Notifications and auto-close
Commit notifications on the issue, reopen on push, and auto-close when branches are merged.
Notifications and auto-close
Copilot keeps the issue in sync with the branch: it notifies you of new commits and can reopen a closed issue when pushes happen. When the branch is merged, it can automatically close the issue. This page describes these behaviors and the inputs that control them.
Commit notifications (real-time code tracking)
When the push (commit) workflow runs (on push to a branch linked to an issue), the action can post a comment on the issue with the new commit messages and links. That way, everyone following the issue sees progress in real time.
- What is posted: Commit summary (messages, authors, links to commits). Optionally images per branch type (feature, bugfix, etc.) if
images-on-commitand the correspondingimages-commit-*inputs are set. See Configuration. - Where: The comment is posted on the issue associated with the branch (the issue number is derived from the branch name, e.g.
feature/123-title→ issue123).
Commit notifications are part of the Commit workflow, not the Issue workflow. Ensure you have a workflow that runs on push (e.g. copilot_commit.yml) and that the Copilot step has token and any optional inputs (e.g. project-ids, opencode-model for progress/Bugbot). See How to use and Bugbot for push-related features.
Reopen issue on push
If an issue was closed but someone pushes again to its branch, you may want the issue to reopen so it’s not forgotten.
| Input | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
reopen-issue-on-push | true | When the push workflow runs and the branch is linked to an issue that is closed, the action reopens that issue. Set to false to leave closed issues closed. |
This applies only when the Commit workflow runs (on push); the Issue workflow does not reopen issues by itself.
Auto-close when branch is merged
When the branch created for the issue (e.g. feature/123-title) is merged (e.g. into develop or main), Copilot can automatically close the issue. You don’t have to remember to close it manually.
- How it works: The action listens for the merge (via the push/PR pipeline and branch state). When the branch no longer exists (merged and deleted) or the merge is detected, it closes the linked issue.
- No extra input is required for this behavior; it is part of the normal flow when the Commit and/or PR workflows run and the branch is merged.
Summary
| Behavior | Controlled by | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Commit notifications on issue | Commit workflow + optional images config | Push (Commit) workflow |
| Reopen closed issue on push | reopen-issue-on-push (default: true) | Push (Commit) workflow |
| Auto-close issue when branch merged | Built-in | Push / PR workflow when merge is detected |
Next steps
- Workflow setup — Issue workflow events.
- Configuration —
reopen-issue-on-push, images on commit. - How to use — Full setup including Commit workflow.