How do you attach a new pull request to an existing issue on github?

I'm not sure, but I have a vague memory of creating a github pull request with "Issue 4" or something in the title, and it automatically attached itself to Issue 4 in the project that I was submitting it to. I tried it again recently and it didn't work -- it just created a brand new issue instead. I don't see any options like "Attach to issue" on the new pull request page, nor "Open a new pull request for this issue" on the issue page. Is there any way to do this, to help project owners keep their Issues page clean and avoid duplication?

Edit: To clarify, I know that creating a pull request always creates a new issue. I would like to instead attach the pull request to an existing issue.

Adding a pull request to an existing upstream issue is easy assuming you forked using the normal github means.

Simply reference the issue in your commit message using any of the supported keywords:

• close
• closes
• closed
• fix
• fixes
• fixed
• resolve
• resolves
• resolved

For example: "this commit fixes #116"

The text referencing the issue does not need to appear in the subject line of your commit.

Push your commit to your github repo and the pull request will be automatically appended to the issue.

Note: While it is not required, it is strongly recommended that you commit anything that will be part of a pull request to a separate branch specific to that issue, because future commits on that branch will be appended to the pull request (automatically by github). So, if you didn't make a separate branch, left it on master, and then kept developing, then all your unrelated commits to master would get appended to your pull request.

The hub project can do this.

In the repository and branch that you want to send a pull request from:

$ hub pull-request -i 4

This uses the GitHub API, and attaches a pull request for the current branch to the existing issue number 4.

---

EDIT: Comment by @atomicules: To expand on the answer by @MichaelMior a full example is:

$ hub pull-request -i 4 -b USERNAME_OF_UPSTREAM_OWNER:UPSTREAM_BRANCH -h YOUR_USERNAME:YOUR_BRANCH URL_TO_ISSUE

You can create a Pull Request from an existing Issue with the Pull Request API:

$ curl --user "smparkes" \
       --request POST \
       --data '{"issue": 15, "head": "smparkes:synchrony", "base": "master"}' \
       https://api.github.com/repos/technoweenie/faraday/pulls

This creates a pull request:

• ask technoweenie at project faraday (https://api.github.com/repos/technoweenie/faraday/pulls)
• to pull from the synchrony branch in smparkes' fork ("head": "smparkes:synchrony")
• to the master branch in technoweenie's fork ("base": "master")
• and attach the pull request to issue 15 ("issue": 15)
• with the pull request author smparkes (--user "smparkes")
• you will be prompted for your GitHub password

Another possible tool is the Issue2Pr website which turns your issues into Pull Requests.

It's very simple and effective!

Resources:

• Announcement
• GitHub repository

This other answer explains how to use cURL (curl) to create a Pull Request from an Issue through the GitHub API. Here’s how to do it using HTTPie (http), which produces an easier-to-read and easier-to-edit command:

$ http --auth "<your-GitHub-username>" \
       POST \
       https://api.github.com/repos/<issue-repo-owner>/<issue-repo-name>/pulls \
       issue=<issue-number> head=<your-GitHub-username>:<your-fork-branch-name> base=<issue-repo-branch-name>

Then type your GitHub password when prompted.

Explained example

You have logged into GitHub with username smparkes and password hunter2. You saw technoweenie’s repo faraday, thought of something that should be changed, and made an Issue on that repo for it, Issue #15. Later, you find that nobody else has made your proposed change, and you also have some time to do it yourself. You fork faraday to your own account, then write your changes and push them to your fork under a branch named synchrony. You think technoweenie should pull those changes to the master branch of his repo. This is the command you would write to convert your previous Issue into a Pull Request for this situation:

$ http --auth "smparkes" \
       POST \
       https://api.github.com/repos/technoweenie/faraday/pulls \
       issue=15 head=smparkes:synchrony base=master

http: password for smparkes@api.github.com: hunter2

Now Issue #15 is a Pull Request.

Instead of doing that on the client side (with hub, as in Christian Oudard answer), you now (February 2020) can do it on the server side (github.com)

See "View and link issues and pull requests from the sidebar "

> You can now link issues and pull requests via the sidebar in their respective pages. Connections made here will automatically close issues once a linked pull request is merged.

Documentation:

And there is a search API with that feature.

> Find all the open issues in a repository that have closing pull requests references with the linked:pr search qualifier.
Similarly, locate all the pull requests in a repository that are missing a supporting issue with -linked:issue.

in case you use 2-factor-auth with github you'll need to provide the authtoken as header in the request:

curl -u "<your_username>:<your_pw>" \
     --header 'X-GitHub-OTP: <your_authtoken>' \
     --request POST \
     --data '{"issue":"<issue_nr>", "head":"<your_username>:<your_forks_branchname>", "base":"<upstream_branch>"}' \
     https://api.github.com/repos/<upstream_user>/<upstream_repo>/pulls

You may also use Gub to submit pull requests for your issue.

It also helps you use a proper fork/pull-request style.

Edit: 10/5/2013

To get Gub to submit pull-request for issue #123, you need to run the following:

$ gub start 123

This will create a new branch issue-123. Once you're done working on the issue, execute:

$ gub finish

Voila!

Note: I am the author of Gub gem.

Using the git-hub tool, you could do this with:

This would convert issue #123 into pull request #123, thus maintaining all discussion about the issue in a single location.

If you have 2FA enabled, you can use pass the token with HTTPie:

http POST \
    https://api.github.com/repos/<repo-owner>/<repo-name>/pulls \
    issue=2 head=issue_2 base=master
    "Authorization:token PUTAUTHTOKENHERE"

This will use the branch issue_2 to convert issue #2 into a pull request.