Terminal hub for tracking watched repositories and finding issues
gh-wanted presents a terminal-based hub that lets you follow watched repositories, catch up on recent activity, and discover "help wanted" or "good first issue" tasks directly in the shell. Developed by cyprx for Windows, the tool ties into the GitHub command-line flow and offers private local tags, saved filters, and an offline demo mode. It fits contributors who prefer a terminal workflow and maintainers who need a concise view of cross-repository activity.
What does gh-wanted actually do for contributors?
gh-wanted aggregates repository activity and issue discovery into a Terminal User Interface. It shows activity from watched repositories, filters issues by labels such as help wanted and good first issue, and stores private local tags for personal organization. The app also supports customizable saved filters so you can reopen the same issue set without repeating search commands, and an offline demo that demonstrates navigation without live data.
How does it affect system performance during normal use?
The application is a lightweight 64-bit Windows executable and can be run as a portable ZIP, which indicates a low system footprint compared with full graphical tools. Because it operates as a Terminal User Interface and relies on the GitHub integration for live data, typical CPU and RAM usage remain small during browsing; the tool offloads network queries to the authenticated CLI rather than running a heavy local database.
Is it safe to use with my GitHub credentials and workflow?
gh-wanted integrates with the GitHub CLI for authentication, so it doesn't request credentials directly but uses the existing authenticated session from the CLI. The app’s local-only organization feature, private tags, keeps personal categorization off your public profile. The dependency on the authenticated CLI confines live access to the permissions already granted to that tool, and demo mode lets you explore features offline without exposing account data.
Do I need technical knowledge to operate the tool effectively?
The interface targets terminal-centric developers, and the workflow assumes an installed and authenticated GitHub CLI. Users must be comfortable with command-line installation via WinGet or extracting a portable ZIP, and with the CLI-based authentication step. For contributors familiar with shell tools, the saved filters and tag system provide quick results; less technical contributors may need time to set up the required CLI dependency.
Recommendation and target audience
gh-wanted is a focused utility for developers who want to manage watched repositories and discover contribution opportunities without leaving the terminal. It depends on an authenticated GitHub CLI session and assumes comfort with command-line installation, so it's best for regular contributors and maintainers who prefer shell-based workflows. Recommended.
