claude-code-ultimate-guide/examples/github-actions/README.md

GitHub Actions Workflows for Claude Code

Ready-to-use GitHub Actions workflows that integrate Claude Code into your CI/CD pipeline.

Prerequisites

1. Install the Claude GitHub App on your org/repo (required for Actions to comment on PRs/issues)
2. Add API Key Secret: In your repo, go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret
   • Name: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
   • Value: Your Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com
3. Copy Workflows: Place these .yml files in .github/workflows/ directory
4. Test: Open a test PR or issue to see them run

Available Workflows

1. Auto PR Review (claude-pr-auto-review.yml)

Enhanced version with comprehensive review criteria and smart filtering.

Creates a structured review with inline comments as soon as a PR opens or updates.

Features:

• Automatic code review on PR open/update
• 8 focus areas: Correctness, Security, Performance, Readability, Maintainability, Testing, Best Practices, Breaking Changes
• Priority-based feedback: 🔴 Critical, 🟡 Important, 🟢 Suggestion, 💡 Tip
• Smart file filtering (skips build artifacts, lock files)
• Skips draft PRs to save costs
• Summary review with risk assessment
• Error handling and fallback notifications
• Inline comments on specific lines

Usage:

# Copy the workflow file
cp examples/github-actions/claude-pr-auto-review.yml .github/workflows/

# Open a PR - Claude will automatically review it

Customization: Add project-specific context by uncommenting the append_system_prompt section:

append_system_prompt: |
  Project conventions:
  - Use TypeScript strict mode
  - Follow functional programming patterns
  - All functions must have JSDoc comments
  - Test coverage must be >80%

---

2. Security Review (claude-security-review.yml)

Runs a focused security scan and comments findings directly on the PR.

Features:

• Security-focused analysis on every PR
• Identifies potential vulnerabilities
• OWASP Top 10 considerations
• Posts findings as PR comments

Configuration:

# Optional parameters in the workflow file:
exclude-directories: "docs,examples"    # Skip certain directories
claudecode-timeout: "20"                # Timeout in minutes
claude-model: "claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620"  # Model to use

Usage:

# Copy the workflow file
cp examples/github-actions/claude-security-review.yml .github/workflows/

# Every PR will be automatically scanned for security issues

---

3. Issue Triage (claude-issue-triage.yml)

When a new issue opens, Claude proposes labels/severity and posts a tidy triage comment.

Features:

• Automatic issue classification
• Label suggestions
• Severity assessment (low, medium, high, critical)
• Duplicate detection
• Markdown triage comment

Auto-apply Labels (Optional): To automatically apply suggested labels, edit the workflow file and change:

- name: Apply labels (optional)
  if: ${{ false }}  # Change to true to auto-apply labels

Usage:

# Copy the workflow file
cp examples/github-actions/claude-issue-triage.yml .github/workflows/

# Open a new issue - Claude will automatically triage it

---

Customization

Model Selection

Set CLAUDE_MODEL or claude-model parameter in workflows:

env:
  CLAUDE_MODEL: claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620

Permissions

Each workflow declares minimal required permissions:

• pull-requests: write for PR reviews
• issues: write for issue triage
• contents: read for reading repository content

Adjust only if your organization requires stricter policies.

Scope Filtering

Use paths: filters to limit when workflows run:

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'src/**'
      - '!docs/**'

Troubleshooting

No comments appear on PRs:

• Verify the Claude GitHub App is installed
• Check workflow has pull-requests: write permission

403 when applying labels:

• Ensure the job has issues: write permission
• Verify GITHUB_TOKEN has access to this repo

Anthropic API errors:

• Confirm ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set at repository level
• Check the key is not expired

YAML syntax errors:

• Validate spacing: two spaces per nesting level, no tabs
• Use a YAML validator: yamllint.com

Advanced Usage

Combining Workflows

Run multiple workflows together for comprehensive automation:

• PR Review + Security Review on every PR
• Issue Triage + Auto-labeling for new issues

Custom Prompts

Edit the direct_prompt section in workflows to customize Claude's focus:

direct_prompt: |
  Review this PR focusing on:
  1. TypeScript type safety
  2. React performance patterns
  3. Accessibility compliance
  4. Test coverage

Integration with Other Actions

Combine with existing workflows:

jobs:
  tests:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

  claude-review:
    needs: tests  # Run after tests pass
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@main
        # ...

Cost Considerations

These workflows consume Anthropic API credits:

• PR Review: ~$0.10-$0.50 per review (depending on diff size)
• Security Review: ~$0.20-$0.80 per scan
• Issue Triage: ~$0.05-$0.20 per issue

Tips to reduce costs:

• Use paths: filters to skip docs/config changes
• Set conditions: if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
• Review logs and adjust model selection

Examples in This Directory

examples/github-actions/
├── README.md                        # This file
├── claude-pr-auto-review.yml        # Auto PR review workflow
├── claude-security-review.yml       # Security scanning workflow
└── claude-issue-triage.yml          # Issue triage workflow

Resources

• Claude Code Documentation
• GitHub Actions Documentation
• Anthropic API Documentation
• Claude GitHub App

License

These workflows are provided as examples. Adapt them to your needs.