Do I need to be authenticated?

Yes. Run gh auth status to ensure you are authenticated before reopening an issue.

Can I reopen any closed issue?

Only closed issues can be reopened; provide a valid issue number or URL.

What if I want to reopen in a different repository?

Use --repo OWNER/REPO to target the specific repository when issuing gh issue reopen.

gh-issue-reopen

npx machina-cli add skill dceoy/github-cli-agent-skills/gh-issue-reopen --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

1.5 KB

GitHub Issue Reopen

When to use

The user asks to reopen a closed issue.
Issue was closed prematurely or needs more work.
Bug reoccurred after being marked fixed.

Inputs to confirm

Issue number or URL.
Optional reopening comment.
Target repo if not current (--repo OWNER/REPO).

Workflow

Verify auth:
```
gh --version
gh auth status
```

Check issue current state:

gh issue view 123 --json number,title,state,stateReason

Reopen the issue:

gh issue reopen 123
gh issue reopen 123 --comment "Reopening: bug reoccurred in v2.1"

Verify reopening:
```
gh issue view 123 --json state
```

Examples

# Simple reopen
gh issue reopen 123

# Reopen with explanation
gh issue reopen 123 --comment "Issue still reproducible on latest version."

# Reopen by URL
gh issue reopen https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/123

Flags reference

Flag	Description
`-c, --comment`	Add a reopening comment

Notes

Only closed issues can be reopened.
Adding a comment helps track why the issue was reopened.
Arguments accept issue number or URL.

References

GitHub CLI manual: https://cli.github.com/manual/
gh issue reopen --help

Source

git clone https://github.com/dceoy/github-cli-agent-skills/blob/main/skills/gh-issue-reopen/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

This skill reopens a closed GitHub issue using the gh CLI. It supports an optional --comment to explain why the issue is being reopened and can target a specific repository with --repo. It guides you through verifying authentication, checking issue state, executing the reopen, and confirming the new state.

How This Skill Works

First, verify your authentication with gh --version and gh auth status. Then inspect the issue state with gh issue view <num> --json number,state. Finally, reopen the issue with gh issue reopen <num> [--comment "Your reason"] and verify the new state with gh issue view <num> --json state.

When to Use It

User requests reopening a closed issue.
Issue was closed prematurely or needs more work.
Bug reoccurred after being marked fixed.
Need to add a reopening comment explaining why.
Reopen in a different repository with --repo.

Quick Start

Step 1: Verify authentication with gh --version and gh auth status.
Step 2: Check the issue state with gh issue view 123 --json number,state.
Step 3: Reopen the issue (with optional --comment) and verify with gh issue view 123 --json state.

Best Practices

Verify authentication with gh --version and gh auth status.
Check current issue state with gh issue view and --json.
Provide a clear --comment explaining the reason for reopening.
Specify the correct repository with --repo when not in the target.
Verify reopening by rechecking the issue state after reopen.

Example Use Cases

gh issue reopen 123
gh issue reopen 123 --comment "Issue still reproducible on latest version."
gh issue reopen https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/123
gh issue reopen 123 --repo owner/repo
gh issue reopen 123 --comment "Reopening: not resolved in v2.1" --repo owner/repo

Frequently Asked Questions

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