GitHub Cache Hygiene

Goal: discover in the local Gitcrawl archive first, then use the existing Octopool-backed gh shim for current GitHub metadata and authorized writes.

Default Path

Start with local archive reads:

gitcrawl search prs "<terms>" -R owner/repo --state open --json number,title,url

gitcrawl threads owner/repo --numbers 123 --include-closed --json

--include-closed keeps closed or merged candidates in scope. Archive state can lag GitHub; it is not proof of current state.

Then use bare PATH gh when current metadata is needed. On Peter's machines it is expected to be the Octopool-backed shim, so supported JSON reads share the fleet cache without changing authentication or command routing:

gh search issues "<terms>" -R owner/repo --state open --json number,title,state,url,updatedAt,labels,author
gh search prs "<terms>" -R owner/repo --state open --json number,title,state,url,updatedAt,isDraft,author
gh issue list -R owner/repo --state open --author user --assignee user --label bug --json number,title,url
gh pr list -R owner/repo --state open --author user --label dependencies --json number,title,url
gh issue view 123 -R owner/repo --json number,title,state,body,labels,url
gh pr view 123 -R owner/repo --json number,title,state,url,headRefName,headRefOid
gh pr checks 123 -R owner/repo --json name,state,bucket,link
gh run list -R owner/repo --branch branch-name --json databaseId,workflowName,status,conclusion,url
gh pr diff 123 -R owner/repo --patch

Use exact refs and narrow fields. --json selects output, not a reader identity. In Octopool 0.7.1, PR mergeStateStatus and issue comments select native gh for the entire field bundle. PR comment/review/commit exports also retain native handling. Request those fields when needed, but omit them from descriptive reads that do not consume them. Never remove merge/review gates merely to raise cache reuse, or split one decision into separately timed reads without preserving its consistency contract.

Supported human output and recognized landing GraphQL projections can also relay. Supported gh api --paginate/--slurp and --hostname github.com reads need not bypass Octopool. Use the installed version's CLI contract and observed routing; an absolute gh path alone does not establish that it is the native binary.

Avoid broad loops like one gh issue view per result when a single gh search or gh issue list --json ... can answer the first-pass question.

For CI, avoid tight gh run list / gh run view polling loops. After a push or workflow dispatch, identify one exact run, then use an exact-run watcher or poll that run at 30s, 60s, then 120s intervals. Check the expected head SHA and run attempt. A broad or filtered list can lag even on a fresh upstream acquisition; its newest row is not final CI evidence. Fetch logs once, only after failure or explicit request. Reuse prior output instead of re-reading completed runs.

Freshness

Local answers are good for discovery, duplicate search, old thread review, author/label triage, and "is there likely already an issue/PR?" checks.

Use a live call when:

• writing, commenting, closing, merging, rerunning, or editing
• checking final current state before a maintainer action
• verifying CI status after a push
• the local result is missing or obviously stale
• the user asks for latest/live state

Hydrate exact PR details only when the local archive needs files, commits, checks, or run summaries for repeated review:

gitcrawl sync owner/repo --numbers 123 --with pr-details

This refresh spends GitHub API calls and updates Gitcrawl's archive, not Octopool's separate gh cache. Bare gh reads do not auto-hydrate the Gitcrawl archive.

gitcrawl gh is retired and exits 2 with a migration note. Replace those recipes with archive reads followed by bare gh; the note is not an authentication failure. Do not run octopool login, change tokens/auth/PATH/config, or bypass the existing shim to repair a retired command.

After a write, do one targeted fresh readback, not a broad rescan. Use OCTOPOOL_FRESH=1 or an explicit Cache-Control: max-age=0 for relay reads. Supported PR decision fields such as state, headRefOid and statusCheckRollup automatically revalidate. Descriptive fields such as title can reuse cache.

gh api --include uses native gh and caller credentials. It changes identity, quota and potentially visibility; it is not a freshness switch or a guaranteed stale-list workaround. Keep caller-owned permission and merge decisions on their required identity path. A fresh relay MISS with an old list does not by itself prove expired cache reuse, and a HIT after revalidation does not prove zero upstream requests.

Octopool

Inspect cache behavior when rate limits are suspected:

octopool whoami
octopool health
octopool stats --since 1h
octopool stats --since 24h --json

Prioritize cached eligible responses divided by eligible requests. Retain the UTC window, numerator, denominator, misses, bypasses and coalesced requests. Compare route/client mix, explicit freshness and latency before attributing a change. These are response-reuse metrics, not GitHub quota savings. Pool totals cover all callers, while client tables cover the authenticated caller. Native GraphQL and direct clients are outside relay metrics; absence from a bounded sample is not proof of a broken installation.

Check the actual execution context. A host shim can work while a container uses a separate native read-only wrapper. Preserve that wrapper's allowlist and credential boundary; never mount host mutation credentials to gain cache coverage.

Use OCTOPOOL_NO_FALLBACK=1 only for a bounded, known-supported relay read. It blocks a relay-to-native handoff, but deliberately unsupported commands can still delegate directly. Success alone is therefore not universal relay proof. Pair it with a known supported command and observed route/cache evidence. A separate native wrapper may ignore this variable entirely. Do not set it globally; mutations and unsupported reads still need real gh.

For relay-only proof:

OCTOPOOL_NO_FALLBACK=1 gh api repos/owner/repo --jq .full_name

Agent Etiquette

Batch questions by repo and state. Reuse data already printed in the session. Back off CI polling; inspect logs only once for a failed run. Use bare PATH gh for ordinary reads and authorized writes; let Octopool own fallback to the real CLI. Do not bypass the shim with an absolute real-gh path or a binary override to replace retired Gitcrawl recipes.