Managing GitHub Issue Hierarchies

GitHub Issue Hierarchy

Manage GitHub issue parent-child relationships (sub-issues) using the REST and GraphQL APIs.

What you should do

When invoked, help the user manage issue hierarchies by:

1. Understanding the request - Determine what hierarchy operation is needed:

   • Add sub-issue to parent
   • Remove sub-issue from parent
   • Query issue hierarchy (show tree)
   • Convert checklist items to sub-issues
   • Reorder sub-issues
   • Move sub-issue to different parent

2. Get issue information - If not provided, ask the user:

   • Which issue is the parent?
   • Which issue(s) should be sub-issues?
   • Repository owner and name (if not in current repo)

3. Execute the appropriate operation based on the request type.

Core operations

1. Add sub-issue to parent

Using REST API:

# Get the issue ID (not node_id) from REST API
PARENT_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/PARENT_NUMBER" --jq '.id')
SUB_ISSUE_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/SUB_NUMBER" --jq '.id')

# Add sub-issue
gh api --method POST "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$PARENT_ID/sub_issues" \
  -f sub_issue_id="$SUB_ISSUE_ID"

Using GraphQL:

# Get node IDs
PARENT_NODE_ID=$(gh api graphql -f query='
  query {
    repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
      issue(number: PARENT_NUMBER) { id }
    }
  }' --jq '.data.repository.issue.id')

SUB_NODE_ID=$(gh api graphql -f query='
  query {
    repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
      issue(number: SUB_NUMBER) { id }
    }
  }' --jq '.data.repository.issue.id')

# Add sub-issue
gh api graphql -f query='
mutation {
  addSubIssue(input: {
    issueId: "'$PARENT_NODE_ID'"
    subIssueId: "'$SUB_NODE_ID'"
  }) {
    issue {
      number
      title
    }
  }
}'

2. Remove sub-issue from parent

Using REST API:

# Get IDs
PARENT_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/PARENT_NUMBER" --jq '.id')
SUB_ISSUE_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/SUB_NUMBER" --jq '.id')

# Remove sub-issue
gh api --method DELETE "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$PARENT_ID/sub_issues/$SUB_ISSUE_ID"

Using GraphQL:

gh api graphql -f query='
mutation {
  removeSubIssue(input: {
    issueId: "'$PARENT_NODE_ID'"
    subIssueId: "'$SUB_NODE_ID'"
  }) {
    issue {
      number
      title
    }
  }
}'

3. Get parent of an issue

Using REST API:

gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/ISSUE_NUMBER/parent" --jq '{number: .number, title: .title}'

4. List all sub-issues of a parent

Using GraphQL:

gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    issue(number: PARENT_NUMBER) {
      number
      title
      subIssues(first: 50) {
        nodes {
          number
          title
          state
        }
        totalCount
      }
    }
  }
}' --jq '.data.repository.issue'

5. Query full hierarchy tree

Get complete hierarchy including nested levels:

gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    issue(number: PARENT_NUMBER) {
      number
      title
      subIssues(first: 50) {
        nodes {
          number
          title
          state
          subIssues(first: 50) {
            nodes {
              number
              title
              state
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

6. Reorder sub-issues

Change position in parent's sub-issue list:

# Move sub-issue to specific position (0-indexed)
PARENT_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/PARENT_NUMBER" --jq '.id')
SUB_ISSUE_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/SUB_NUMBER" --jq '.id')

gh api --method PATCH "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$PARENT_ID/sub_issues/$SUB_ISSUE_ID" \
  -f position=0  # Move to first position

Key concepts

Terminology

• Parent issue: Top-level issue that contains sub-issues (often an Epic or Feature)
• Sub-issue: Child issue that is part of a parent's work breakdown
• Hierarchy: Tree structure of parent-child relationships
• Node ID: Global GitHub identifier starting with I_ (for GraphQL)
• Numeric ID: Integer ID from REST API (different from node_id!)

Important notes

ID confusion:

• REST API uses numeric id field (integer)
• GraphQL uses id field (string starting with I_)
• gh issue view --json id returns node_id, NOT the REST numeric ID
• Always fetch IDs using the appropriate API method

Inheritance:

• Sub-issues inherit Project and Milestone from parent by default
• Cross-organization sub-issues are supported
• Sub-issues can have their own sub-issues (nested hierarchy)

Common patterns

Work breakdown structure:

Epic #100: Add authentication system
  ├─ Feature #101: Implement JWT tokens
  ├─ Feature #102: Add login UI
  │   ├─ Task #103: Design login form
  │   └─ Task #104: Add validation
  └─ Feature #105: Add session management

Release planning:

Release #200: v2.0.0
  ├─ #201: Feature A
  ├─ #202: Feature B
  └─ #203: Bug fixes

Milestone tracking:

Milestone #300: Q1 Goals
  ├─ #301: Improve performance
  ├─ #302: Add monitoring
  └─ #303: Security audit

Complete workflow examples

Example 1: Create Epic with sub-tasks

# Create parent Epic
EPIC_NUMBER=$(gh issue create \
  --title "Add authentication system" \
  --body "Epic for implementing user authentication" \
  --label "epic" \
  --json number --jq '.number')

# Create sub-issues
TASK1=$(gh issue create --title "Implement JWT tokens" --json number --jq '.number')
TASK2=$(gh issue create --title "Add login UI" --json number --jq '.number')
TASK3=$(gh issue create --title "Add session management" --json number --jq '.number')

