In this guide

Get a Gist

One gist, with the text of its files.

Action referenceRead

What this action does #

First, connect GitHub in Services. Then open Actions → + → GitHub and choose Get a Gist.

More about this action

The gist id is the hash at the end of its URL.

Files is keyed by file name, which is your own name for the file and so cannot be listed in advance. That means a step cannot pick out `files → notes.md → content` from the field list; an action either returns the whole Files object or one of the fields beside it. A file larger than about a megabyte comes back with `truncated` true and its content cut short, with `raw_url` holding the whole thing.

Inputs to fill in #

Open an input to choose its value. Keep a fixed value with Text, receive it from Shortcuts, ask when the action runs, or use an Earlier Step. Read how input sources work.

Gist ID

RequiredText

The hash at the end of the gist's URL.

This input offers a picker for gist from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

Example value (replace with your own):

aa5a315d61ae9438b18d

What comes back #

In the action editor, open Output → Returned Value to choose fields for your shortcut. These are the response fields described by the app; a service may omit an optional field or return an empty list. JSON File contains the full response.

Returned field	Type	Meaning
`id`	string	The hash used in every other gist endpoint.
`html_url`	string	The page to open or share.
`description`	string	Shown as the gist's title. Null when unset.
`public`	boolean	False means unlisted, not private.
`comments`	integer	Whole-number value.
`created_at`	string	ISO 8601.
`updated_at`	string	Text value.
`truncated`	boolean	True when a file was too large to include whole.
`owner`	object	A group of named values.
`owner.login`	string	Username.
`owner.id`	integer	Whole-number value.
`owner.html_url`	string	Their profile page.
`owner.avatar_url`	string	Text value.
`owner.type`	string	User, Organization or Bot.
`files`	object	Keyed by file name, so the keys are yours and cannot be listed here. Each value has filename, type, language, size, raw_url and — unless truncated — content.
`forks`	array	Forks of this gist.
`history`	array	Revisions, newest first.

Run it from Shortcuts #

Give the action a recognizable name and tap Save.
In Apple Shortcuts, add Shortcutify’s Execute Action and select the saved action.
Supply any Param or File slots you bound in the inputs, then run the shortcut.

If the result is unexpected, open Logs in Shortcutify, select the run, and inspect this step’s inputs and response.

Advanced reference #

Request, permissions, and identifiers

Request: GET https://api.github.com/gists/{gist_id}

Action identifier: github.gists.get.v1

Permissions declared for this action: gists:read. The account’s own access rules also apply.

Input	Request key	Location
Gist ID	`gist_id`	path

GitHub API reference