🐛 Bug: gh: command not found when running npx create-typescript-app --base prompt --mode create

[johnnyreilly]

Bug Report Checklist

• I have tried restarting my IDE and the issue persists.
• I have pulled the latest main branch of the repository.
• I have searched for related issues and found none that matched my issue.

Expected

I ran npx create-typescript-app --base prompt --mode create and experienced a gh: command not found error

Actual

┌  ✨ Welcome to create-typescript-app 1.67.5! ✨
│
│  ⚠️ This template is early stage, opinionated, and not endorsed by the TypeScript team. ⚠️
│  ⚠️ If any tooling it sets displeases you, you can always remove that portion manually. ⚠️
│
◇  What organization or user will the repository be under?
│  johnnyreilly
│
◇  What will the kebab-case name of the repository be?
│  test-create-repo
│
◇  ❌ Error checking GitHub authentication.
file:///Users/john.reilly/.npm/_npx/4aa729db9999bfc4/node_modules/create-typescript-app/lib/shared/cli/spinners.js:16
    throw new Error(`Failed ${lowerFirst(label)}`, { cause: error });
          ^

Error: Failed checking GitHub authentication
    at withSpinner (file:///Users/john.reilly/.npm/_npx/xx/node_modules/create-typescript-app/lib/shared/cli/spinners.js:16:11)
    at async readOptions (file:///Users/john.reilly/.npm/_npx/xx/node_modules/create-typescript-app/lib/shared/options/readOptions.js:119:38)
    at async Object.create (file:///Users/john.reilly/.npm/_npx/xx/node_modules/create-typescript-app/lib/create/index.js:12:18)
    at async bin (file:///Users/john.reilly/.npm/_npx/xx/node_modules/create-typescript-app/lib/bin/index.js:67:36)
    at async file:///Users/john.reilly/.npm/_npx/xx/node_modules/create-typescript-app/bin/index.js:4:20 {
  [cause]: Error: Command failed: gh auth token
  /bin/sh: gh: command not found
  
      at genericNodeError (node:internal/errors:984:15)
      at wrappedFn (node:internal/errors:538:14)
      at ChildProcess.exithandler (node:child_process:422:12)
      at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:519:28)
      at maybeClose (node:internal/child_process:1105:16)
      at Socket.<anonymous> (node:internal/child_process:457:11)
      at Socket.emit (node:events:519:28)
      at Pipe.<anonymous> (node:net:338:12) {
    code: 127,
    killed: false,
    signal: null,
    cmd: 'gh auth token',
    stdout: '',
    stderr: '/bin/sh: gh: command not found\n'
  }
}

Additional Info

I tried first to create a repository for my organisation. That failed. I thought "ah, this is an organisation issue probably" so I retested creating under my username of johnnyreilly and that failed in the same way. So I think it's a general issue.

[johnnyreilly]

Dammit I should have read the docs.

First make sure you have the following installed:

GitHub CLI (you'll need to be logged in)
Node.js
pnpm

So this isn't actually an issue. That said, would be nice if an error in that section lead to a message like "Hey - do you have the GitHub CLI installed and are you logged in?"

[johnnyreilly]

Put together the above as an idea of what I meant - it's in no way ready to merge but I thought it would prompt thought at the very least. Feel free to close this as a non-issue if this is preferable.

[JoshuaKGoldberg]

Agreed, it would be very good to get better explained!

#1000 is my old WIP trying to get rid of gh altogether. It's not likely to land soon.

[JoshuaKGoldberg]

Oh hey, #1000 landed. So we can close this out!

[aprilmintacpineda]

I encountered this just now. Isn't the fix deployed yet? Why do I need to be logged in with Github CLI for this to work? I get it, it's initializing github repository. Would be good if there's an option NOT to do that and just keep everything locally.

[JoshuaKGoldberg]

See https://github.com/JoshuaKGoldberg/create-typescript-app/blob/eb80e733a765f00e0d0ff25b7d69af8d7c20face/docs/Options.md#skipping-api-calls and https://github.com/JoshuaKGoldberg/create-typescript-app/blob/eb80e733a765f00e0d0ff25b7d69af8d7c20face/docs/Options.md#offline-mode - you can disable GitHub APIs and/or have it run in an "offline" mode entirely.

#1193 tracks making a docs website that will make it easier to work with the docs.

[aprilmintacpineda]

Yeah, I figured the offline mode out after digging some more because I stuck on the "initializing github repository" part and it didn't progress even after waiting for more than 10 minutes -- though I was able to see the repository on my github account, the tool just didn't move to the next step somehow. Thanks for the kind response @JoshuaKGoldberg!