GitHub Root Cause Analysis
Automated GitHub issue analysis using Cline CLI. This script uses Cline’s autonomous AI capabilities to fetch, analyze, and identify root causes of GitHub issues, outputting clean, parseable results that can be easily integrated into your development workflows.New to Cline CLI? This sample assumes you have already completed the Installation Guide and authenticated with
cline auth. If you haven’t set up Cline CLI yet, please start there first.
Prerequisites
This sample assumes you have already:- Cline CLI installed and authenticated (Installation Guide)
- At least one AI model provider configured (e.g., OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI)
- Basic familiarity with Cline CLI commands
- GitHub CLI (
gh) installed and authenticated - jq installed for JSON parsing
- bash shell (or compatible shell)
Installation Instructions
macOS
These instructions require Homebrew to be installed. If you don’t have Homebrew, install it first by running:
Linux
Getting the Script
Option 1: Download directly with curlClick to view the complete analyze-issue.sh script
Click to view the complete analyze-issue.sh script
After downloading or creating the script, make it executable by running:
Quick Usage Examples
Basic Usage
Run this command in your terminal from the directory where you saved the script to analyze an issue with the default root cause prompt:- Fetch issue #123 from the repository
- Analyze the issue to identify root causes
- Provide detailed analysis with recommendations
Custom Analysis Prompt
Ask specific questions about the issue:Using Specific Cline Instance
Target a particular Cline instance by address:This is useful when:
- Running multiple Cline instances
- Using a remote Cline server
- Testing with specific configurations
The script will automatically handle everything: fetching the issue, analyzing it with Cline, and displaying the results. The analysis typically takes 30-60 seconds depending on the issue complexity.
How It Works
Let’s analyze each component of the script to understand how it works.Argument Validation
The script validates input and provides usage instructions:- Validates required GitHub issue URL
- Shows clear usage examples
- Supports optional custom prompt
- Supports optional Cline instance address
Argument Parsing
The script extracts and sets up the arguments:ISSUE_URL="$1"- First argument is always the issue URLPROMPT="${2:-...}"- Second argument is optional, defaults to root cause analysisADDRESS- Third argument is optional, only set if provided
The Core Analysis Pipeline
This is where the magic happens:Pipeline Breakdown: Understanding Each Component
Pipeline Breakdown: Understanding Each Component
1.
cline -y "$PROMPT: $ISSUE_URL"-yenables yolo mode (no user interaction)- Constructs prompt with issue URL
--mode act- Enables act mode for active investigation
- Allows Cline to use tools (read files, run commands, etc.)
$ADDRESS- Optional address flag for specific instance
- Expands to
--address <ip:port>if set
-F json- Outputs in JSON format for parsing
sed -n '/^{/,$p'- Extracts JSON from output
- Skips any non-JSON prefix lines
jq -r 'select(.say == "completion_result") | .text'- Filters for completion result messages
- Extracts the text field
-routputs raw strings (no JSON quotes)
sed 's/\\n/\n/g'- Converts escaped newlines to actual newlines
- Makes output readable
Sample Output
Here’s an example analyzing a real Flutter issue:When to Use This Pattern
This script pattern is ideal for various development scenarios where automated GitHub issue analysis can accelerate your workflow.Bug Investigation
Quickly analyze bug reports and identify root causes without manual code exploration:Feature Request Analysis
Understand context and implications of feature requests:Security Audits
Assess security implications of reported issues:Documentation Generation
Generate detailed technical documentation from issues:Code Review Assistance
Get second opinions on proposed changes:Conclusion
This sample demonstrates how to build an autonomous GitHub issue analysis tool using Cline CLI:- Building autonomous CLI tools using Cline’s capabilities
- Parsing structured JSON output from Cline CLI
- Creating flexible automation scripts with custom prompting
- Integrating with GitHub for issue analysis
- Handling command-line arguments effectively

