github-issues

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The MCP server does not currently support creating, updating, or commenting on issues. Use gh api for these operations.

Operation

Command

Create issue

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues -X POST -f title=... -f body=...

Update issue

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{number} -X PATCH -f title=... -f state=...

Add comment

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{number}/comments -X POST -f body=...

Close issue

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{number} -X PATCH -f state=closed

Set issue type

Include -f type=Bug in the create call (REST API only, not supported by gh issue create CLI)

Note: gh issue create works for basic issue creation but does not support the --type flag. Use gh api when you need to set issue types.

Workflow

• Determine action: Create, update, or query?

• Gather context: Get repo info, existing labels, milestones if needed

• Structure content: Use appropriate template from references/templates.md

• Execute: Use MCP tools for reads, gh api for writes

• Confirm: Report the issue URL to user

Creating Issues

Use gh api to create issues. This supports all parameters including issue types.

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues \

  -X POST \

  -f title="Issue title" \

  -f body="Issue body in markdown" \

  -f type="Bug" \

  --jq '{number, html_url}'

Optional Parameters

Add any of these flags to the gh api call:

-f type="Bug"                    # Issue type (Bug, Feature, Task, Epic, etc.)

-f labels[]="bug"                # Labels (repeat for multiple)

-f assignees[]="username"        # Assignees (repeat for multiple)

-f milestone=1                   # Milestone number

Issue types are organization-level metadata. To discover available types, use:

gh api graphql -f query='{ organization(login: "ORG") { issueTypes(first: 10) { nodes { name } } } }' --jq '.data.organization.issueTypes.nodes[].name'

Prefer issue types over labels for categorization. When issue types are available (e.g., Bug, Feature, Task), use the type parameter instead of applying equivalent labels like bug or enhancement. Issue types are the canonical way to categorize issues on GitHub. Only fall back to labels when the org has no issue types configured.

Title Guidelines

• Be specific and actionable

• Keep under 72 characters

• When issue types are set, don't add redundant prefixes like [Bug]

• Examples:

• Login fails with SSO enabled (with type=Bug)

• Add dark mode support (with type=Feature)

• Add unit tests for auth module (with type=Task)

Body Structure

Always use the templates in references/templates.md. Choose based on issue type:

User Request

Template

Bug, error, broken, not working

Bug Report

Feature, enhancement, add, new

Feature Request

Task, chore, refactor, update

Task

Updating Issues

Use gh api with PATCH:

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{number} \

  -X PATCH \

  -f state=closed \

  -f title="Updated title" \

  --jq '{number, html_url}'

Only include fields you want to change. Available fields: title, body, state (open/closed), labels, assignees, milestone.

Examples

Example 1: Bug Report

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

Action:

gh api repos/github/awesome-copilot/issues \

  -X POST \

  -f title="Login page crashes when using SSO" \

  -f type="Bug" \

  -f 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." \

  --jq '{number, html_url}'

Example 2: Feature Request

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

Action:

gh api repos/github/awesome-copilot/issues \

  -X POST \

  -f title="Add dark mode support" \

  -f type="Feature" \

  -f labels[]="high-priority" \

  -f 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

## Proposed Solution

Implement theme toggle with system preference detection.

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Toggle switch in settings

- [ ] Persists user preference

- [ ] Respects system preference by default" \

  --jq '{number, html_url}'

Common Labels

Use these standard labels when applicable:

Label

Use For

bug

Something isn't working

enhancement

New feature or improvement

documentation

Documentation updates

good first issue

Good for newcomers

help wanted

Extra attention needed

question

Further information requested

wontfix

Will not be addressed

duplicate

Already exists

high-priority

Urgent issues

Tips

• Always confirm the repository context before creating issues

• Ask for missing critical information rather than guessing

• Link related issues when known: Related to #123

• For updates, fetch current issue first to preserve unchanged fields

Extended Capabilities

The following features require REST or GraphQL APIs beyond the basic MCP tools. Each is documented in its own reference file so the agent only loads the knowledge it needs.

Capability

When to use

Reference

Advanced search

Complex queries with boolean logic, date ranges, cross-repo search, issue field filters (field.name:value)

references/search.md

Sub-issues & parent issues

Breaking work into hierarchical tasks

references/sub-issues.md

Issue dependencies

Tracking blocked-by / blocking relationships

references/dependencies.md

Issue types (advanced)

GraphQL operations beyond MCP list_issue_types / type param

references/issue-types.md

Projects V2

Project boards, progress reports, field management

references/projects.md

Issue fields

Custom metadata: dates, priority, text, numbers (private preview)

references/issue-fields.md

Images in issues

Embedding images in issue bodies and comments via CLI

references/images.md