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The REST API is now versioned. For more information, see "About API versioning."

REST API endpoints for commit statuses

Use the REST API to interact with commit statuses.

About commit statuses

You can use the REST API to allow external services to mark commits with an error, failure, pending, or success state, which is then reflected in pull requests involving those commits. Statuses can also include an optional description and target_url, and we highly recommend providing them as they make statuses much more useful in the GitHub UI.

As an example, one common use is for continuous integration services to mark commits as passing or failing builds using status. The target_url would be the full URL to the build output, and the description would be the high level summary of what happened with the build.

Statuses can include a context to indicate what service is providing that status. For example, you may have your continuous integration service push statuses with a context of ci, and a security audit tool push statuses with a context of security. You can then use the REST API to Get the combined status for a specific reference to retrieve the whole status for a commit.

Note that the repo:status OAuth scope grants targeted access to statuses without also granting access to repository code, while the repo scope grants permission to code as well as statuses.

If you are developing a GitHub App and want to provide more detailed information about an external service, you may want to use the REST API to manage checks. For more information, see "REST API endpoints for checks."

Get the combined status for a specific reference

Users with pull access in a repository can access a combined view of commit statuses for a given ref. The ref can be a SHA, a branch name, or a tag name.

Additionally, a combined state is returned. The state is one of:

  • failure if any of the contexts report as error or failure
  • pending if there are no statuses or a context is pending
  • success if the latest status for all contexts is success

Fine-grained access tokens for "Get the combined status for a specific reference"

This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:

The fine-grained token must have the following permission set:

  • "Commit statuses" repository permissions (read)

This endpoint can be used without authentication or the aforementioned permissions if only public resources are requested.

Parameters for "Get the combined status for a specific reference"

Headers
Name, Type, Description
accept string

Setting to application/vnd.github+json is recommended.

Path parameters
Name, Type, Description
owner string Required

The account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive.

repo string Required

The name of the repository without the .git extension. The name is not case sensitive.

ref string Required

The commit reference. Can be a commit SHA, branch name (heads/BRANCH_NAME), or tag name (tags/TAG_NAME). For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation.

Query parameters
Name, Type, Description
per_page integer

The number of results per page (max 100). For more information, see "Using pagination in the REST API."

Default: 30

page integer

The page number of the results to fetch. For more information, see "Using pagination in the REST API."

Default: 1

HTTP response status codes for "Get the combined status for a specific reference"

Status codeDescription
200

OK

404

Resource not found

Code samples for "Get the combined status for a specific reference"

Request example

get/repos/{owner}/{repo}/commits/{ref}/status
curl -L \ -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \ -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \ http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/commits/REF/status

Response

Status: 200
{ "state": "success", "statuses": [ { "url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/statuses/6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/hubot_happy.gif", "id": 1, "node_id": "MDY6U3RhdHVzMQ==", "state": "success", "description": "Build has completed successfully", "target_url": "https://ci.example.com/1000/output", "context": "continuous-integration/jenkins", "created_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z", "updated_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z" }, { "url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/statuses/6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/other_user_happy.gif", "id": 2, "node_id": "MDY6U3RhdHVzMg==", "state": "success", "description": "Testing has completed successfully", "target_url": "https://ci.example.com/2000/output", "context": "security/brakeman", "created_at": "2012-08-20T01:19:13Z", "updated_at": "2012-08-20T01:19:13Z" } ], "sha": "6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e", "total_count": 2, "repository": { "id": 1296269, "node_id": "MDEwOlJlcG9zaXRvcnkxMjk2MjY5", "name": "Hello-World", "full_name": "octocat/Hello-World", "owner": { "login": "octocat", "id": 1, "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif", "gravatar_id": "", "url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat", "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat", "followers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/followers", "following_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/following{/other_user}", "gists_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}", "starred_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}", "subscriptions_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/subscriptions", "organizations_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/orgs", "repos_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/repos", "events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/events{/privacy}", "received_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/received_events", "type": "User", "site_admin": false }, "private": false, "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World", "description": "This your first repo!", "fork": false, "url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World", "archive_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/{archive_format}{/ref}", "assignees_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/assignees{/user}", "blobs_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/blobs{/sha}", "branches_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/branches{/branch}", "collaborators_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/collaborators{/collaborator}", "comments_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/comments{/number}", "commits_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/commits{/sha}", "compare_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/compare/{base}...{head}", "contents_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/contents/{+path}", "contributors_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/contributors", "deployments_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/deployments", "downloads_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/downloads", "events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/events", "forks_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/forks", "git_commits_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits{/sha}", "git_refs_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/refs{/sha}", "git_tags_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/tags{/sha}", "git_url": "git:github.com/octocat/Hello-World.git", "issue_comment_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/issues/comments{/number}", "issue_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/issues/events{/number}", "issues_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/issues{/number}", "keys_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/keys{/key_id}", "labels_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/labels{/name}", "languages_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/languages", "merges_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/merges", "milestones_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/milestones{/number}", "notifications_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/notifications{?since,all,participating}", "pulls_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/pulls{/number}", "releases_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases{/id}", "ssh_url": "git@github.com:octocat/Hello-World.git", "stargazers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/stargazers", "statuses_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/statuses/{sha}", "subscribers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/subscribers", "subscription_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/subscription", "tags_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tags", "teams_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/teams", "trees_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/trees{/sha}", "hooks_url": "http://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/hooks" }, "commit_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e", "url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e/status" }

List commit statuses for a reference

Users with pull access in a repository can view commit statuses for a given ref. The ref can be a SHA, a branch name, or a tag name. Statuses are returned in reverse chronological order. The first status in the list will be the latest one.

