How the GitHub CLI can now enable triangular workflows
2025-04-25
14 min read
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Endigest AI Core Summary
This post explains how the GitHub CLI (v2.71.2) improved support for triangular Git workflows, including forks.
- •A triangular workflow pulls from one ref (e.g., upstream/default) and pushes to a different ref (e.g., origin/branch), unlike centralized workflows where pull and push targets are the same.
- •Git supports triangular workflows via .git/config settings: the merge key sets the pullRef, while pushremote or remote.pushDefault sets the pushRef.
- •The @{push} revision syntax (git rev-parse --abbrev-ref @{push}) lets Git resolve a branch's pushRef programmatically.
- •The GitHub CLI previously didn't fully utilize these Git config settings, causing gh pr commands to behave incorrectly in triangular setups.
- •v2.71.2 fixes this so gh pr commands now correctly read pushRef and pullRef from Git config, enabling smooth PR creation and management in forked or triangular workflows.
