In this guide

Update an Issue

Edit, close, reopen, relabel or reassign an issue.

Action referenceChange

What this action does #

First, connect GitHub in Services. Then open Actions → + → GitHub and choose Update an Issue.

What a run does

Running or testing this action changes something in your connected service.

More about this action

Everything is optional: send only what should change. State closed plus State Reason not_planned is the "won't fix" close; reopened is implied by State open.

Labels and Assignees replace the whole set rather than adding to it. Sending one label removes every other label on the issue, so read the issue first if the intent is to add.

The REST API has no way to delete an issue — that exists only in GitHub's GraphQL API, and only for users with admin rights. Closing with State Reason not_planned is as close as this catalog gets, and unlike a delete it is reversible.

Inputs to fill in #

Open an input to choose its value. Keep a fixed value with Text, receive it from Shortcuts, ask when the action runs, or use an Earlier Step. Read how input sources work.

Owner

RequiredText

User or organisation.

This input offers a picker for repository from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

Example value (replace with your own):

octocat

Repository

RequiredText

Name only, without the owner and without .git.

This input offers a picker for repository from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

Example value (replace with your own):

Hello-World

Issue Number

RequiredWhole number

The number shown in the interface, not the internal id.

This input offers a picker for issue from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

Example value (replace with your own):

Title

OptionalText

Replaces the existing title.

Body

OptionalText

Replaces the whole body. Markdown.

State

OptionalChoice

closed to close it, open to reopen it.

Choices: open, closed

State Reason

OptionalChoice

Why it closed. Shown as the icon beside the issue.

Choices: completed, not_planned, reopened, duplicate

Labels

OptionalList

Replaces every label. Send an empty value to clear them.

A list of text values. Use a comma-separated list.

This input offers a picker for label from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

Assignees

OptionalList

Replaces every assignee.

A list of text values. Use a comma-separated list.

This input offers a picker for person from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

Milestone

OptionalWhole number

Milestone number.

This input offers a picker for milestone from your connected account. You can also supply its value directly.

What comes back #

In the action editor, open Output → Returned Value to choose fields for your shortcut. These are the response fields described by the app; a service may omit an optional field or return an empty list. JSON File contains the full response.

Returned field	Type	Meaning
`number`	integer	The issue number shown in the UI.
`id`	integer	Internal id. Not the number.
`title`	string	Text value.
`state`	string	open or closed.
`state_reason`	string	completed, not_planned, reopened or duplicate.
`body`	string	The issue text, as Markdown.
`html_url`	string	The issue page.
`comments`	integer	How many comments it has.
`locked`	boolean	True or false.
`created_at`	string	ISO 8601.
`updated_at`	string	Text value.
`closed_at`	string	Null while open.
`user`	object	Who opened it.
`user.login`	string	Username.
`user.id`	integer	Whole-number value.
`user.html_url`	string	Their profile page.
`user.avatar_url`	string	Text value.
`user.type`	string	User, Organization or Bot.
`assignees`	array	Everyone assigned.
`assignees[].login`	string	Username.
`assignees[].id`	integer	Whole-number value.
`assignees[].html_url`	string	Their profile page.
`assignees[].avatar_url`	string	Text value.
`assignees[].type`	string	User, Organization or Bot.
`milestone`	object	Null when unset.
`milestone.number`	integer	Whole-number value.
`milestone.title`	string	Text value.
`milestone.due_on`	string	Text value.
`labels`	array	Each entry is either an object or a plain string.
`labels[].name`	string	Text value.
`labels[].color`	string	Six hex digits, no leading #.
`labels[].description`	string	Text value.
`pull_request`	object	Present only when the issue is a pull request.
`pull_request.html_url`	string	Text value.
`pull_request.merged_at`	string	Null unless it was merged.

Run it from Shortcuts #

Give the action a recognizable name and tap Save.
In Apple Shortcuts, add Shortcutify’s Execute Action and select the saved action.
Supply any Param or File slots you bound in the inputs, then run the shortcut.

If the result is unexpected, open Logs in Shortcutify, select the run, and inspect this step’s inputs and response.

Advanced reference #

Request, permissions, and identifiers

Request: PATCH https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}

Action identifier: github.issues.update.v1

Permissions declared for this action: issues:write. The account’s own access rules also apply.

Input	Request key	Location
Owner	`owner`	path
Repository	`repo`	path
Issue Number	`issue_number`	path
Title	`title`	body
Body	`body`	body
State	`state`	body
State Reason	`state_reason`	body
Labels	`labels`	body
Assignees	`assignees`	body
Milestone	`milestone`	body

GitHub API reference