gh-issue-sync: sync GitHub issues locally and back

`gh-issue-sync` is a command line tool that syncs GitHub issues to local Markdown files for offline editing, batch updates, and integration with coding agents. Pull issues locally, refine them until you are satisfied, and sync changes back. Also useful for offline access to your issues. ## Why? When refining many issues at once, editing them on GitHub can be tedious. It is easier to make changes locally and push them all at once. This is particularly useful when using Claude Code or similar tools to refine issues iteratively. Agents can work with issues locally until you are ready to push. The tool also supports creating new issues locally with temporary IDs that get replaced with real issue numbers after pushing.
Watch the demo video

Watch the demo video

## Overview `gh-issue-sync` mirrors GitHub issues into a local `.issues/` directory as Markdown files with YAML front matter. Edit issues in your favorite editor, create new issues locally, and push changes back to GitHub when ready. ## Installation Prerequisites: - [GitHub CLI (`gh`)](https://cli.github.com/) installed and authenticated (`gh auth login`) - If you use Projects sync, refresh scopes with `gh auth refresh -s project` ### Quick Install (macOS/Linux) ```bash curl -sSfL https://github.com/mitsuhiko/gh-issue-sync/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh ``` ### Install with Go ```bash go install github.com/mitsuhiko/gh-issue-sync/cmd/gh-issue-sync@latest ``` ### Download Binary Download the latest binary from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/mitsuhiko/gh-issue-sync/releases/latest) and place it in your PATH. ### Build from Source ```bash git clone https://github.com/mitsuhiko/gh-issue-sync.git cd gh-issue-sync go build -o gh-issue-sync ./cmd/gh-issue-sync mv gh-issue-sync ~/.local/bin/ ``` ## Quickstart ```bash # Navigate to your project cd my-project # Initialize issue sync (auto-detects repo from git remote) gh-issue-sync init # Pull all open issues from GitHub gh-issue-sync pull # View your local issues ls .issues/open/ # Edit an issue $EDITOR .issues/open/123-fix-login-bug.md gh-issue-sync edit 123 # Push your changes gh-issue-sync push # Or sync both ways (push then pull) gh-issue-sync sync ``` ## Directory Location When you run `gh-issue-sync init`, the `.issues` directory is created next to the `.git` directory (at the repository root), regardless of your current working directory. For other commands, `gh-issue-sync` searches for `.issues` by walking upward from the current directory until it finds one or reaches a `.git` root. This means you can run commands from any subdirectory within your project. ### Environment Variable Override Set `GH_ISSUE_SYNC_DIR` to explicitly specify the `.issues` directory location: ```bash # Use a custom location export GH_ISSUE_SYNC_DIR=/path/to/my-project/.issues gh-issue-sync list # Or inline GH_ISSUE_SYNC_DIR=~/.issues/work-project gh-issue-sync pull ``` This is useful when: - Working with multiple repositories - Storing issues outside the repository - Using a shared issues directory across projects ## Agent Skill This tool is designed to work with coding agents. Install the skill file so your agent knows how to use `gh-issue-sync`: ```bash gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent codex # Codex gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent pi # For Pi gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent claude # Claude Code gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent opencode # OpenCode gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent generic # Amp and others ``` Use `--scope` to choose between user-level (default) or project-level installation: ```bash # Install to user home directory (default) gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent codex --scope user # Install to current project directory gh-issue-sync write-skill --agent codex --scope project ``` | Agent | User Scope | Project Scope | |-------|------------|---------------| | `codex` | `~/.codex/skills/` | `.codex/skills/` | | `pi` | `~/.pi/skills/` | `.pi/skills/` | | `claude` | `~/.claude/skills/` | `.claude/skills/` | | `opencode` | `~/.config/opencode/skill/` | `.opencode/skill/` | | `amp`, `generic` | `~/.config/agents/skills/` | `.agents/skills/` | To install to a custom location: ```bash gh-issue-sync write-skill --output /path/to/skills/gh-issue-sync/ ``` You can also read or copy the skill file directly: [`skill/SKILL.md`](skill/SKILL.md) ## Creating Local Issues Since issue numbers come from GitHub, you can use temporary issue numbers until then. `T42` or `TABC` are valid temporary issue IDs. They must start with "T" to mark them as temporary. After syncing, they receive real numbers and all references are updated. ### Sync Both Ways Push and pull in a single command: ```bash # Push local changes, then pull remote updates gh-issue-sync sync # Include closed issues gh-issue-sync sync --all # Filter by label gh-issue-sync sync --label bug ``` ## Sync Behavior The tool uses three-way comparison (local, original, remote) to detect conflicts. Original versions are stored in `.issues/.sync/originals/`. | Local | Original | Remote | Action | |-------|----------|--------|--------| | Same | Same | Same | No action | | Changed | Same | Same | Push local changes | | Same | Same | Changed | Pull remote changes | | Changed | Same | Changed | **Conflict** - skip with warning | **On pull:** New issues are saved, unchanged local files are updated, conflicts are skipped (use `--force` to overwrite). Deleted local files are restored. **On push:** Local issues (T1, T2, etc.) are created and renamed with real numbers. References like `#T1` are updated automatically. Missing labels and milestones are created. Conflicts with remote changes are skipped. ### List Issues List and filter local issues: ```bash # List open issues gh-issue-sync list # Include closed issues gh-issue-sync list --all # Filter by label, assignee, author, milestone gh-issue-sync list --label bug --assignee alice # GitHub-style search query gh-issue-sync list --search "error no:assignee sort:created-asc" ``` The `--search` flag supports GitHub issue search syntax: - `is:open`, `is:closed` - Filter by state - `label:NAME` - Filter by label - `no:label`, `no:assignee`, `no:milestone` - Filter by missing field - `assignee:USER`, `author:USER`, `milestone:NAME` - Filter by field - `sort:created-asc`, `sort:created-desc` - Sort results - Free text - Search in title and body (case-insensitive) ### Check Status See what's changed locally: ```bash gh-issue-sync status ``` ### Create New Issues Create issues locally before pushing to GitHub: ```bash # Create with a title gh-issue-sync new "My new feature idea" # Create and open in editor gh-issue-sync new "Fix login bug" --edit # Create with labels gh-issue-sync new "Critical bug" --label bug --label urgent # Create with just the editor (no title required) gh-issue-sync new --edit ``` Local issues get temporary IDs like `T1`, `T2`. When pushed, they become real GitHub issues and files are renamed automatically. ### Close and Reopen Issues ```bash # Close an issue (marks for closing on next push) gh-issue-sync close 123 # Close with a reason gh-issue-sync close 123 --reason not_planned # Reopen a closed issue gh-issue-sync reopen 456 ``` Alternatively, move files manually: - Move from `open/` to `closed/` to close - Move from `closed/` to `open/` to reopen ## Issue File Format See [Issue Format](ISSUE_FORMAT.md) for details on file structure, front matter fields, and pending comments. ## License and Links - [Skill File](skill/SKILL.md) - [Issue Tracker](https://github.com/mitsuhiko/gh-issue-sync/issues) - License: [Apache-2.0](https://github.com/mitsuhiko/gh-issue-sync/blob/main/LICENSE) This code is entirely LLM generated. It is unclear if LLM generated code can be copyrighted.