---
title: Get started
description: Install issue-graph, sign in with GitHub CLI, and trace your first issue.
url: "https://issue-graph.dev/docs/get-started"
docs_index: /llms.txt
lastUpdated: "2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z"
canonical_url: "https://issue-graph.dev/docs/get-started"
---

# Get started

> For an index of all documentation, see [/llms.txt](/llms.txt).

## Prerequisites

- Node.js 20 or later
- [GitHub CLI](https://cli.github.com) on your `PATH`
- read access to the repositories you want to query

## Install from npm

```bash
npm install --global issue-graph@latest
issue-graph --help
```

To try the [npm package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/issue-graph) without a global installation:

```bash
npx issue-graph@latest --help
```

You can replace `issue-graph` with `npx issue-graph@latest` in any CLI example.

## Authenticate GitHub

```bash
gh auth login
gh auth status
```

issue-graph uses your GitHub CLI credentials. For private repositories, your account needs access and any SSO authorization required by the organization.

## Trace an issue

Start with [agent-browser issue #1113](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues/1113):

```bash
issue-graph 1113 --repo vercel-labs/agent-browser --depth 1 --max-nodes 12 --no-snapshot
```

You can also pass its URL:

```bash
issue-graph https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues/1113 --depth 1 --max-nodes 12 --no-snapshot
```

The command prints a Markdown report. This example, captured on 2026-09-22, found a merged fix and two open follow-ups:

| Issue or PR                                                             | Captured state | Description                        |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| [Issue #1113](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues/1113) | CLOSED         | Original orphaned Chrome report    |
| [PR #1137](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/pull/1137)      | MERGED         | Fix linked to #1113                |
| [Issue #1148](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues/1148) | CLOSED         | Regression after the fix           |
| [Issue #1371](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues/1371) | OPEN           | Chrome Helper using high CPU       |
| [Issue #1607](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues/1607) | OPEN           | GUI Chrome launch problem on macOS |

Each run queries GitHub, so your results may differ. The flags limit this run to depth 1 and 12 fetched nodes, and disable saving a new snapshot. Check the report's missing references and limits before acting. See [Graph](/docs/graph) for the capture details and crawl limits.

## Save an explorer

Add `--json` and `--html` to save the results:

```bash
issue-graph 1113 --repo vercel-labs/agent-browser --depth 1 --max-nodes 12 --no-snapshot --json graph.json --html graph.html
```

Open `graph.html` in your browser. Export flags write files even with `--no-snapshot`; choose new filenames if you want to keep earlier results.

## Update

```bash
npm install --global issue-graph@latest
```

Use `issue-graph --help` to check the commands supported by your installed release.

## Troubleshooting

If the command is missing, check your npm global installation and `PATH`, or use npx. For GitHub access errors, run `gh auth status` and check repository permissions and SSO authorization.

## Optional source development

Contributors with repository access can build from source using pnpm and Node.js 20.19.x or 22.12+. Node.js 24 is recommended.

```bash
gh repo clone vercel-labs/issue-graph
cd issue-graph
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm build
node dist/bin.js --help
```

Continue with [Graph](/docs/graph), [Status and history](/docs/status), or [Agents and skills](/docs/agents).

---

For a semantic overview of all documentation, see [/sitemap.md](/sitemap.md)

For an index of all available documentation, see [/llms.txt](/llms.txt)