File Issue

File Issue Runbook

This runbook files bug reports, feature requests, questions, or documentation issues to a project's GitHub repository using the gh CLI.

Purpose

Standardize issue creation with proper formatting, required information, and appropriate labels. Works with any project configured in .docent/config.yaml.

Prerequisites

• gh CLI installed and authenticated (gh auth status)
• Project configured in .docent/config.yaml with repository information
• Network connectivity to GitHub

Variables

This runbook accepts the following variables:

• project: Which project to file against (default: current project)
• type: bug | feature | question | documentation
• title: Issue title (required)
• description: Issue body (required)

Additional type-specific variables:

For bugs:

• actual_behavior: What's happening now
• expected_behavior: What should happen
• reproduction_steps: How to reproduce the bug

For features:

• use_case: Why this feature is needed
• suggested_solution: Proposed implementation (optional)

For documentation:

• location: Where documentation is unclear/missing
• suggestion: Proposed improvement

Procedure

Step 1: Resolve Project Repository

Action: Determine which GitHub repository to file against

From .docent/config.yaml:

projects:
  docent:
    repo: tnez/docent
  my-app:
    repo: user/my-app

Resolution logic:

1. If project variable provided → use that project's repo
2. If project = "current" or not provided → detect from git remote
3. If no config and no git remote → error (cannot determine repo)

Commands:

# Get current repo from git remote
git remote get-url origin | sed 's/.*github.com[:/]\(.*\)\.git/\1/'

# Validate repo exists
gh repo view <owner/repo> --json name

Validation:

• Repository identifier is in owner/repo format
• Repository exists and is accessible
• User has permission to create issues

Step 2: Format Issue Based on Type

Action: Generate appropriate issue template based on type

Bug Report Format

## Description

{{description}}

## Current Behavior

{{actual_behavior}}

## Expected Behavior

{{expected_behavior}}

## Steps to Reproduce

{{reproduction_steps}}

## Environment

- OS: {{os}}
- Version: {{version}}

---

Filed via [docent](https://github.com/tnez/docent)

Feature Request Format

## Feature Description

{{description}}

## Use Case

{{use_case}}

## Suggested Solution

{{suggested_solution}}

---

Filed via [docent](https://github.com/tnez/docent)

Question Format

## Question

{{description}}

---

Filed via [docent](https://github.com/tnez/docent)

Documentation Issue Format

## Documentation Issue

{{description}}

## Location

{{location}}

## Suggested Improvement

{{suggestion}}

---

Filed via [docent](https://github.com/tnez/docent)

Step 3: Add Appropriate Labels

Action: Determine labels based on issue type

Label mapping:

• bug → bug
• feature → enhancement, feature-request
• question → question
• documentation → documentation

Additional labels (if detectable):

• Project area (e.g., mcp, templates, documentation)
• Priority (e.g., priority: high if certain keywords present)

Commands:

# Check available labels for repository
gh label list --repo <owner/repo>

Step 4: Create GitHub Issue

Action: File the issue using gh issue create

Commands:

# Create issue with body from file
gh issue create \
  --repo <owner/repo> \
  --title "<title>" \
  --body "<formatted body>" \
  --label "<labels>"

# Example for bug:
gh issue create \
  --repo tnez/docent \
  --title "Bootstrap fails with permission error" \
  --body "$(cat issue-body.md)" \
  --label "bug"

Validation:

• Issue created successfully
• Issue number returned
• Issue URL accessible

Step 5: Report Success

Action: Provide confirmation with issue link

Success Message:

✅ Issue filed successfully!

Issue #123: <title>
URL: https://github.com/<owner/repo>/issues/123

The issue has been created with:
  - Type: <type>
  - Labels: <labels>
  - Status: Open

You can view and track the issue at the URL above.

Additional actions:

• Copy issue URL to clipboard (if supported)
• Optionally log to .docent/journals/ for tracking

Examples

Example 1: File Bug in Docent

Invocation:

/docent:act file issue in docent: bootstrap fails on Windows with permission error

(Agent interprets and extracts):
- project: docent
- type: bug
- title: "Bootstrap fails on Windows with permission error"
- description: "When running bootstrap on Windows, permission denied error occurs"

Generated issue:

• Repo: tnez/docent
• Title: "Bootstrap fails on Windows with permission error"
• Labels: bug
• Body: Formatted bug report

Example 2: Feature Request for Current Project

Invocation:

/docent:act file feature request: add dark mode support

(Agent interprets):
- project: current (detected from git remote)
- type: feature
- title: "Add dark mode support"
- use_case: Better UX for users working at night

Generated issue:

• Repo: user/my-app (from git remote)
• Title: "Add dark mode support"
• Labels: enhancement, feature-request
• Body: Formatted feature request

Example 3: Documentation Issue

Invocation:

/docent:act file documentation issue for docent: getting started guide is outdated

(Agent interprets):
- project: docent
- type: documentation
- title: "Getting started guide is outdated"
- location: docs/guides/getting-started.md

Generated issue:

• Repo: tnez/docent
• Title: "Getting started guide is outdated"
• Labels: documentation
• Body: Formatted documentation issue

Error Handling

gh CLI Not Authenticated

Symptoms: gh issue create fails with authentication error

Fix:

# Authenticate with GitHub
gh auth login

# Follow prompts to authenticate

Validation: gh auth status shows authenticated

Repository Not Found

Symptoms: Cannot find repository from config or git remote

Fix:

1. Check .docent/config.yaml has correct repo
2. Verify git remote: git remote get-url origin
3. Provide explicit project parameter

Permission Denied

Symptoms: Cannot create issues in repository

Fix:

• Verify you have access to the repository
• Check repository settings allow issue creation
• Use gh auth refresh to update permissions

Network Error

Symptoms: Cannot reach GitHub

Fix:

• Check internet connectivity
• Verify GitHub status: https://www.githubstatus.com
• Retry after connectivity restored

Configuration

Add projects to .docent/config.yaml:

projects:
  docent:
    repo: tnez/docent
    default_labels:
      - via-docent

  my-app:
    repo: user/my-app
    default_labels:
      - automated

  work-project:
    repo: company/project
    default_labels:
      - from-docent
      - needs-triage

Options:

• repo: GitHub repository in owner/repo format (required)
• default_labels: Labels to add to all issues (optional)

Validation

After filing issue:

• Issue exists at provided URL
• Issue has correct title and body
• Labels are applied correctly
• Issue is searchable in GitHub

Notes

• Issues are filed with attribution: "Filed via docent"
• Attribution helps track which issues came from docent for analytics
• Users can edit issues after filing via GitHub UI
• Issue URLs are permanent (even if issue is closed/deleted)
• Consider logging filed issues to journal for personal tracking

Advanced Usage

Batch Issue Filing

File multiple related issues:

/docent:act file issues for planned features:
1. Add export functionality
2. Implement search
3. Create user dashboard

Agent can interpret and file 3 separate feature requests

Issue Templates

Projects can define custom templates in .docent/templates/issue-*.md that override default formats

Auto-labeling

Configure intelligent labeling based on content:

projects:
  my-app:
    repo: user/my-app
    auto_labels:
      - pattern: "auth|login|password"
        labels: ["area: auth"]
      - pattern: "slow|performance|speed"
        labels: ["performance"]

Related Runbooks

• health-check - Find issues to file before they become bugs
• code-review - Review changes before filing improvement issues