GitHub Issues Management

Create, retrieve, update, and manage GitHub issues with comprehensive context integration and structured workflows.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when:

• The user wants to create a new GitHub issue
• The user asks to view or retrieve issue details
• The user needs to update an existing issue
• The user wants to list issues in a repository
• The user mentions managing issues, bug reports, or feature requests in GitHub
• The user wants to close, reopen, or modify issue properties
• The user needs to add comments or labels to issues
• The user wants to search for issues

Critical Rules

IMPORTANT: Always confirm owner/repo before creating or modifying issues

Always use descriptive issue titles and provide structured descriptions

Never create duplicate issues - search existing issues first when appropriate

Available CLI Commands

Workflow

1. Gather Context

First, collect information about the current repository and context:

• Identify the repository (owner and repo name)
• Understand the type of issue (bug, feature, task, etc.)
• Gather relevant labels, milestones, and assignees if applicable

2. Repository Verification

Before any operation, verify you have the correct repository identifier:

• Confirm repository exists
• Understand repository structure
• Check available labels and milestones

3. Issue Operations

Creating a New Issue

When creating issues, gather complete context:

Required Information:

• owner: Repository owner (organization or user)
• repo: Repository name
• title: Clear, descriptive issue title

Optional but Recommended:

• body: Detailed description in Markdown format
• labels: Label names (e.g., "bug,enhancement")
• assignees: Usernames to assign
• milestone: Milestone number (integer)

Human-in-the-Loop - Ask for Context

Always ask to clarify issue details:

Question: "What type of issue is this?"
Options:
- "Bug report - something is not working correctly"
- "Feature request - new functionality needed"
- "Task - work item to complete"
- "Documentation - documentation needs update"
- "Other - let me describe it"

Title Guidelines:

• Start with type prefix when useful: [Bug], [Feature], [Docs]
• Be specific and actionable
• Keep under 72 characters
• Examples:
  • [Bug] Login fails with SSO enabled
  • [Feature] Add dark mode support
  • Add unit tests for auth module

Issue Description Template:

Structure descriptions for clarity:

## Summary
[Brief description of the issue]

## Current Behavior
[What is happening now - for bugs]

## Expected Behavior
[What should happen - for bugs]

## Steps to Reproduce
[For bugs - numbered steps]

## Acceptance Criteria
[For features/tasks - what defines "done"]

## Additional Context
[Screenshots, logs, related issues, etc.]

Retrieving Issue Details

Use gh issue view <number> with:

• <number>: Issue number (e.g., 42)

This returns complete issue information including:

• Title and body
• State (open/closed)
• Labels and milestone
• Assignees and author
• Created/updated timestamps

Listing Issues

Use gh issue list with filters:

• --state: "open", "closed", or "all"
• --label: Filter by labels (comma-separated)
• --assignee: Filter by assignee username
• --search: Search in title and description
• --sort: Sort by "created", "updated", "comments"
• --order: "asc" or "desc"
• --limit: Results per page (default 30)

Searching Issues

Use gh search issues "<query>" for advanced queries:

• Search across repositories
• Use GitHub search qualifiers (is:open, label:bug, etc.)
• Full-text search in titles and bodies

Updating an Issue

When updating issues, only provide changed fields:

Use gh issue edit <number> with flags for fields to update (--title, --body, --add-label, --remove-label, --add-assignee, --milestone, etc.)

State Changes:

• gh issue reopen <number> - Open/reopen the issue
• gh issue close <number> - Close the issue

Adding Comments

Use gh issue comment <number> --body "<comment>" with:

• <number>: Issue number
• <comment>: Comment content in Markdown

4. Execute Operations (Requires Confirmation)

CRITICAL: Confirm with user before creating or modifying issues

After gathering all information, present a summary for user approval:

Creating issue in repository: owner/repo
Title: [title]
Description: [summary]
Labels: [labels]
Assignee: [assignee]

Proceed with issue creation?

