GH-CODESPACE-CREATE(1)

✨ gh-codespace-create, the GitHub CLI manual ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the gh-codespace-create page — it's the part of the GitHub CLI manual that teaches you how to literally summon a codespace out of thin air 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

gh-codespace-create — create a codespace 💅 (yes that's the whole job and she does it gorgeously)

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

gh codespace create [flags]

that's it. that's the whole vibe. just you, the command, and whatever flags you feel like sprinkling on top ✨

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

okay so here's the full menu, no skips, no cuts, all of it 👑

• -b, --branch <string> — which repository branch you want, like literally pick a branch bestie 🌿
• --default-permissions — do not prompt you to accept the extra permissions the codespace is asking for, just go with the defaults and keep it moving 🙈
• --devcontainer-path <string> — the path to the devcontainer.json file to use when creating the codespace, iykyk 🧚
• -d, --display-name <string> — a display name for your codespace, and it's gotta be 48 characters or less (the limit is real, don't fight it) ⭐
• --idle-timeout <duration> — how long it can sit there doing nothing before the codespace gets stopped, e.g. "10m", "1h" 💤
• -l, --location <string> — the location: {EastUs|SouthEastAsia|WestEurope|WestUs2} — and no worries, it's determined automatically if you don't provide it 🌈
• -m, --machine <string> — the hardware specifications for the VM, aka how much machine your machine gets 🔥
• -R, --repo <string> — repository name with owner: user/repo 👑
• --retention-period <duration> — allowed time after shutting down before the codespace is automatically deleted (maximum 30 days), e.g. "1h", "72h" — like a lil grace period before it's gone gone 😭
• -s, --status — show status of post-create command and dotfiles 🍓
• -w, --web — create the codespace from the browser, but heads up: cannot be used with --display-name, --idle-timeout, or --retention-period 💀

ngl the --web one is the picky icon of the group — she does not share the stage with those three flags, periodt.

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💜 EXIT CODES 💜

so when the command wraps up, here's what the numbers mean:

• 0: Successful execution — slay, it worked 🎉
• 1: Error — okay we have a problem 😭
• 2: Command canceled — you (or something) bailed 🙈
• 4: Authentication required — you gotta prove who you are first 🔐

NOTE: Specific commands may have additional exit codes. Refer to the command's help for more information. (basically, check the receipts, there might be more 👀)

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🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

• gh-codespace(1) — go hang out with the rest of the codespace family, they're iconic 🫶

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and that's the whole page, bestie 💖 no cap, you're now a gh-codespace-create expert.

made with love by the GitHub CLI, v2.102.0, dated Oct 2026 🎀