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OpenClaw GitHub Integration: Automate Code Reviews,...

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Originally published on Remote OpenClaw.

OpenClaw GitHub Integration: Automate Code Reviews, Issues, and PRs

GitHub is where code lives, and connecting OpenClaw to it opens up powerful development automation workflows. From automated code reviews to issue triage to daily repository summaries delivered to your messaging channel, the GitHub integration turns OpenClaw into a developer operations assistant.

This guide covers both the GitHub App approach (recommended for teams) and the Personal Access Token method (simpler for individual use).

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What Does the OpenClaw GitHub Integration Do?

  • PR code reviews — automatically analyze diffs and post review comments with suggestions
  • Issue management — create, label, assign, and close issues through conversation
  • Commit summaries — daily digest of commits across your repositories
  • Repository monitoring — alerts for new PRs, issues, releases, and security advisories
  • Code search — "Find all files that reference the payment API" across repositories
  • Release notes — auto-generate changelog entries from merged PRs

What Do You Need Before Starting?

  • A running OpenClaw instance
  • A GitHub account with access to the repositories you want to connect
  • For webhooks: a publicly accessible URL for your OpenClaw server

How Do You Connect OpenClaw to GitHub?

Option A — Personal Access Token (simple)

Step 1 — Create a fine-grained token

Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Fine-grained tokens. Create a new token with access to your target repositories. Grant permissions for: Contents (read), Issues (read/write), Pull requests (read/write), Metadata (read).

Step 2 — Configure OpenClaw 

tools:
 github:
 enabled: true
 auth_method: "pat"
 token: "github_pat_your_token_here"
 repos:
 - "owner/repo-name"
 - "owner/other-repo"
 webhook_secret: "your-webhook-secret"
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Option B — GitHub App (recommended for teams)

Step 1 — Create a GitHub App

Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → GitHub Apps → New GitHub App. Set the webhook URL to your OpenClaw endpoint. Configure permissions: Repository contents (read), Issues (read/write), Pull requests (read/write). Subscribe to events: Pull request, Issues, Push.

Step 2 — Install the app

Install the GitHub App on your organization or personal account, selecting which repositories it can access.

Step 3 — Configure OpenClaw 

tools:
 github:
 enabled: true
 auth_method: "app"
 app_id: "12345"
 private_key_path: "/path/to/private-key.pem"
 installation_id: "67890"
 webhook_secret: "your-webhook-secret"
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Step 4 — Start and test 

openclaw start
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Message your bot: "Show me the open PRs in owner/repo-name." OpenClaw should list the current pull requests.

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What Can You Automate With OpenClaw and GitHub?

  • Automated PR reviews — every new PR gets an AI code review within minutes
  • Issue triage — auto-label and assign new issues based on content and keywords
  • Daily dev summary — morning message with commits, open PRs, and blockers
  • Release management — "Create a release with notes from the last 10 merged PRs"
  • Security monitoring — alerts when Dependabot finds vulnerabilities
  • Documentation updates — flag PRs that change code without updating docs

How Do You Fix Common GitHub Issues?

  • 401 Bad credentials: Your token may be expired or lack the required permissions. Regenerate the token and ensure repository access is granted.
  • Webhooks not arriving: Check that your server URL is publicly reachable. Verify the webhook secret matches between GitHub and OpenClaw. Check GitHub's webhook delivery log under repo Settings → Webhooks.
  • Rate limiting (403): GitHub allows 5,000 requests/hour for authenticated users and 15,000/hour for GitHub Apps. If you hit limits, reduce polling frequency or switch to webhooks for event-driven updates.
  • PR review comments not posting: Ensure your token has Pull request write permissions. GitHub Apps need the "Pull request" permission set to Read & Write.
  • Private repos not accessible: Fine-grained tokens must explicitly include each private repository. Check the token's repository access settings.

FAQ

Can OpenClaw automatically review pull requests?

Yes. When configured with PR webhooks, OpenClaw receives the diff for each new pull request, analyzes the code changes, and posts a review comment with suggestions, potential bugs, and style feedback. You can configure the review depth and focus areas.

Does OpenClaw need write access to my repositories?

It depends on your use case. For read-only monitoring and code reviews, read access is sufficient. For creating issues, commenting on PRs, and managing labels, you need write access to issues and pull requests. Only grant the minimum permissions your workflows require.

Can I use a Personal Access Token instead of a GitHub App?

Yes. A fine-grained Personal Access Token works for simple setups. GitHub Apps are recommended for production because they offer better permission granularity, higher rate limits, and organization-level management. PATs are tied to a single user account.

Does the GitHub integration work with GitHub Enterprise?

Yes. Set the api_url in your OpenClaw config to your GitHub Enterprise server URL (e.g., https://github.yourcompany.com/api/v3). All other configuration is the same.

*Last updated: March 2026. Published by the Remote OpenClaw team at remoteopenclaw.com.*

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