This resource is also available via a legacy route: GET /repos/:owner/:repo/statuses/:ref.

Fine-grained access tokens for "List commit statuses for a reference"

This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:

The fine-grained token must have the following permission set:

  • "Commit statuses" repository permissions (read)

This endpoint can be used without authentication or the aforementioned permissions if only public resources are requested.

Parameters for "List commit statuses for a reference"

Headers
Name, Type, Description
accept string

Setting to application/vnd.github+json is recommended.

Path parameters
Name, Type, Description
owner string Required

The account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive.

repo string Required

The name of the repository without the .git extension. The name is not case sensitive.

ref string Required

The commit reference. Can be a commit SHA, branch name (heads/BRANCH_NAME), or tag name (tags/TAG_NAME). For more information, see "Git References" in the Git documentation.

Query parameters
Name, Type, Description
per_page integer

The number of results per page (max 100). For more information, see "Using pagination in the REST API."

Default: 30

page integer

The page number of the results to fetch. For more information, see "Using pagination in the REST API."

Default: 1

HTTP response status codes for "List commit statuses for a reference"

Status codeDescription
200

OK

301

Moved permanently

Code samples for "List commit statuses for a reference"

Request example

get/repos/{owner}/{repo}/commits/{ref}/statuses
curl -L \ -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \ -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \ http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/commits/REF/statuses

Response

Status: 200
[ { "url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/statuses/6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/hubot_happy.gif", "id": 1, "node_id": "MDY6U3RhdHVzMQ==", "state": "success", "description": "Build has completed successfully", "target_url": "https://ci.example.com/1000/output", "context": "continuous-integration/jenkins", "created_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z", "updated_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z", "creator": { "login": "octocat", "id": 1, "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif", "gravatar_id": "", "url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat", "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat", "followers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/followers", "following_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/following{/other_user}", "gists_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}", "starred_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}", "subscriptions_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/subscriptions", "organizations_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/orgs", "repos_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/repos", "events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/events{/privacy}", "received_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/received_events", "type": "User", "site_admin": false } } ]

Create a commit status

Users with push access in a repository can create commit statuses for a given SHA.

Note: there is a limit of 1000 statuses per sha and context within a repository. Attempts to create more than 1000 statuses will result in a validation error.

Fine-grained access tokens for "Create a commit status"

This endpoint works with the following fine-grained token types:

The fine-grained token must have the following permission set:

  • "Commit statuses" repository permissions (write)

Parameters for "Create a commit status"

Headers
Name, Type, Description
accept string

Setting to application/vnd.github+json is recommended.

Path parameters
Name, Type, Description
owner string Required

The account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive.

repo string Required

The name of the repository without the .git extension. The name is not case sensitive.

sha string Required
Body parameters
Name, Type, Description
state string Required

The state of the status.

Can be one of: error, failure, pending, success

target_url string or null

The target URL to associate with this status. This URL will be linked from the GitHub UI to allow users to easily see the source of the status.
For example, if your continuous integration system is posting build status, you would want to provide the deep link for the build output for this specific SHA:
http://ci.example.com/user/repo/build/sha

description string or null

A short description of the status.

context string

A string label to differentiate this status from the status of other systems. This field is case-insensitive.

Default: default

HTTP response status codes for "Create a commit status"

Status codeDescription
201

Created

Code samples for "Create a commit status"

Request example

post/repos/{owner}/{repo}/statuses/{sha}
curl -L \ -X POST \ -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \ -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \ http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/statuses/SHA \ -d '{"state":"success","target_url":"https://example.com/build/status","description":"The build succeeded!","context":"continuous-integration/jenkins"}'

Response

Status: 201
{ "url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/statuses/6dcb09b5b57875f334f61aebed695e2e4193db5e", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/hubot_happy.gif", "id": 1, "node_id": "MDY6U3RhdHVzMQ==", "state": "success", "description": "Build has completed successfully", "target_url": "https://ci.example.com/1000/output", "context": "continuous-integration/jenkins", "created_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z", "updated_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z", "creator": { "login": "octocat", "id": 1, "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=", "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif", "gravatar_id": "", "url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat", "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat", "followers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/followers", "following_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/following{/other_user}", "gists_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}", "starred_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}", "subscriptions_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/subscriptions", "organizations_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/orgs", "repos_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/repos", "events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/events{/privacy}", "received_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/received_events", "type": "User", "site_admin": false } }