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Labels API Reference

Reference for GitHub Labels REST API endpoints used in the label migration flow.

List Labels in a Repository

GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/labels

Returns all labels defined on a repository. Paginated (max 100 per page).

CLI shortcut:

gh label list -R {owner}/{repo} --limit 1000 --json name,color,description

Response fields: id, node_id, url, name, description, color, default.

List Issues by Label

GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues?labels={label_name}&state=all&per_page=100

Returns issues (and pull requests) matching the label. Filter out PRs by checking pull_request field is absent.

CLI shortcut:

gh issue list -R {owner}/{repo} --label "{label_name}" --state all \
  --json number,title,labels --limit 1000

The gh issue list command automatically excludes PRs.

Pagination: use --limit in CLI or page query param in REST. For repos with >1000 matching issues, use cursor-based pagination via Link headers.

Remove a Label from an Issue

DELETE /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/labels/{label_name}

Removes a single label from an issue. Returns 200 OK with the remaining labels on the issue.

Important: URL-encode label names with spaces or special characters:

  • good first issue → good%20first%20issue
  • bug/critical → bug%2Fcritical

CLI shortcut:

gh api /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{number}/labels/{label_name} -X DELETE

Add a Label to an Issue

POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/labels

Body: {"labels": ["label1", "label2"]}

Not typically needed for migration, but useful for rollback scenarios.

Notes

  • Labels are repo-scoped. The same label name can exist independently in different repos.
  • There is no MCP tool for listing repo labels. Use gh label list or the REST API.
  • The MCP tool mcp__github__list_issues supports a labels filter for fetching issues by label.
  • Label names are case-insensitive for matching purposes, but the API preserves the original casing.
  • Maximum labels per issue: no hard limit, but practically dozens.