing text (highest priority)
`GIT_EDITOR`	Fallback editor
`VISUAL`	Fallback editor
`EDITOR`	Fallback editor (lowest priority)
`GH_BROWSER` / `BROWSER`	Web browser for `--web` commands

Output & Display

Variable	Purpose
`GH_PAGER` / `PAGER`	Terminal pager (e.g., `less`, `bat`)
`GH_FORCE_TTY`	Force terminal-style output when piping
`GH_MDWIDTH`	Max width for markdown rendering
`NO_COLOR`	Set to any value to disable ANSI colors
`CLICOLOR`	Set to `0` to disable colors
`CLICOLOR_FORCE`	Set to non-zero to keep colors when piping
`GH_COLOR_LABELS`	Display labels with RGB hex colors
`GLAMOUR_STYLE`	Markdown rendering style (`dark`, `light`, `notty`)

Debugging

Variable	Purpose
`GH_DEBUG`	Set to `1` for verbose output; set to `api` for HTTP traffic

Miscellaneous

Variable	Purpose
`GH_CONFIG_DIR`	Override the config directory location
`GH_PROMPT_DISABLED`	Disable all interactive prompts
`GH_NO_UPDATE_NOTIFIER`	Suppress update-available notices
`GH_NO_EXTENSION_UPDATE_NOTIFIER`	Suppress extension update notices
`GH_SPINNER_DISABLED`	Replace spinner with text progress

Example: CI/CD Environment

export GH_TOKEN="ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
export GH_REPO="myorg/myrepo"
export GH_PROMPT_DISABLED=1
export NO_COLOR=1
 
gh pr create --title "Automated PR" --body "Created by CI"

Exercises

Run gh config list and review your current settings
Set your preferred editor: gh config set editor "code --wait"
Switch the default git protocol: gh config set git_protocol ssh
Open ~/.config/gh/config.yml and inspect the file structure
Try setting GH_DEBUG=1 and run any command to see verbose output