Claude Code + GitHub Actions: Automate Your AI Development Pipeline
Manas Takalpati
Founder, Blue Orchid
Claude Code isn't just a local development tool. Combined with GitHub Actions, it becomes an automated member of your development pipeline - reviewing PRs, generating code, and handling routine tasks without human intervention.
Why GitHub Actions + Claude Code?
GitHub Actions runs workflows on events like push, PR creation, or issue comments. Claude Code can be invoked programmatically through the SDK. Combine them and you get AI that responds to repository events automatically.
Use cases:
- Automated code review on every PR
- AI-generated PR descriptions and summaries
- Automated issue triage and labeling
- Code quality checks beyond linting
- Documentation generation on code changes
Setting Up the Integration
The Claude Code SDK provides programmatic access. In a GitHub Actions workflow:
- name: Run Claude Code Review
env:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
run: |
npx @anthropic-ai/claude-code --print "Review the changes in this PR for security issues and code quality"
The --print flag runs Claude Code in non-interactive mode - it executes the task and returns the output.
Real Workflow: Automated PR Review
Every PR in my projects gets an automated Claude Code review checking for security vulnerabilities, missing error handling, and pattern inconsistencies. It comments directly on the PR with findings.
Cost Considerations
GitHub Actions minutes are free for public repos and limited for private repos. Claude Code API costs apply per run. A typical PR review costs $0.10-0.50 in API credits. For active repos, budget $10-30/month.
For the complete Claude Code ecosystem, see the Claude Code Complete Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want more? Get tutorials and insights straight to your inbox.