From Local to Live: GitHub CLI on Windows & Netlify Deployment

GitHub CLI and Netlify Deployment Guide

By the end of this article you’ll have a private GitHub repository linked to Netlify, with your project building and deploying automatically every time you push code.

Part 1: Installing GitHub CLI on Windows

GitHub CLI (gh) lets you manage almost everything from the terminal—repositories, issues, pull‑requests, and more—without opening a browser.

winget install --id GitHub.cli

Tip: No Winget? Grab the latest MSI installer from the releases page or use Chocolatey: choco install gh.

1.2 Verify the install

gh --version

You should see version info like gh version 2.52.0 (2025-05-20).

1.3 Authenticate once

gh auth login

Select GitHub.com → HTTPS.

Allow gh to open your browser → Authorize → Back to terminal.

You’re now authenticated; tokens are stored securely in Windows Credential Manager.

Part 2: Create a Private Repository on GitHub

You can create repos in the browser, but CLI is quicker:

# From inside your project folder
gh repo create my-awesome-site --private --source . --remote origin
  • --private → repo is visible only to you & collaborators
  • --source . → current directory becomes the repo contents
  • --remote origin → sets the remote automatically

If you’re starting without any local files yet, skip --source . and let gh create an empty repo instead.

Part 3: Initialize Git Locally (if needed)

If git init hasn’t been run (e.g., a brand‑new Cursor project):

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Optional but helpful:

# Make sure the default branch is `main`
git branch -M main

Part 4: Connect Local Repo to Remote

If you didn’t use gh repo create --source ., add the remote manually:

git remote add origin https://github.com/<your‑username>/<repo>.git

Double‑check:

git remote -v

Part 5: Commit & Push to GitHub

Regular workflow:

git add .                 # stage new/changed files
git commit -m "Describe the change"  # commit
git push origin main      # push to remote

If this is the first push and you get a hint about —set-upstream, run:

git push -u origin main

Now future git push commands will default to origin main.

Part 6: Deploy Your Private Repo to Netlify

Netlify’s Git integration works perfectly with private repos once you give permission.

6.1 Prepare Netlify

  1. Sign in at app.netlify.com (create a free account if you haven’t already)
  2. Click Add new site → Import an existing project
  3. Pick GitHub as the provider and authorize Netlify to access your private repos (one‑click OAuth)

6.2 Choose the repository & settings

  1. Select <repo> from the list
  2. Build command: npm run build (or astro build, next build, etc.)
  3. Publish directory: e.g. dist or .output/public—whatever your framework outputs
  4. Click Deploy site

Netlify clones the repo, runs the build, and deploys it. Every subsequent git push triggers an automatic redeploy ✨.

6.3 Optional: Environment variables

If your build needs environment variables (API keys, etc.):

  1. In Site settings → Build & deploy → Environment add them
  2. Re‑deploy to pick up the new vars

Conclusion

You’ve gone from zero to:

  • GitHub CLI installed and authenticated
  • A private remote repo created
  • Local project committed & pushed
  • Continuous deployment configured on Netlify

Next time you code:

git add .
git commit -m "feat: amazing update"
git push

…and Netlify handles the rest. Enjoy your streamlined “local‑to‑live” workflow! 🚀

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