gh-issue-resolver

GitHub Issue Resolver

Resolve a GitHub issue by investigating the codebase, making changes, and committing the fix.

Prerequisites

• The gh CLI must be installed and authenticated (gh auth status).
• You must be in a Git repository with a GitHub remote.

Instructions

Step 1 — Read the GitHub issue

Fetch the issue details:

gh issue view $ARGUMENTS --json number,title,body,state,labels,assignees

Read the title, body, and labels carefully. Understand what is being asked.

If the issue is already closed, inform the user and stop.

Step 2 — Check for blocking dependencies

Parse the issue body for task list items referencing other issues. Look for patterns like:

• - [ ] #123 (unchecked sub-issue or dependency)
• - [ ] https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/issues/123 (full URL reference)

For each unchecked issue reference found, check whether it is still open:

gh issue view <referenced-number> --json state --jq '.state'

If any referenced issue is open, it is a blocker. List all blocking issues and reject the request:

Issue #N is blocked by the following open issues: #X, #Y. Please resolve those first.

Checked items (- [x] #123) and closed referenced issues are not blockers.

If no task list items or sub-issue references are found in the body, proceed (there are no blocking dependencies).

Step 3 — Mark the issue as in progress

Assign the issue to yourself and add an "in progress" label:

gh issue edit $ARGUMENTS --add-assignee @me
gh issue edit $ARGUMENTS --add-label "in progress"

If the "in progress" label does not exist, attempt to create it:

gh label create "in progress" --description "Work is actively underway" --color 1D76DB

If label creation fails (e.g., insufficient permissions), skip labeling and proceed — assignment alone is sufficient to signal progress.

Step 4 — Investigate and resolve the issue

Search the codebase for references to the issue number:

rg '#<issue-number>\b' .
rg 'issues/<issue-number>\b' .

Replace <issue-number> with the actual number from $ARGUMENTS.

• TODO/FIXME comments referencing the issue are strong pointers — read the surrounding code and follow the guidance they provide. Delete or update these comments as part of the fix.
• Other references (documentation, changelogs, test comments) provide context about the issue.

If no references are found, rely on the issue description to understand what needs to change. Investigate relevant files, trace the code path, and implement the fix as described.

Step 5 — Review the code changes

Before committing, review all changes you made:

1. Ensure changes are correct and complete relative to the issue description.
2. Remove unnecessary comments that merely restate what the code does.
3. Verify no debug code, temporary logging, or unrelated changes are included.

Step 6 — Commit the changes

If you made code changes, create a git commit with a descriptive message that references the issue:

git add <specific-files>
git commit -m "fix: description of the fix

Resolves #<issue-number>"

Follow the repository's commit message conventions. Include Resolves #<issue-number> or Fixes #<issue-number> in the commit body so GitHub automatically links the commit to the issue.

Step 7 — Clean up the "in progress" label

After committing, remove the "in progress" label so it does not remain on the issue after it is auto-closed:

gh issue edit $ARGUMENTS --remove-label "in progress"

If the label was never added (e.g., it could not be created in Step 3), skip this step.

Step 8 — Leave the issue open

Do not close the issue. The issue will be closed automatically when the commit is merged (via the Resolves #N reference), or the user can close it manually after review.