# Add as sub-issues
EPIC_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$EPIC_NUMBER" --jq '.id')

for task in $TASK1 $TASK2 $TASK3; do
  TASK_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$task" --jq '.id')
  gh api --method POST "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$EPIC_ID/sub_issues" \
    -f sub_issue_id="$TASK_ID"
done

echo "✅ Created Epic #$EPIC_NUMBER with 3 sub-tasks"

Example 2: Convert checklist to sub-issues

# Given an issue with checklist in body:
# - [ ] Implement JWT tokens
# - [ ] Add login UI
# - [ ] Add session management

PARENT_NUMBER=100
PARENT_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$PARENT_NUMBER" --jq '.id')

# Extract checklist items and create sub-issues
gh issue view $PARENT_NUMBER --json body --jq '.body' | \
  grep -E '^\s*-\s+\[ \]' | \
  sed 's/^\s*-\s*\[ \]\s*//' | \
  while read -r task; do
    echo "Creating: $task"
    ISSUE_NUM=$(gh issue create --title "$task" --json number --jq '.number')
    ISSUE_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$ISSUE_NUM" --jq '.id')
    gh api --method POST "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$PARENT_ID/sub_issues" \
      -f sub_issue_id="$ISSUE_ID"
  done

Example 3: Show hierarchy tree

# Display parent with all sub-issues
gh api graphql -f query='
query {
  repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
    issue(number: 100) {
      number
      title
      subIssues(first: 50) {
        nodes {
          number
          title
          state
        }
        totalCount
      }
    }
  }
}' --jq '.data.repository.issue |
  "Parent: #\(.number) - \(.title)\n" +
  "Sub-issues (\(.subIssues.totalCount)):\n" +
  (.subIssues.nodes | map("  ├─ #\(.number) [\(.state)] \(.title)") | join("\n"))'

Example 4: Move sub-issue to different parent

# Remove from old parent
OLD_PARENT_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/100" --jq '.id')
SUB_ISSUE_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/150" --jq '.id')

gh api --method DELETE "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$OLD_PARENT_ID/sub_issues/$SUB_ISSUE_ID"

# Add to new parent
NEW_PARENT_ID=$(gh api "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/200" --jq '.id')
gh api --method POST "repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/$NEW_PARENT_ID/sub_issues" \
  -f sub_issue_id="$SUB_ISSUE_ID"

echo "✅ Moved #150 from #100 to #200"

Error handling

Common issues:

1. "Resource not accessible by integration"

   • Requires write access to repository
   • Check authentication and permissions

2. "Issue is already a sub-issue"

   • An issue can only have one parent at a time
   • Remove from current parent before adding to new one

3. "Circular dependency detected"

   • Cannot make a parent a sub-issue of its own child
   • Check hierarchy before creating relationships

4. "Invalid issue ID"

   • Ensure using numeric id for REST API (not node_id)
   • Fetch IDs using correct API method

5. "Sub-issue limit exceeded"

   • GitHub may limit number of sub-issues per parent
   • Consider flattening hierarchy or grouping differently

Best practices

When to use sub-issues:

• Breaking down Epics into Features/Tasks
• Organizing release checklists
• Tracking multi-step implementation work
• Creating hierarchical roadmaps

When NOT to use sub-issues:

• Simple task lists (use markdown checklist instead)
• Temporary relationships (use labels or milestones)
• Blocking relationships (use dependencies - see gh-issue-dependencies)

Hierarchy design:

• Keep hierarchies shallow (2-3 levels max)
• Use consistent naming (Epic → Feature → Task)
• Close parent only when all children are closed
• Use labels to indicate hierarchy level (epic, feature, task)

Combining with other features:

• Use dependencies for ordering (Task A blocks Task B)
• Use milestones for time-based grouping
• Use labels for categorization
• Use projects for status tracking

Related concepts

Sub-issues vs Dependencies

Sub-issues (this skill):

• Decompose work: "What are the parts of this issue?"
• Parent-child hierarchy
• Epic → Features → Tasks
• Example: Epic "Add auth" has sub-issues "JWT", "Login UI", "Sessions"

Dependencies (see gh-issue-dependencies skill):

• Ordering constraints: "What must happen before this?"
• Peer-to-peer blocking relationships
• Can span unrelated features
• Example: "API schema" blocks "API implementation"

These can be combined:

Epic #100: Add authentication
  ├─ #101: JWT tokens (blocked by #200 API schema design)
  ├─ #102: Login UI
  └─ #103: Sessions (blocked by #101)

Integration with workflows

Works well with:

• gh-issue-dependencies skill - Add blocking relationships between sub-issues
• gh-project-manage skill - Track sub-issue progress in projects
• gh-issue-types skill - Assign types (Epic, Feature, Task) to hierarchy levels
• git-issue-create agent - Create parent and children in one workflow

Automation ideas:

• Auto-create sub-issues from issue template checklists
• Auto-close parent when all children are closed
• Auto-inherit labels from parent to children
• Generate progress reports (X of Y sub-issues completed)
• Create release notes from Epic hierarchies

Example usage patterns

Recommended hierarchy levels:

1. Epic (parent) - Large feature or initiative

   • Label: epic
   • Value: Essential or Useful
   • Effort: Heavy
   • Project field: Set manually

2. Feature (child of Epic) - Distinct deliverable

   • Label: feature
   • Inherits project from Epic
   • Set own Value/Effort

3. Task (child of Feature) - Implementation step

   • Label: task
   • Inherits project from Feature
   • Effort: Light or Moderate

Example hierarchy:

Epic #100: User authentication system
  ├─ Feature #101: Add OAuth integration
  ├─ Feature #102: Add two-factor authentication
  └─ Feature #103: Update session management