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

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.

bash

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:

bash

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

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:

bash

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:

bash

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:

bash

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

github-issues

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

GitHub Issues

Available Tools

MCP Tools (read operations)

MCP Tools (write operations)

CLI / REST API (write operations)

Workflow

Creating Issues

Optional Parameters

Title Guidelines

Body Structure

Updating Issues

Examples

Example 1: Bug Report

Example 2: Feature Request

Common Labels

Tips

Extended Capabilities