Allison introduces an update to GitHub Copilot in public preview, enabling developers to create and manage sub-issues by chatting directly on github.com/copilot, streamlining project and issue organization.

Managing Sub-Issues with GitHub Copilot: Public Preview Update

GitHub Copilot continues to evolve with a new feature set in public preview, allowing developers to create sub-issues and manage hierarchical issue relationships via chat on github.com/copilot. This makes it easier to break down complex work, structure projects, and reduce manual coordination.

What’s New

Developers can now:

  • Create an issue with multiple sub-issues. Useful for building out new epics or large features.
  • Add sub-issues to existing issues. Helpful for decomposing complex issues into manageable parts.
  • Assign parent issues to existing issues. Organize related issues under a single tracking parent.

How to Get Started

  1. Go to github.com/copilot.
  2. Interact with Copilot using prompts such as:
    • “Create me a parent issue and sub-issues for [YOUR-IDEA-HERE].”
    • “Add a sub-issue to issue [YOUR-ISSUE-URL-HERE].”
    • “Break down [YOUR-ISSUE-URL-HERE] into sub-issues.”
  3. Review the proposed issues and their relationships within the chat interface.
  4. Modify the issues by asking Copilot to add or remove sub-issues as needed.
  5. Use Review + Create to generate all issues in one workflow.

Helpful Tips

  • Plan your issue structure ahead of time and specify it in your prompt so Copilot can make informed suggestions.
  • After creating issues, you can continue managing relationships and adjusting structures without leaving the chat.
  • Use the hierarchy view (“Parent:” dropdown) to easily see how issues relate before finalizing them.
  • Paste links to existing issues as references for richer context when updating issue relationships.

Additional Notes

  • Features discussed are in public preview, and the UI may change based on feedback.
  • Streamlining issue management allows developers to focus more on code rather than manual coordination.

This post appeared first on “The GitHub Blog”. Read the entire article here