Agents report "not executable" errors when the skill files are delivered without the executable bit preserved. Using `bash ./...` instead of `./...` in all examples avoids this regardless of file permissions in the consuming environment. Co-Authored-By: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
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name, description
| name | description |
|---|---|
| github-app-token | Generate a GitHub installation access token from a GitHub App PEM key, App ID, and Installation ID, then authenticate the gh CLI with it. |
GitHub App Token Skill
Generate a short-lived GitHub installation access token from a GitHub App's credentials and use it to authenticate the gh CLI.
Prerequisites
The following environment variables MUST be set before invoking this skill:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
GITHUB_APP_ID |
The numeric App ID from the GitHub App settings page |
GITHUB_APP_INSTALLATION_ID |
The numeric Installation ID for the target org/user |
GITHUB_APP_PEM_FILE |
Absolute path to the GitHub App's PEM private key file |
If any variable is missing, stop and tell the user which ones are required.
Requires openssl, curl, and jq (standard on modern environments).
Steps
1. Generate a Token
The simplest approach is to use --raw mode, which prints only the token value. This works reliably in a single shell invocation:
GH_TOKEN=$(bash ./github-app-token/scripts/generate_token.sh --raw) && export GH_TOKEN
You can then use GH_TOKEN in subsequent commands within the same shell invocation:
GH_TOKEN=$(bash ./github-app-token/scripts/generate_token.sh --raw) && export GH_TOKEN && gh api user
Note: Using
bashexplicitly ensures the script runs even if the executable bit is not preserved in your environment.
2. Authenticate the gh CLI
With GH_TOKEN set (in the same shell), the gh CLI operates securely and without needing a separate authentication login for most API operations. Note that gh auth status may not reflect the token since it checks local config, but gh will respect the GH_TOKEN environment variable.
To both generate the token and authenticate gh in one go:
GH_TOKEN=$(bash ./github-app-token/scripts/generate_token.sh --raw) && export GH_TOKEN && echo "${GH_TOKEN}" | gh auth login --with-token && gh auth status
3. Cleanup
The installation access token expires after 1 hour. There is nothing to revoke unless you want to explicitly invalidate it early:
curl -s -X DELETE \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${GH_TOKEN}" \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
"https://api.github.com/installation/token"
Advanced: eval Mode (Legacy)
Without the --raw flag, the script outputs export GH_TOKEN="..." meant to be eval'd. This is the original behavior, preserved for backward compatibility:
eval "$(bash ./github-app-token/scripts/generate_token.sh)" && gh api user
Note
For CI/CD environments (like GitHub Actions), use
--rawto extract the token cleanly:echo "GH_TOKEN=$(bash ./github-app-token/scripts/generate_token.sh --raw)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
Security Notes
- Never log or echo the PEM key or installation token to stdout in production.
- The installation token represents your GitHub App and is strictly valid for 1 hour from generation.
- Store the PEM file with restrictive permissions (
chmod 600) and never check it into git.