Claude Code GitHub Actions is a GitHub Action that runs Claude Code inside your repository: mention @claude in a pull request or issue comment and it can analyse code, make changes and push commits. The quickest setup is running /install-github-app from Claude Code, which needs admin access to the repository and, as of October 2026, only works with github.com repositories.
It's a developer tool, but the decision to switch it on is often a business one, because it gives an AI write access to your code. So this page covers what it does, which of the similarly named products you want, how to set it up, and what you're agreeing to when you do.
What it does in plain terms
The action runs in one of two modes, and it picks based on how your workflow file is written:
- Interactive mode: Claude waits for someone to write @claude in an issue or pull request comment, in a pull request review, or in the title or body of a new issue. Progress and results appear as a comment on that issue or pull request.
- Automation mode: the workflow gives Claude a prompt, and it runs on any GitHub event without waiting for a mention, including on a timed schedule. By default the results land in the workflow run log rather than a comment.
The docs suggest uses such as turning issues into pull requests, fixing a bug from a comment, or automating recurring tasks. If what you want is a recurring job outside GitHub, scheduled tasks in Claude Code may suit you better.
Which Claude Code product are you after?
The docs open by admitting several products share the Claude Code name, and this one is only the workflow integration you configure with files in your repository. Here's the difference in one table:
| Product | What it does | Needs a workflow file in your repo? |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code GitHub Actions | Runs Claude Code in your workflows and answers @claude mentions | Yes |
| Code Review | Automatic review on every pull request | No |
| Claude Code in the cloud | Claude Code sessions on cloud infrastructure instead of your machine | No |
| Claude Agent SDK | Custom automation outside GitHub Actions; the action itself is built on it | No, you write your own code |
| GitHub Enterprise Server | Claude Code with self-hosted GitHub | Covered on its own page |
If all you want is a second pair of eyes on every pull request, look at Claude Code Review first; it does that without any workflow. If you want Claude working on a task while you're away from your laptop, Claude Code on the web is the closer fit.
Quick setup, step by step
Quick setup needs admin access to the repository, a github.com remote, and the GitHub CLI. If your repository lives on gitlab.com or bitbucket.org, the command prints a notice and exits; GitLab has its own Claude Code CI/CD page.
- Install the GitHub CLI and sign it in with gh auth login. Claude Code checks for it and warns you if it's missing.
- Open claude in the repository you want to connect and run the setup command shown below.
- Let it install the Claude GitHub App, then choose how the workflows authenticate: it reuses an API key Claude Code already has, or you choose between creating a long-lived token from your Claude subscription and pasting in an API key.
- Pick the workflow files you want. Claude Code pushes a branch with them and opens GitHub in your browser with a pull request ready to create.
- Create and merge that pull request. From then on, @claude works in the repository. Test it by tagging @claude in an issue comment.
The setup command to run inside Claude Code
/install-github-app
You can press Esc to stop partway, and the closing message lists what already happened, such as a pushed branch or a saved secret. Choosing Skip for now after the app installs stops with only the app in place. If you choose the review workflow, Claude posts each review on the pull request itself, as an inline comment per issue or one summary comment when it finds none, and it skips some pull requests, such as drafts.
Manual setup and the secret it needs
Use manual setup when you don't run Claude Code locally, when the command fails, or when you want full control of the workflow files. You install the Claude GitHub App, add a secret to the repository, and copy the example claude.yml file from the action's repository into your .github/workflows folder.
The secret is one of two, depending on how you pay for Claude:
- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: an API key from the Claude Console.
- CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN: a token tied to a Claude subscription on Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise, which you generate by running claude setup-token on your own machine.
Three things from the docs worth remembering. Never commit a key or token into the repository; store it as a GitHub secret. For a secret shared across an organisation, use a Console API key rather than a subscription token, because the token is tied to the subscription of whoever generated it. And deleting a secret later doesn't switch the credential off: to retire an API key, delete it in the Claude Console too.
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The permissions you're granting
The action itself relies on three of the app's permissions, all read and write: Contents, so Claude can change files; Issues, so it can respond to issues; and Pull requests, so it can create them and push changes. The bit most people don't realise is that the Claude GitHub App is shared by every Claude feature that touches GitHub, so installing it grants a longer list, including read and write access to Actions, Workflows and repository hooks. GitHub doesn't let you accept only part of that list. If your organisation wants just the three, the docs say to create a custom GitHub App instead, though Code Review would still need the official one.
There are guardrails on who can start a run. On issue and pull request events, the person who triggers it must have write access to the repository, and bots are rejected unless you list them, which keeps bots from triggering Claude in a loop.
Who should skip it, and who should try it
I'd skip it if nobody on your team reviews pull requests before merging, because the whole safety model assumes a human reads Claude's changes first. The docs say as much: grant the workflow only the permissions it needs and review Claude's changes before merging.
If you do have that review habit, I'd try it on a low-risk repository first, an internal tool rather than the code that runs your checkout. Keep a short CLAUDE.md file in the repository root with your house rules, write specific @claude requests, and set --max-turns in the workflow's claude_args line with a timeout on the job, so one vague request can't run on and on.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Claude Code GitHub Actions do?
It runs Claude Code inside your repository's GitHub workflows. Mention @claude in a pull request or issue comment and Claude can analyse code, implement changes and push commits.
How do I set up Claude Code GitHub Actions?
The quickest way is to run /install-github-app from Claude Code in the repository. It installs the Claude GitHub App, adds the authentication secret and prepares the workflow pull request for you to merge.
What secret does Claude Code GitHub Actions need?
Either ANTHROPIC_API_KEY for a Claude Console API key, or CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN for a token tied to a Claude subscription, stored as a repository secret.
Does Claude Code GitHub Actions work with GitLab?
Not through this setup. The quick setup command only works with github.com repositories, and GitLab has a separate Claude Code GitLab CI/CD page.
Is Claude Code GitHub Actions the same as Code Review?
No. Code Review gives automatic review on every pull request without a workflow file, while Claude Code GitHub Actions is configured with workflow files in your repository and responds to @claude mentions.
