How to Manage Work Items in GitKraken CLI

Last updated: March 2026

How to Manage Work Items with GitKraken CLI

GitKraken CLI Work Items let developers and agents start, review, commit, create pull requests for, and clean up a task across every repository in the active workspace. Use this workflow when one issue affects multiple repositories; AI-generated commits and pull requests require authentication, a configured organization, and a paid plan.

Requirements

Workspace: an active GitKraken workspace with the target repositories
Plan support: Work Items can be used on all plans, but AI-assisted actions require a paid plan
Authentication: gk auth login is required for GitKraken cloud features
Organization: gk organization set <ORG_NAME> is required for AI-generated commits and pull requests
Scope: gk work commands run across every repository in the active workspace

Command	Use when	Requires AI or auth	Output
`gk work start <name>`	Start a coordinated task across multiple repositories	No	Initializes the work item across the workspace
`gk work info`	Review pending changes before committing or opening pull requests	No	Shows work item state across repositories
`gk work commit --ai`	Create commits across repositories with AI-generated messages	Yes, plus a paid plan	Commits staged changes in all affected repositories
`gk work pr create --ai`	Open pull requests for the current work item	Yes, plus a paid plan	Creates pull requests for all changes in scope
`gk work end`	Finish the work item and clean up temporary resources	No	Closes the work item and offers cleanup options

How to Start a GitKraken CLI Work Item Quickly

Use this Quick Start when you want the shortest path through a multi-repository task. The detailed command-by-command walkthrough appears later on this page.

Start a new work item:
```
gk work start <name>
```
Review pending changes across all repositories in the workspace:
```
gk work info
```
Stage your changes, then commit with an AI-generated message:
```
gk work commit --ai
```
Create pull requests for all repositories in the work item:
```
gk work pr create --ai
```
Finalize and clean up the work item:
```
gk work end
```

All gk work commands execute in parallel across every repository in the active workspace. An authenticated GitKraken account with a configured organization and paid plan is required to use AI-generated commit messages and pull requests.

When to Use GitKraken CLI Work Items Instead of Standard Git Commands

Use gk work when one issue, bug fix, or feature spans multiple repositories in the same workspace. Use standard Git commands instead when the work stays in a single repository and you do not need synchronized commits, pull requests, or cleanup.

How to Run a GitKraken CLI Work Item from Start to Finish

Start with gk work start when you want GitKraken CLI to initialize a shared task across every repository in the active workspace:

gk work start <name>

The <name> assigns a title to your work item. This initializes all repositories in your workspace and checks for any pending commits, pull requests, or open work items.

Work item initialization in GitKraken CLI — Creating a work item initializes your workspace and checks for pending items.

Review the workspace state with gk work info before committing or opening pull requests across the full work item:

gk work info

Work info output in GitKraken CLI — Use `gk work info` to review changes across all repositories.

How to Commit Work Item Changes with AI

Use gk work commit --ai when you want GitKraken CLI to generate commit messages and commit staged changes across every repository in the work item:

gk work commit --ai

This command:

Analyzes staged changes using AI.
Generates context-aware commit messages.
Commits changes across all repositories in the work item.

AI-generated commit in GitKraken CLI — AI-generated commit messages help standardize your commit history.

How to Create Pull Requests for a Work Item with AI

Use gk work pr create --ai when you want GitKraken CLI to open pull requests for every repository included in the active work item:

gk work pr create --ai

This creates pull requests for all changes in the current work item with AI-generated messages. Use this command after you have reviewed the workspace state and committed the repositories that belong in the shared task.

How to End and Clean Up a Work Item

Use gk work end when the shared task is complete and you want GitKraken CLI to close the work item and clean up temporary resources:

gk work end

This command cleans up your workspace and provides options to delete or retain local changes while removing temporary resources.

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