GitHub Create Label Skill

Create GitHub issue labels using the best available tool with automatic tool selection.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a new label in the current repository

• Create multiple labels with specific names, descriptions, and colors

• Use the best available tool (MCP Server, CLI, or REST API) automatically

• Define labels before creating issues or assigning them

Quick Start

Create a Single Label

Input: "Create a label called 'bug' with description 'Something isn't working' and color d73a4a"

Process:

• Detects available tools (MCP Server → CLI → REST API)

• Uses the first available tool

• Creates the label with provided parameters

• Returns success confirmation

Create Multiple Labels

Input: "Create these labels: bug (red #d73a4a), enhancement (cyan #a2eeef), documentation (blue #0075ca)"

Process:

• Parses label definitions

• Creates each label using available tool

• Returns list of created labels or errors

Tool Selection Workflow

The skill attempts label creation in this precedence order:

1. GitHub MCP Server

Best for: Integrated Claude workflows When available: Claude with GitHub tools enabled Advantages: Native integration, no external tools needed

2. GitHub CLI (gh)

Best for: Local development, interactive workflows When available: gh command installed and authenticated Command: gh label create --name --description --color

Requirements:

• gh command installed

• Authenticated via gh auth login

3. GitHub REST API

Best for: CI/CD, automation, programmatic access When available: GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN environment variable set Endpoint: POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/labels

Requirements:

• GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN environment variable

• Token must have repo scope

Label Parameters

Required

• name (string): Label name

• Max 50 characters

• Examples: "bug", "enhancement", "documentation"

Optional

description (string): Label description

• Max 100 characters

• Examples: "Something isn't working"

• Default: empty string

color (string): Hex color code

• 6 characters without # prefix

• Examples: "d73a4a" (red), "a2eeef" (cyan), "0075ca" (blue)

• Default: random color assigned by GitHub

Common Label Patterns

Bug Tracking

bug: d73a4a (red) "Something isn't working"

help wanted: 008672 (dark green) "Extra attention is needed"

Feature Management

enhancement: a2eeef (cyan) "New feature or request"

good first issue: 7057ff (purple) "Good for newcomers"

Documentation & Questions

documentation: 0075ca (blue) "Improvements or additions to documentation"

question: cc317c (purple) "Further information is requested"

Maintenance

wontfix: ffffff (white) "This will not be worked on"

invalid: e4e669 (yellow) "This doesn't seem right"

Configuration

Environment Variables

GitHub CLI authentication (handled by gh auth login)

No manual setup needed

REST API authentication

export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

or

export GH_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Repository Detection

The skill automatically detects:

• Repository owner and name from git remote URL

• Current directory as repository root (can be overridden)

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Create Standard Labels for New Repository

User Input: "Set up standard labels for bug tracking and feature management"

Process:

• Creates "bug" label (red)

• Creates "enhancement" label (cyan)

• Creates "documentation" label (blue)

• Creates "help wanted" label (dark green)

• Returns confirmation

Scenario 2: Create Custom Label

User Input: "Create a label for security issues with color ff0000"

Process:

• Parses label: name="security", color="ff0000"

• Uses available tool to create

• Returns confirmation

Scenario 3: Tool Fallback

User Input: Create label (gh CLI not installed)

Process:

• Detects gh not available

• Checks for GITHUB_TOKEN

• Uses REST API if available

• Returns error if no tools available

Scenario 4: Batch Label Creation

User Input: Create labels from a list

Process:

• Iterates through label definitions

• Creates each label using available tool

• Tracks successes and failures

• Returns summary report

Reference

For detailed information about:

• GitHub API and CLI commands: See api_reference.md

• Label color suggestions and examples

• Error handling and troubleshooting

Error Handling

The skill handles these common errors gracefully:

Error Solution

"gh: not found" Install GitHub CLI from https://cli.github.com

"Not authenticated" Run gh auth login to authenticate

"GITHUB_TOKEN not set" Set GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable

"Repository not found" Verify git remote is configured correctly

"Label already exists" Use different name or update existing label

"Invalid color format" Use 6-character hex code (e.g., d73a4a)

"Name too long" Keep label name under 50 characters

Integration Example

When using this skill in Claude tasks:

I need to set up labels for this repository. Create these labels:

• bug (red, "Something isn't working")
• enhancement (cyan, "New feature or request")
• documentation (blue, "Documentation improvements")
• help wanted (dark green, "Extra attention needed")

The skill will:

• Check for available tools in order of precedence

• Create each label using the best available tool

• Return confirmation for each created label

• Report any errors that occur

Best Practices

• Consistency: Use consistent naming across projects (lowercase, hyphens for spaces)

• Documentation: Always include descriptions for clarity

• Colors: Use colors to create visual patterns (red for bugs, green for help, blue for docs)

• Batch Creation: Create all needed labels upfront during project setup

• Naming Conventions: Follow repository guidelines for label naming