GitHub: Update a gist

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Operation github.gists_update

Provider route: PATCH /gists/{gist_id}. Alter supplies the connection’s credentials and routing.

Call through Alter

Install @alter-ai/sdk @alter-ai/github with npm, or alter-sdk-github with pip. Supply your connected customer’s grant ID and the arguments described below.

import { App } from "@alter-ai/sdk";
import { GitHubIntegration } from "@alter-ai/github";

async function execute(input: Parameters<GitHubIntegration["gists"]["gistsUpdate"]>[0]) {
  const app = new App({ apiKey: process.env.ALTER_API_KEY! });
  try {
    const provider = new GitHubIntegration(app, { grantId: process.env.PROVIDER_GRANT_ID! });
    const call = await provider.gists.gistsUpdate(input);
    const result = await call.wait();
    return result.bodyJson();
  } finally {
    await app.close();
  }
}

import os
from alter_sdk import App
from alter_sdk_github import GitHubIntegration

async def execute(arguments):
    async with App(api_key=os.environ["ALTER_API_KEY"]) as app:
        provider = GitHubIntegration(app, {"grant_id": os.environ["PROVIDER_GRANT_ID"]})
        call = await provider.gists.gists_update(arguments)
        result = await call.wait()
        return result.body_json()

Input

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
$	object	Root	Additional keys: not allowed
path	object	Required within parent	Additional keys: not allowed
path.gist_id	string	Required within parent
body	JSON	Required within parent
body (anyOf 1)	object	Alternative
body (anyOf 1).description	string	Optional	The description of the gist.
body (anyOf 1).files	object	Optional	The gist files to be updated, renamed, or deleted. Each `key` must match the current filename (including extension) of the targeted gist file. For example: `hello.py`. To delete a file, set the whole file to null. For example: `hello.py : null`. The file will also be deleted if the specified object does not contain at least one of `content` or `filename`. Additional keys: see wildcard field
body (anyOf 1).files.*	JSON	Additional keys
body (anyOf 1).files.* (anyOf 1)	object	Alternative
body (anyOf 1).files.* (anyOf 1).content	string	Optional	The new content of the file.
body (anyOf 1).files.* (anyOf 1).filename	JSON	Optional
body (anyOf 1).files.* (anyOf 1).filename (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative	The new filename for the file.
body (anyOf 1).files.* (anyOf 1).filename (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
body (anyOf 1).files.* (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
body (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative

Response

Response media type: application/json. The table describes the pinned successful response. Referenced models link to their complete fields.

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
$	Model	Root	Expand Get a gist — response body

Referenced models: Get a gist — response body

Schemas

1 more schema is linked from the tables above, on the schema pages.