Issue Type Templates

Bug Report

## Description
The [component] is experiencing [issue] when [condition].

## Steps to Reproduce
1. [First step]
2. [Second step]
3. [See error]

## Expected Behavior
[What should happen]

## Actual Behavior
[What actually happens]

## Environment
- Application Version: [version]

## Screenshots/Logs
[Attach relevant files]

## Possible Solution
[Optional: if you have ideas]

Feature Request

## Summary
[One-line description of the feature]

## Motivation
[Why is this feature needed? What problem does it solve?]

## Proposed Solution
[How should this work?]

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] [Criterion 1]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]
- [ ] [Criterion 3]

## Alternatives Considered
[Other approaches considered]

## Additional Context
[Mockups, examples, references]

Task

## Task Description
[What needs to be done]

## Background
[Why is this needed?]

## Requirements
- [ ] [Requirement 1]
- [ ] [Requirement 2]

## Definition of Done
- [ ] [Criterion 1]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]

## Dependencies
[Related issues, blockers]

Examples

Example 1: Creating a Bug Report

User: "Create a bug issue - the login page crashes when using SSO"

AI Workflow:

1. Ask for repository (owner/repo) if not known
2. Ask clarifying questions about the bug
3. Generate structured description
4. Present summary for confirmation
5. Create issue with gh issue create --title "[Bug] Login page crashes when using SSO" --body "<description>" --label "bug"

Result:

gh issue create \
  --title "[Bug] Login page crashes when using SSO" \
  --body "## Description
The login page crashes when users attempt to authenticate using SSO.

## Steps to Reproduce
1. Navigate to login page
2. Click 'Sign in with SSO'
3. Page crashes

## Expected Behavior
SSO authentication should complete and redirect to dashboard.

## Actual Behavior
Page becomes unresponsive and displays error.

## Environment
- Browser: [To be filled]
- OS: [To be filled]" \
  --label "bug"

Example 2: Feature Request with Priority

User: "Create a feature request for dark mode with high priority"

AI Workflow:

1. Gather feature details
2. Structure the request
3. Add appropriate labels
4. Confirm and create

Result:

gh issue create \
  --title "[Feature] Add dark mode support" \
  --body "## Summary
Add dark mode theme option for improved user experience and accessibility.

## Motivation
- Reduces eye strain in low-light environments
- Increasingly expected by users
- Improves accessibility

## Proposed Solution
Implement theme toggle with system preference detection.

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Toggle switch in settings
- [ ] Persists user preference
- [ ] Respects system preference by default
- [ ] All UI components support both themes" \
  --label "enhancement,high-priority"

Example 3: Listing and Filtering Issues

User: "Show me all open bugs assigned to me"

AI Workflow:

1. Use gh issue list --state open --label bug --assignee @me

Result:

Found 3 open bug issues assigned to you:

#142 - [Bug] API timeout on large file uploads
      Labels: bug, priority-medium
      Created: 2024-01-15

#138 - [Bug] Dashboard graphs not rendering on Safari
      Labels: bug, frontend
      Created: 2024-01-12

#125 - [Bug] Email notifications delayed by 30+ minutes
      Labels: bug, priority-high
      Created: 2024-01-08

Example 4: Closing an Issue with Comment

User: "Close issue #142 and add a comment that it's fixed in v2.4.0"

AI Workflow:

1. First, add a comment to the issue: gh issue comment 142 --body "Fixed in v2.4.0. Closing this issue."
2. Then close the issue: gh issue close 142

Result:

Issue #142 has been commented and closed.

Common Labels

Use these standard labels when applicable:

Important Notes

• Always verify repository access - Ensure you have permission to create/modify issues
• Use labels consistently - Follow repository labeling conventions
• Be specific in titles - Prefix with [Bug], [Feature], [Task] for clarity
• Include reproduction steps - Essential for bug reports
• Define acceptance criteria - Clear "definition of done" for features/tasks
• Link related issues - Use "Related to #XX" or "Blocks #XX" in descriptions
• Mention users with @username - For visibility and notifications
• Use milestones - Associate issues with releases when applicable

GitHub Issue Best Practices

Writing Effective Titles

• Be concise but descriptive
• Include issue type prefix: [Bug], [Feature], [Task], [Docs]
• Mention affected component if applicable
• Avoid vague titles like "Fix bug" or "Update code"

Structuring Descriptions

• Use Markdown formatting for readability
• Include all relevant context upfront
• Add screenshots or logs when helpful
• Link to related issues, PRs, or documentation
• Use task lists for trackable sub-items

Label Strategy

• Combine type labels (bug, enhancement) with area labels (frontend, api)
• Use priority labels when needed (priority-high, priority-low)
• Keep label taxonomy consistent across repositories

Assignment and Workflow

• Assign issues to specific team members
• Use milestones for release planning
• Update issue status as work progresses
• Close issues with reference to fixing PR: "Fixes #XX"