github-sub-issue-creator

scizorman's avatarfrom scizorman

Creates GitHub sub-issues and links them to parent issues using gh CLI and REST API. Use when creating child issues, breaking down large issues into smaller tasks, or establishing parent-child relationships between issues.

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[Project Management]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The GitHub Sub-issue Creator is a specialized Claude skill designed to automate the process of breaking down complex GitHub issues into smaller, manageable sub-tasks. By integrating the GitHub CLI and REST API, it seamlessly creates child issues and establishes formal parent-child relationships, significantly enhancing project organization and tracking efficiency within GitHub repositories.

Use Cases

  • Task Decomposition: Automatically break down large feature epics or 'Epic' issues into granular, actionable technical tasks to improve sprint planning and workload distribution.
  • Workflow Automation: Streamline the creation of linked sub-issues for complex bug reports that require multi-step resolutions or contributions from different team members.
  • Project Hierarchy Management: Maintain a clear and structured issue hierarchy by programmatically linking related tasks to a central parent issue, ensuring better visibility of project progress and dependencies.
namegithub-sub-issue-creator
descriptionCreates GitHub sub-issues and links them to parent issues using gh CLI and REST API. Use when creating child issues, breaking down large issues into smaller tasks, or establishing parent-child relationships between issues.

GitHub Sub-issue Creator

This skill defines rules and procedures for creating GitHub sub-issues.

Workflow

  1. Identify the parent issue number and repository.
  2. Create a new issue using the github-issue-creator skill.
  3. Get the REST API ID of the created issue.
  4. Add the issue as a sub-issue to the parent issue using the REST API.
  5. Report the sub-issue URL to the user.

Creating a Sub-issue

Sub-issues are regular issues linked to a parent issue. The gh CLI does not have a direct option to create sub-issues, so use the REST API via gh api command.

Step 1: Create the Issue

Use the github-issue-creator skill to create the issue. This ensures that issue templates, title guidelines, and language settings are applied.

Note the issue number from the output URL (e.g., https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/issues/123 → issue number is 123).

Step 2: Get the Issue ID

Get the REST API ID of the created issue. This is the numeric id field, not the node_id or issue number.

gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/123 --jq .id

Step 3: Add as Sub-issue

Add the issue as a sub-issue to the parent issue.

gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/issues/PARENT_ISSUE_NUMBER/sub_issues -X POST -F sub_issue_id=ISSUE_ID

Example

Creating a sub-issue for parent issue #100 in octocat/hello-world.

First, use the github-issue-creator skill to create an issue. Assume the created issue URL is https://github.com/octocat/hello-world/issues/123.

Then, get the issue ID and add as sub-issue:

# Get the issue ID
gh api repos/octocat/hello-world/issues/123 --jq .id
# Output: 3000028010

# Add as sub-issue
gh api repos/octocat/hello-world/issues/100/sub_issues -X POST -F sub_issue_id=3000028010

Reference

For more details on the sub-issues API, see REST API endpoints for sub-issues.