Syntax for issue forms

You can define different input types, validations, default assignees, and default labels for your issue forms.

In this article

Note: Issue forms are currently in public preview and subject to change.

About YAML syntax for issue forms

You can create custom issue forms by adding a YAML form definition file to the /.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE folder in your repository. If you're new to YAML and want to learn more, see "Learn YAML in Y minutes." You can define different input types, validations, default assignees, and default labels for your issue forms.

When a contributor fills out an issue form, their responses for each input are converted to markdown and added to the body of an issue. Contributors can edit their issues that were created with issue forms and other people can interact with the issues like an issue created through other methods.

Issue forms are not supported for pull requests. You can create pull request templates in your repositories for collaborators to use. For more information, see "Creating a pull request template for your repository."

This example YAML configuration file defines an issue form using several inputs to report a bug.

Note: The required field key is only supported in public repositories. In private and internal repositories, all fields are optional.

YAML
name: Bug Report
description: File a bug report.
title: "[Bug]: "
labels: ["bug", "triage"]
projects: ["octo-org/1", "octo-org/44"]
assignees:
  - octocat
body:
  - type: markdown
    attributes:
      value: |
        Thanks for taking the time to fill out this bug report!
  - type: input
    id: contact
    attributes:
      label: Contact Details
      description: How can we get in touch with you if we need more info?
      placeholder: ex. email@example.com
    validations:
      required: false
  - type: textarea
    id: what-happened
    attributes:
      label: What happened?
      description: Also tell us, what did you expect to happen?
      placeholder: Tell us what you see!
      value: "A bug happened!"
    validations:
      required: true
  - type: dropdown
    id: version
    attributes:
      label: Version
      description: What version of our software are you running?
      options:
        - 1.0.2 (Default)
        - 1.0.3 (Edge)
      default: 0
    validations:
      required: true
  - type: dropdown
    id: browsers
    attributes:
      label: What browsers are you seeing the problem on?
      multiple: true
      options:
        - Firefox
        - Chrome
        - Safari
        - Microsoft Edge
  - type: textarea
    id: logs
    attributes:
      label: Relevant log output
      description: Please copy and paste any relevant log output. This will be automatically formatted into code, so no need for backticks.
      render: shell
  - type: checkboxes
    id: terms
    attributes:
      label: Code of Conduct
      description: By submitting this issue, you agree to follow our [Code of Conduct](https://example.com). 
      options:
        - label: I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct
          required: true

Top-level syntax

All issue form configuration files must begin with name, description, and body key-value pairs.

YAML
name:
description:
body:

You can set the following top-level keys for each issue form.

KeyDescriptionRequiredType
nameA name for the issue form template. Must be unique from all other templates, including Markdown templates.RequiredString
descriptionA description for the issue form template, which appears in the template chooser interface.RequiredString
bodyDefinition of the input types in the form.RequiredArray
assigneesPeople who will be automatically assigned to issues created with this template.OptionalArray or comma-delimited string
labelsLabels that will automatically be added to issues created with this template. If a label does not already exist in the repository, it will not be automatically added to the issue.OptionalArray or comma-delimited string
titleA default title that will be pre-populated in the issue submission form.OptionalString
projectsProjects that any issues created with this template will automatically be added to. The format of this key is PROJECT-OWNER/PROJECT-NUMBER.
Note: The person opening the issue must have write permissions for the specified projects. If you don't expect people using this template to have write access, consider enabling your project's auto-add workflow. For more information, see "Adding items automatically."
OptionalArray or comma-delimited string

For the available body input types and their syntaxes, see "Syntax for GitHub's form schema."

Converting a Markdown issue template to a YAML issue form template

You can use both Markdown and YAML issue templates in your repository. If you want to convert a Markdown issue template to a YAML issue form template, you must create a new YAML file to define the issue form. You can manually transpose an existing Markdown issue template to a YAML issue form. For more information, see "Configuring issue templates for your repository."

If you want to use the same file name for your YAML issue form, you must delete the Markdown issue template when you commit the new file to your repository.

An example of a Markdown issue template and a corresponding YAML issue form template are below.

Markdown issue template

Markdown
---
name: 🐞 Bug
about: File a bug/issue
title: '[BUG] <title>'
labels: Bug, Needs Triage
assignees: ''

---

<!--
Note: Please search to see if an issue already exists for the bug you encountered.
-->

### Current Behavior:
<!-- A concise description of what you're experiencing. -->

### Expected Behavior:
<!-- A concise description of what you expected to happen. -->

### Steps To Reproduce:
<!--
Example: steps to reproduce the behavior:
1. In this environment...
1. With this config...
1. Run '...'
1. See error...
-->

### Environment:
<!--
Example:
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04
- Node: 13.14.0
- npm: 7.6.3
-->

### Anything else:
<!--
Links? References? Anything that will give us more context about the issue that you are encountering!
-->

YAML issue form template

YAML
name: 🐞 Bug
description: File a bug/issue
title: "[BUG] <title>"
labels: ["Bug", "Needs Triage"]
body:
- type: checkboxes
  attributes:
    label: Is there an existing issue for this?
    description: Please search to see if an issue already exists for the bug you encountered.
    options:
    - label: I have searched the existing issues
      required: true
- type: textarea
  attributes:
    label: Current Behavior
    description: A concise description of what you're experiencing.
  validations:
    required: false
- type: textarea
  attributes:
    label: Expected Behavior
    description: A concise description of what you expected to happen.
  validations:
    required: false
- type: textarea
  attributes:
    label: Steps To Reproduce
    description: Steps to reproduce the behavior.
    placeholder: |
      1. In this environment...
      1. With this config...
      1. Run '...'
      1. See error...
  validations:
    required: false
- type: textarea
  attributes:
    label: Environment
    description: |
      examples:
        - **OS**: Ubuntu 20.04
        - **Node**: 13.14.0
        - **npm**: 7.6.3
    value: |
        - OS:
        - Node:
        - npm:
    render: markdown
  validations:
    required: false
- type: textarea
  attributes:
    label: Anything else?
    description: |
      Links? References? Anything that will give us more context about the issue you are encountering!

      Tip: You can attach images or log files by clicking this area to highlight it and then dragging files in.
  validations:
    required: false

Further reading