GitHub CLI — Stop Using the Browser
GitHub CLI (gh) is the official command-line tool for GitHub that dramatically speeds up your workflow by keeping you in the terminal. Creating PRs, reviewing issues, checking CI status, merging pull requests — all without touching a browser.
# Create a PR from current branch
gh pr create --title "Add user authentication" --body "Resolves #42"
# Check out a PR to test it locally
gh pr checkout 42
# View CI status of current branch
gh run list
# Merge a PR from the terminal
gh pr merge 42 --squash --delete-branchCODEOWNERS — Automatic Review Assignment
A CODEOWNERS file in your repository root defines who owns specific files. When a PR touches those files, GitHub automatically requests a review from the owner — eliminating the "who should review this?" question on every PR.
Branch Protection Rules
Under Settings > Branches, you can add rules that prevent direct pushes to main, require PR reviews before merging, require status checks to pass (your test suite), and require signed commits. These rules make it structurally impossible to skip code review or deploy broken code.
GitHub Releases and Automated Changelogs
Enable "Auto-generate release notes" and GitHub automatically populates the release body with a categorized list of merged PRs since the last release. Combined with pull request labels (enhancement, bug, breaking change), this generates professional changelogs with zero manual effort.
Repository Templates
If you create multiple similar projects, turn your best-structured project into a repository template. When anyone creates a new repo from the template, they get your directory structure, CI workflow files, README template, gitignore, and code style configuration. One-time setup, permanent time saving.
Dependabot Security Updates
Enable Dependabot and GitHub will automatically open PRs to bump vulnerable dependencies as soon as fixes are available. This is one of the lowest-effort, highest-value security practices available to any project hosted on GitHub.