Assigning Issues
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to assign issues directly to GitHub Copilot, letting it take ownership of a task just like any other contributor.
You’ll see how to create a clear issue, assign it to Copilot, and watch as it automatically opens a pull request, commits changes, and iterates on feedback. By the end, you’ll know how to use issue assignments to turn routine requests—like small fixes or documentation updates—into automated, transparent workflows that stay fully within GitHub.
Problem
Starting Copilot manually through chat or the Agent menu works well for ad-hoc tasks, but it doesn’t always fit into a team’s regular development rhythm. Developers live in issues and pull requests—where work is tracked, discussed, and reviewed.
Assigning issues to Copilot bridges that gap by letting automation live where collaboration already happens.
What you need to know
While Agents let you start a coding task directly from a chat, sometimes the simplest way to get Copilot involved is to treat it like a team member. By assigning an issue directly to Copilot, you give it ownership of that task—just like you would a developer on your team.
This approach fits naturally into the normal GitHub workflow: open an issue, describe what needs to be done, and assign it to someone. The only difference is that this “someone” happens to be Copilot. From there, Copilot automatically creates a branch and a pull request, begins implementing the change, and keeps you updated with each commit.
Why this matters
Work where you already work. You don’t need to switch to Copilot Chat or the Agent menu—just assign the issue, and Copilot gets to work.
Streamlined collaboration. The issue becomes your single source of truth for the task: requirements, discussions, PR link, and progress are all in one place.
Great for small, well-defined tasks. Bug fixes, docs updates, or small features can move forward autonomously while you focus on bigger work.
Team transparency. Everyone on the project can see what Copilot’s doing and review the results as normal pull requests.
In short, assigning issues to Copilot combines the convenience of automation with the visibility of standard GitHub processes. It’s the most natural way to make Copilot part of your day-to-day development workflow—like giving your project a tireless new teammate who never misses a status update.
How it works
Create a new issue in your repository as you normally would.
Write a clear description of the problem or feature request.
In the Assignees field, select Copilot.
Once assigned, Copilot will follow the same process outlined in the https://bitovi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AIEnabledDevelopment/pages/1624408072/Agents?atlOrigin=eyJpIjoiMjcwNWNhNDJjNGNjNGFjNWExMGZkZWY5OTNiZmY5MjciLCJwIjoiYyJ9 section:
Spin up a Pull Request linked to that issue.
Begin a work session to implement the changes.
Commit the results into the PR, just like with agents.
Allow you to review, test, and request follow-up changes through PR comments.
This is the same workflow as described in the previous section with Agents. Once the PR is created you can view the work session, run the changes in a codespace, and work with Copilot in the comments to iterate on the changes.
Why Use Issues This Way?
Keeps everything organized, the issue acts as the single source of truth for the feature/bug.
Fits naturally into standard GitHub workflows, no special steps, just “assign to Copilot.”
Makes it easier for teams to delegate tasks directly to Copilot as if it were another contributor.
✏️ Exercise
Goal: Practice assigning an issue to Copilot and following the workflow.
Step 1 – Write the Issue
Create an issue in a test repository or use an existing one.
Title: Add an “About” page
Description: Create a simple About page that shows the project name and version.
Step 2 – Assign Copilot
Assign the issue to Copilot and watch it kick off the PR.
Step 3 – Review the PR
Once Copilot commits the code, open it in a Codespace.
Test the new feature
Step 4 – Request an Iteration
Comment on the PR:
@copilot Please add a navigation link to the About page in the site header.Watch Copilot create a new commit with the change.
Reflection
How does assigning issues to Copilot fit into your normal GitHub workflow?
What kinds of issues are best suited for this approach?
Next Steps
You now know how to get Copilot involved in your normal developer workflow by assigning issues to it!
In the next step, you’ll learn how to configure Copilot via settings.