Get a gist — response body

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
$	object	Root	Gist Simple
comments	JSON	Optional
comments (anyOf 1)	integer	Alternative
comments (anyOf 2)	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
comments_enabled	boolean	Optional
comments_url	string	Optional
commits_url	string	Optional
created_at	string	Optional
description	JSON	Optional
description (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative
description (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
files	object	Optional	Additional keys: see wildcard field
files.*	JSON	Additional keys
files.* (anyOf 1)	object	Alternative
files.* (anyOf 1).content	string	Optional
files.* (anyOf 1).encoding	string	Optional	The encoding used for `content`. Currently, `"utf-8"` and `"base64"` are supported. Default: utf-8
files.* (anyOf 1).filename	string	Optional
files.* (anyOf 1).language	string	Optional
files.* (anyOf 1).raw_url	string	Optional
files.* (anyOf 1).size	JSON	Optional
files.* (anyOf 1).size (anyOf 1)	integer	Alternative
files.* (anyOf 1).size (anyOf 2)	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
files.* (anyOf 1).truncated	boolean	Optional
files.* (anyOf 1).type	string	Optional
files.* (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
fork_of	JSON	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1)	object	Alternative	Gist
fork_of (anyOf 1).comments	JSON	Required within parent
fork_of (anyOf 1).comments (anyOf 1)	integer	Alternative
fork_of (anyOf 1).comments (anyOf 2)	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
fork_of (anyOf 1).comments_enabled	boolean	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).comments_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).commits_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).created_at	string	Required within parent	Format: date-time
fork_of (anyOf 1).description	JSON	Required within parent
fork_of (anyOf 1).description (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative
fork_of (anyOf 1).description (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
fork_of (anyOf 1).files	object	Required within parent	Additional keys: see wildcard field
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*	object	Additional keys
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.filename	string	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.language	string	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.raw_url	string	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.size	JSON	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.size (anyOf 1)	integer	Alternative
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.size (anyOf 2)	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
fork_of (anyOf 1).files.*.type	string	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).forks	array	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).forks[]	JSON	Each item
fork_of (anyOf 1).forks_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).git_pull_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).git_push_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).history	array	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).history[]	JSON	Each item
fork_of (anyOf 1).html_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).id	string	Required within parent
fork_of (anyOf 1).node_id	string	Required within parent
fork_of (anyOf 1).owner	Model	Optional	Expand Get an issue — response body — user
fork_of (anyOf 1).public	boolean	Required within parent
fork_of (anyOf 1).truncated	boolean	Optional
fork_of (anyOf 1).updated_at	string	Required within parent	Format: date-time
fork_of (anyOf 1).url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
fork_of (anyOf 1).user	Model	Required within parent	Expand Get an issue — response body — user
fork_of (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
forks_url	string	Optional
git_pull_url	string	Optional
git_push_url	string	Optional
html_url	string	Optional
id	string	Optional
node_id	string	Optional
owner	Model	Optional	Expand List users — response body — item
public	boolean	Optional
truncated	boolean	Optional
updated_at	string	Optional
url	string	Optional
user	JSON	Optional
user (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative
user (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative

Referenced models: Get an issue — response body — user, List users — response body — item

Get an issue — response body — user

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
$	JSON	Root
$ (anyOf 1)	Model	Alternative	Expand Get an issue — response body — user A Git Hub user
$ (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative

Referenced models: Get an issue — response body — user A Git Hub user

List users — response body — item

Field	Type	Presence	Description and constraints
$	object	Root	A GitHub user.
avatar_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
email	JSON	Optional
email (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative
email (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
events_url	string	Required within parent
followers_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
following_url	string	Required within parent
gists_url	string	Required within parent
gravatar_id	JSON	Required within parent
gravatar_id (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative
gravatar_id (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
html_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
id	JSON	Required within parent
id (anyOf 1)	integer	Alternative	Format: int64
id (anyOf 2)	string	Alternative	Pattern: ^-?[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?(?:[eE][+-]?[0-9]+)?$
login	string	Required within parent
name	JSON	Optional
name (anyOf 1)	string	Alternative
name (anyOf 2)	null	Alternative
node_id	string	Required within parent
organizations_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
received_events_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
repos_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
site_admin	boolean	Required within parent
starred_at	string	Optional
starred_url	string	Required within parent
subscriptions_url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
type	string	Required within parent
url	string	Required within parent	Format: uri
user_view_type	string	Optional

Policy, approvals and errors

SDK function policy ID: github.gists_update. Catalog operation: gists/update. Rules can name either ID; function rules distinguish managed calls and conservatively cover raw calls sharing the route. Existing grant permissions and policy rules apply. wait() returns an immediate result or waits for a required approval; it never approves the request itself. Persist the approval ID to resume after a restart.

Provider errors retain their response; JSON decoding raises ProviderAPIError for provider failures. ManagedOperationError identifies contract/input/retention errors. See error handling and provider-specific behavior. Sensitive input may be refused before approval storage. A decoding error never resubmits a write.

Pinned headers: {"X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2026-03-10", "User-Agent": "Alter", "Accept": "application/vnd.github+json"}

Official provider source