GitHub Issues

Manage GitHub issues using the @modelcontextprotocol/server-github MCP server.

Available Tools

MCP Tools (read operations)

Tool	Purpose
mcp__github__issue_read	Read issue details, sub-issues, comments, labels (methods: get, get_comments, get_sub_issues, get_labels)
mcp__github__list_issues	List and filter repository issues by state, labels, date
mcp__github__search_issues	Search issues across repos using GitHub search syntax
mcp__github__projects_list	List projects, project fields, project items, status updates
mcp__github__projects_get	Get details of a project, field, item, or status update
mcp__github__projects_write	Add/update/delete project items, create status updates

MCP Tools (write operations)

Tool	Purpose
mcp__github__issue_write	Create or update an issue (methods: create, update). Supports title, body, type, labels, assignees, milestone, and issue fields
mcp__github__add_issue_comment	Add a comment or a reaction to an issue
mcp__github__sub_issue_write	Add, remove, or reprioritize a sub-issue

CLI / REST API (write operations)

gh api performs the same writes and is the form used in the examples below. Reach for it when the MCP server is not connected, or when you need a REST field the MCP tools do not expose.

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

1. Determine action: Create, update, or query?
2. Gather context: Get repo info, existing labels, milestones if needed
3. Structure content: Use appropriate template from references/templates.md
4. Execute: Use MCP tools for reads, gh api for writes
5. 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

Quote the whole name[]=value pair. [] is a glob pattern in zsh, the default shell on macOS, so an unquoted -f labels[]=bug never reaches gh:

zsh: no matches found: labels[]=bug

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
Milestones	Create, read, update, close, reopen, delete milestones and manage milestone issues	references/milestones.md
Labels	Discover, create, rename, recolor, and delete repository labels; add or replace labels on an issue	references/labels.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