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Tracking code scanning alerts in issues using task lists

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You can add code scanning alerts to issues using task lists. This makes it easy to create a plan for development work that includes fixing alerts.

Who can use this feature

If you have write permission to a repository you can track code scanning alerts in issues using task lists.

Code scanning is available for all public repositories on GitHub.com. To use code scanning in a private repository owned by an organization, you must have a license for GitHub Advanced Security. For more information, see "About GitHub Advanced Security."

Note: The tracking of code scanning alerts in issues is in beta and subject to change.

This feature supports running analysis natively using GitHub Actions or externally using existing CI/CD infrastructure, as well as third-party code scanning tools, but not third-party tracking tools.

About tracking code scanning alerts in issues

Code scanning alerts integrate with task lists in GitHub Issues to make it easy for you to prioritize and track alerts with all your development work. For more information about issues, see "About issues."

To track a code scanning alert in an issue, add the URL for the alert as a task list item in the issue. For more information about task lists, see "About task lists."

You can also create a new issue to track an alert:

  • From a code scanning alert, which automatically adds the code scanning alert to a task list in the new issue. For more information, see "Creating a tracking issue from a code scanning alert" below.

  • Via the API as you normally would, and then provide the code scanning link within the body of the issue. You must use the task list syntax to create the tracked relationship:

    • - [ ] <full-URL- to-the-code-scanning-alert>
    • For example, if you add - [ ] https://github.com/octocat-org/octocat-repo/security/code-scanning/17 to an issue, the issue will track the code scanning alert that has an ID number of 17 in the Security tab of the octocat-repo repository in the octocat-org organization.

You can use more than one issue to track the same code scanning alert, and issues can belong to different repositories from the repository where the code scanning alert was found.

GitHub Enterprise Cloud provides visual cues in different locations of the user interface to indicate when you are tracking code scanning alerts in issues.

  • The code scanning alerts list page will show which alerts are tracked in issues so that you can view at a glance which alerts still require processing.

    Tracked in pill on code scanning alert page

  • A "tracked in" section will also show in the corresponding alert page.

    Tracked in section on code scanning alert page

  • On the tracking issue, GitHub displays a security badge icon in the task list and on the hovercard.

    Only users with write permissions to the repository will see the unfurled URL to the alert in the issue, as well as the hovercard. For users with read permissions to the repository, or no permissions at all, the alert will appear as a plain URL.

    The color of the icon is grey because an alert has a status of "open" or "closed" on every branch. The issue tracks an alert, so the alert cannot have a single open/closed state in the issue. If the alert is closed on one branch, the icon color will not change.

    Hovercard in tracking issue

The status of the tracked alert won't change if you change the checkbox state of the corresponding task list item (checked/unchecked) in the issue.

Creating a tracking issue from a code scanning alert

  1. On GitHub.com, navigate to the main page of the repository.

  2. Under the repository name, click Security. If you cannot see the "Security" tab, select the dropdown menu, and then click Security. Screenshot of a repository header showing the tabs. The "Security" tab is highlighted by a dark orange outline.

  3. In the left sidebar, click Code scanning alerts.

  4. Towards the top of the page, on the right side, click Create issue.

    Create a tracking issue for the code scanning alert

    GitHub automatically creates an issue to track the alert and adds the alert as a task list item. GitHub prepopulates the issue:

    • The title contains the name of the code scanning alert.
    • The body contains the task list item with the full URL to the code scanning alert.

  5. Optionally, edit the title and the body of the issue.

    Warning: You may want to edit the title of the issue as it may expose security information. You can also edit the body of the issue, but do not edit the task list item or the issue will no longer track the alert.

    New tracking issue for the code scanning alert

  6. Click Submit new issue.