# Commands (/docs/reference/commands)

doctor, limits, refresh, version and help, each as a word, a short flag and a long flag.

```txt
gh select [options]      open the repo picker
gh select <command>      run one command and exit
```

Each command works as a word (`limits`), a short flag (`-l`) and a long flag (`--limits`). All of them take `-h` or `--help` for their own page. Without a command, `gh select` opens the picker and accepts the [options](/docs/reference/options).

| Command          | Short | Long        | What it does                             |
| ---------------- | ----- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `doctor`         | none  | `--doctor`  | check git, gh and your GitHub login      |
| `limits`         | `-l`  | `--limits`  | show GitHub API rate limit usage         |
| `refresh`        | `-r`  | `--refresh` | refetch the repo cache and exit          |
| `version`        | `-v`  | `--version` | print the installed version              |
| `help [command]` | `-h`  | `--help`    | show the overview, or one command's help |

## doctor [#doctor]

```bash
gh select doctor
```

![gh select doctor](/screens/doctor.png)

Checks that `git` and `gh` are on your `PATH` and that `gh auth status` succeeds. Each line is `[ok]` or `[x]` with the path found or a hint. It needs no login itself, so it still runs when everything else fails. It always exits `0`.

## limits [#limits]

```bash
gh select limits
```

Prints the `search`, `core`, `graphql` and `code_search` budgets. Every tool that uses your `gh` login shares them.

![gh select limits](/screens/limits.png)

Each row has a usage bar, used and limit, the window length and a pace note. A marker in the bar shows how far the current window has run. When the current pace would empty a bucket before it resets, the note says how soon. A window starts at its first request, so an unused bucket reports zero elapsed. The `?` overlay in the app shows the same.

## refresh [#refresh]

```bash
gh select refresh
```

![gh select refresh](/screens/refresh.png)

Fetches every repository you can access, saves it to the cache and prints `Refreshed N repositories`. The app already refreshes a stale cache in the background, so this is for cron jobs and scripts. See [scripting](/docs/guides/scripting).

## version [#version]

```bash
gh select version
```

Prints `gh-select VERSION`. Release builds print the tag, like `v2.6.0`. Local builds print the commit, like `dev+5006ea0`, with `-dirty` when the tree had uncommitted changes.

When the last daily check found a newer release, a second line on stderr names it and how to upgrade. This command never touches the network.

## help [#help]

```bash
gh select help
gh select help refresh
gh select refresh -h
```

![gh select help](/screens/help-cli.png)

Without a command it prints the overview: usage, commands, options, environment, a pointer to the in-app keys, and examples. With a command it prints that command's page, as does adding `-h` or `--help` to any command. Output is colored on a terminal unless `NO_COLOR` is set.

## How the command line is read [#how-the-command-line-is-read]

- A flag form counts anywhere in the arguments. A bare word counts only first, or right after `help`, so a value such as `--dir refresh` is never mistaken for a command.
- Two different commands in one line fail with `doctor and limits can't be combined`.
- A command takes no options. `gh select refresh --theme nord` fails with `refresh takes no options, got --theme nord`.
- An unknown word fails with `unknown command NAME`, and an unknown flag with `unknown option --NAME`. Both suggest the closest valid name when one is near, as in `did you mean --limits?`, and exit with status `2`.

![A typo suggests the closest command](/screens/typo.png)