GitHub Issues is where work gets tracked. Bugs get reported, features get requested, tasks get assigned. But without automation, issues become a maintenance burden themselves - labeling, assigning, prioritizing, and organizing issues takes time that could go toward actually solving them.
AI automation transforms GitHub Issues from a passive tracking system into an active project management assistant. Issues get triaged instantly, assigned appropriately, and connected to the right context automatically.
Why Automate Issue Management
Issue management has many automatable aspects.
Instant Triage
No more issue backlog:
@devonair triage new issues within minutes of creation
Every issue gets categorized immediately.
Consistent Labeling
Labels become reliable:
@devonair apply consistent labels based on issue content
No more missing or inconsistent labels.
Smart Assignment
Route to the right person:
@devonair assign issues to appropriate team members
Reduced Manual Work
Focus on solving, not organizing:
@devonair handle issue administration automatically
Automatic Issue Triage
Content Analysis
Understand what issues are about:
@devonair analyze issue content and categorize as bug, feature, question, or documentation
Labeling
Apply appropriate labels:
@devonair apply labels based on issue content:
- Component labels (frontend, backend, api)
- Type labels (bug, enhancement, question)
- Priority labels (low, medium, high, critical)
Assignment
Route to right person:
@devonair assign issues based on content and expertise
Project Placement
Organize in projects:
@devonair add issues to appropriate project boards
Issue Creation
AI-Generated Issues
Create issues from various sources:
@devonair create issue for code quality problems detected
@devonair create issue for security vulnerability
@devonair create issue for failing test
Issue Templates
Ensure complete information:
@devonair verify issues follow template structure
@devonair prompt for missing information
Duplicate Detection
Avoid redundant issues:
@devonair check for duplicate issues before creating
@devonair link related existing issues
Bug Issue Automation
Bug Triage
Categorize bugs:
@devonair analyze bug reports and determine severity
Reproduction Analysis
Assess bug reports:
@devonair analyze if bug report has sufficient reproduction steps
@devonair request more details if reproduction steps unclear
Root Cause Linking
Connect to code:
@devonair attempt to identify affected code from bug description
Priority Assignment
Set priority:
@devonair prioritize bugs based on severity and affected users
Feature Request Automation
Feature Analysis
Understand requests:
@devonair categorize feature requests by theme
Specification Quality
Ensure completeness:
@devonair assess if feature request has adequate specification
Related Features
Connect related requests:
@devonair link related feature requests
Community Interest
Track demand:
@devonair track reaction counts on feature requests
Issue Assignment
Expertise-Based
Assign by knowledge:
@devonair assign to team members with expertise in affected area
Workload-Aware
Balance assignments:
@devonair distribute assignments across team
@devonair consider current workload when assigning
Availability-Aware
Check availability:
@devonair skip team members on PTO for assignments
Escalation
Route urgent issues:
@devonair escalate critical issues to senior team members
Labeling Automation
Content-Based Labels
Label by content:
@devonair apply labels based on:
- Mentioned components
- Error messages
- Feature areas
- User types
Priority Labels
Label by urgency:
@devonair apply priority labels based on issue content and context
State Labels
Track progress:
@devonair apply state labels: needs-triage, ready, in-progress, blocked
Dependency Labels
Show relationships:
@devonair apply 'blocked-by' labels when issues depend on others
Issue Organization
Project Boards
Organize in projects:
@devonair move issues through project board columns
Milestones
Track toward releases:
@devonair assign issues to appropriate milestones
Grouping
Organize related issues:
@devonair group related issues using parent issues or epics
Communication Automation
Initial Response
Acknowledge issues:
@devonair respond to new issues with acknowledgment and expected timeline
Update Requests
Prompt for information:
@devonair request more details when issue lacks information
Status Updates
Keep reporters informed:
@devonair update issues with progress when related PRs are opened
Resolution Notification
Close the loop:
@devonair comment when issue is resolved with release information
Stale Issue Management
Stale Detection
Find abandoned issues:
@devonair identify issues with no activity for 30 days
Stale Warnings
Warn before closing:
@devonair add stale warning label after 60 days
Auto-Closing
Clean up old issues:
@devonair close stale issues after 90 days with no response
Reopening
Allow recovery:
@devonair reopen issues when new comments added
Issue Linking
PR Links
Connect to code changes:
@devonair link issues to related PRs
Related Issues
Connect similar issues:
@devonair link issues that appear related
Cross-Repo Links
Connect across repositories:
@devonair link issues across related repositories
Metrics and Reporting
Issue Metrics
Track issue health:
@devonair track open issue count, age, and resolution time
Triage Metrics
Measure triage speed:
@devonair track time from issue creation to triage
Resolution Metrics
Measure resolution:
@devonair track time from issue creation to resolution
Category Trends
Understand patterns:
@devonair report on issue trends by category over time
JIRA Synchronization
Issue Sync
Keep JIRA current:
@devonair sync GitHub issues to JIRA
Status Sync
Sync state changes:
@devonair update JIRA status when GitHub issue status changes
Comment Sync
Sync discussions:
@devonair sync comments between GitHub and JIRA
Slack Notifications
New Issue Alerts
Notify team:
@devonair post new issues to #engineering-issues Slack channel
Priority Alerts
Highlight urgent issues:
@devonair immediately notify for critical priority issues
Assignment Notifications
Tell assignees:
@devonair DM team members when assigned to issues
Security Issues
Sensitive Handling
Handle security issues carefully:
@devonair route security issues to private security team channel
Expedited Triage
Fast-track security:
@devonair expedite triage for security-labeled issues
Getting Started
Enable triage automation:
@devonair enable automatic issue labeling and categorization
Set up assignment:
@devonair enable automatic issue assignment by component
Configure notifications:
@devonair post new issues to team Slack channel
Add project integration:
@devonair add issues to project boards automatically
GitHub Issues automation transforms passive issue tracking into active project management. When issues triage themselves and route to the right people, your team focuses on solving problems rather than organizing them.
FAQ
What about issues from external contributors?
External issues can have different automation rules - perhaps they require manual triage or have different priority defaults. Configure rules based on author context.
How do I prevent wrong auto-labeling?
Labels can always be manually adjusted. Start with high-confidence labeling and expand as accuracy improves. Review labeling accuracy periodically.
Can I use this with GitHub Projects (new version)?
Yes, automation works with both classic projects and the new GitHub Projects. Configure project placement rules as needed.
What about private repositories?
Automation works the same on private repositories. Ensure appropriate access permissions are configured.