GitHub app
Create GitHub issues directly from Intercom conversations, and get updated when they close.
Damon Alexander avatar
Written by Damon Alexander
Updated over a week ago

Once you integrate with GitHub, Operator will keep your Intercom conversations and GitHub issues automatically in sync. Then your support and development teams can work together to resolve customer-reported issues more easily.

Note: Integrating with GitHub is only available on certain Intercom plans. See our plans and pricing here.

How to integrate

You can integrate GitHub with Intercom simply by clicking through a few short steps.

Note: You need to have admin permissions for Intercom and for the GitHub repositories you’d like to add.

1. First, log into your Intercom account and go your app store. Then, search for the GitHub app and click ‘Install now.’

2. GitHub will open in a new tab and you'll be asked to authorize the application. Authorizing the application will enable Intercom to receive webhooks from GitHub when a connected issue is updated.

3. Once you authorize the application, you’ll see a list of the repositories you have access to that you can connect to Intercom.

Each teammate will only be able to add the repositories they have access to in GitHub. You should select the repository where you log issues for your product with your development team, as well as any others you would like to link to Intercom.

Now, click “Add Repo” to connect a repository to Intercom.

If you've added more than one repository, choose which one links to your conversations in Intercom at the top of the page:

Important: You can only choose one repository to create issues directly from Intercom with. You can still link conversations to other repositories by pasting a conversation link into that repository, or by adding a GitHub issue as a note in a conversation.

Note about repositories: Each teammate will only see the GitHub repositories they have access to in the ‘Manage page’ section in your GitHub integration. This means it’s possible for the default repository to be (or be changed to) a repository that another teammate doesn’t have access to, so they wouldn’t be able to use it. You should ensure that your main repo is one that all teammates creating issues have access to.

Create GitHub issues from a conversation

It’s easy to create GitHub issues directly from a conversation in Intercom.

Just hover over a message you’d like to create as a GitHub issue, and click on the icon beside the conversation:

Then, select ‘New GitHub issue’:

Your new GitHub issue will now open in a new tab. It will automatically include the conversation text, images, a link to the conversation and customer details. You can then edit this issue if needed and click ‘Submit new issue’ in GitHub to create it:

Important: You need to ‘allow pop-ups’ from Intercom in your browser to create GitHub issues from Intercom.

Once you create the issue, Operator will leave a note in the conversation linked to that issue:

Operator will also leave a note when the issue has been closed and re-open any snoozed or closed conversations linked to that GitHub issue, so you can update your customer.

Note: If you integrated with GitHub before 17 October 2017, you’ll need to choose your main repository to create GitHub issues with here.

Paste the conversation into a GitHub issue

For repositories other than your main one, you can link Intercom conversations to GitHub issues by pasting the conversation’s URL into the GitHub Issue or Issue Comment. You can do this in any repository you added on the Manage page. Operator will add a note, and notify you when the conversation is closed.

Note: Operator won't leave a new note in a conversation if you've previously linked it to a GitHub issue.

Add the GitHub issue as a note

You can also link GitHub issues to conversations by adding the URL of the GitHub issue in a note on a conversation in Intercom. The conversation will re-open when the issue is closed.

What if I have multiple GitHub accounts?

It’s possible to integrate multiple GitHub accounts with Intercom. But, you’ll only be able to create issues from Intercom in your main repo, as set in the Manage page - this setting will apply for all teammates. When you go to your GitHub integration settings, the list of repositories you see will be from the GitHub account you are logged in to in your current browser session.

Note: Intercom will attempt to find a template in your repository with one of the following names:

  • .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md

  • .github/issue_template.md

  • issue_template.md

  • ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md

  • .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug-report.md

The first template found in this list will be used with the pre-filled information from the Intercom conversation appended after the template.

You can revoke Intercom's access to your GitHub account by going to your GitHub settings.

How do I change which GitHub account is linked?

If you remove the integration and then re-integrate it, it will automatically connect it to the original GitHub account you had authorized. If you want to connect to a different account, you need to log out of Intercom and then log back in again (and make sure you’re logged into the new GitHub account in the same browser) and then re-integrate it.

What if I have my own issue template?

If you use your own template for GitHub issues, Intercom will retain the template but add the pre-filled information from the conversation to the bottom of the template.

Note: If you want to allow the GitHub app to access organization or enterprise level repos, you will need to approve the Intercom app’s access to those organizations explicitly through GitHub’s personal account settings.

Steps:

  1. Visit https://github.com/settings/applications (personal account settings).

  2. Select the Intercom application.

  3. Check whether Intercom has access to any of your organizations and request as needed.

Got questions?

If you have other products you would like to see integrated please send us a note at team@intercom.com. You can learn more about all existing Intercom apps and importers here.


💡Tip

Need more help? Get support from our Community Forum
Find answers and get help from Intercom Support and Community Experts


Did this answer your question?