TanaOutliner
Log inDownload
Guide

Connect GitHub

Set up the GitHub integration so the AI can file and manage issues, review and merge pull requests, read code, and hand work to Copilot, from your meetings and chat.

Tana connects to your GitHub account so the AI can turn what you discuss into filed issues, work with pull requests, and read your code, without switching tools. Talk through a bug or a change in a meeting or in chat, file the issue while the context is fresh, and hand it to Copilot to start a fix. This guide covers the one-time setup, what to expect from the authorization flow, and how to use the integration in chat.

What you can do with GitHub in Tana

Once GitHub is connected, ask the AI in chat to:

  • File issues: create a structured issue from a discussion, with a title, body, labels, and assignees
  • Update issues: change the title, body, labels, assignees, or the open or closed state
  • Search and read issues: look up issues by keyword, useful for checking duplicates, and read an issue with its comments
  • Work with pull requests: list, create, review (approve, request changes, or comment), and merge (merge, squash, or rebase)
  • Comment: add a comment to an issue or a pull request
  • Read code: browse a repository's directories and read file contents at any branch, tag, or commit
  • Include screen-share screenshots: screenshots shared on a call are embedded in the issue body for visual context
  • Hand work to Copilot: assign an issue to GitHub Copilot so it can start a fix and open a pull request

You can also attach skills to Tana types that file GitHub issues one-click from your documents. See Skills for how that works.

Connect GitHub

You only need to do this once. The connection is per-account, not org-wide.

  1. Open Settings with Cmd+,Ctrl+,, or from the account menu in the sidebar.
  2. Open Integrations.
  3. Find GitHub under personal integrations and click Connect.
  4. A GitHub authorization window opens. Sign in if you aren't already, and authorize access.
  5. Review the access GitHub lists for Tana, then approve it.
  6. The window closes and Tana shows Connected next to GitHub.

Permissions Tana requests

Tana asks GitHub for the access it needs to work with your issues, pull requests, and code: reading repositories, issues, and pull requests, and creating or updating issues and pull requests on your behalf. Tana never reads or writes anything outside what you approve during connect.

Your access token is stored securely on Tana's servers, never in your browser. You can review or revoke Tana's access at any time from your GitHub account settings, under connected applications.

Use it in chat

Once GitHub is connected, the AI can call GitHub tools when a prompt asks for it. Some prompts to try:

  • "Check the acme/web repo for open issues about the login bug, then file a new one if there isn't a duplicate."
  • "Create a GitHub issue in acme/web for the bug we just discussed, label it a bug, and assign it to Copilot."
  • "Read the README in acme/web and summarize the setup steps."
  • "What open pull requests in acme/web are waiting on my review?"
  • "Approve PR #142 in acme/web and merge it with a squash."

The AI picks the right GitHub tool from your prompt and asks for clarification when something is ambiguous, for example which repository.

From issue to pull request

GitHub is more than an issue tracker in Tana. A common loop:

  1. File a well-scoped issue from the meeting. The AI can read the repository first to ground the issue in the real files, and checks for duplicates when you ask.
  2. Hand it to Copilot. Assign the issue to Copilot when you file it, and GitHub Copilot can start a fix and open a pull request.
  3. Review and merge from chat. Ask the AI to review the pull request, approve it, request changes, or comment, and merge it with a merge, squash, or rebase when it's ready.

The AI never assumes the repository. If you don't name one, it asks, and can list your repositories so you can choose, before filing.

How Tana files an issue

A few things happen when the AI creates an issue:

  • Confirms the repo: it never guesses the target repository. If you haven't named one, it asks and can list your repositories so you can choose.
  • Duplicate check: when you ask it to, the AI searches existing issues first, so you don't file the same thing twice.
  • Structured body: the AI writes the body in GitHub-flavored markdown, with context, current and expected behavior, and steps to reproduce, quoting the reporter where it helps.
  • Screenshots as context: screenshots shared on a call during the meeting are embedded in the issue body.

Disconnect GitHub

To remove the connection from Tana:

  1. Open Settings → Integrations.
  2. Open the Connected menu next to GitHub and choose Disconnect. The same menu has Reconnect, which you can use to refresh access.

Disconnecting stops the AI from reading or writing to GitHub but does not change anything already in GitHub or in Tana. To fully revoke Tana's access from GitHub's side, also remove Tana from your GitHub account's connected applications.

Troubleshooting

The AI says it can't reach GitHub. The connection has likely expired or been revoked. Reconnect from Settings → Integrations.

The AI keeps asking which repository. This is by design. It never guesses where to file. Name the repository in your prompt, or pick from the list it offers.

A merge didn't go through. Branch protection rules, required reviews, and merge conflicts are enforced by GitHub. Resolve them on GitHub, then ask again.

Something else? See Integrations for the broader integration overview, or reach out at support@tana.inc.

Connect GitHub - Tana Learn