GitHub DevOps integration

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What it does

The DevOps integration joins Chorum Helpdesk to GitHub so your support work and your development work stay in step. Once a GitHub organisation is connected you can watch pull requests, CI checks, workflow runs and deployments from inside Chorum, link tickets to GitHub issues and pull requests, trigger workflows, and keep a Helpdesk project aligned with a GitHub Project board. Actions on GitHub flow back into Chorum on their own through webhooks.

Enable the tool at Helpdesk, Settings, Tools, then open Helpdesk, DevOps.

Before you start

You need a GitHub App installed on your organisation. Each Chorum workspace owns its own App, and the App ID and private key live only in that workspace, encrypted. If you have not created one yet, follow the guide "Create a GitHub App (single repository)" first, then come back here.

Step 1: Connect GitHub

Open Helpdesk, DevOps, Settings.

  1. Under GitHub App credentials, enter your App ID, paste the PEM private key, and (optionally) the webhook secret, then save. The private key and webhook secret are encrypted at rest and are never shown again.
  2. Under Installed org, choose the organisation that installed the App.
  3. Add the repositories you want Chorum to see. Each repository has three switches:
    • Raise change on merge to main. When a pull request merges into the default branch, Chorum records a Change automatically.
    • Link deployments. Show that repository's deployments in the Hub.
    • Auto-resolve ticket on close. When a linked issue or pull request closes, the linked ticket moves to Resolved.

If you change the App's permissions on GitHub after connecting, use Refresh connection on the settings card. A GitHub access token keeps its old permissions for up to an hour, so refreshing forces Chorum to fetch a new one straight away.

Step 2: The Hub

The Hub tab shows live data across your connected repositories: open pull requests with their CI check counts (passed, failed, running), recent GitHub Actions workflow runs, and recent deployments. Each item links straight out to GitHub.

Step 3: Link a ticket to GitHub

Open any ticket and choose its DevOps tab. From there you can:

  • Create issue from ticket. Opens a GitHub issue in a connected repository, already linked to the ticket, with the ticket reference appended.
  • Link existing issue or PR. Attach one by its number.
  • Comment. Post a note from the ticket across to the linked GitHub issue or pull request.
  • Trigger a workflow. Start a GitHub Actions workflow on a chosen branch.

The Ticket panel tab on the DevOps page rolls up every ticket for the selected customer that has GitHub links, so you can see all of that customer's DevOps activity in one place.

Step 4: Automatic ticket updates

With the App's webhook configured, GitHub events update Chorum with no manual step:

  • Closing a linked issue or pull request posts an entry to the ticket timeline. If that repository has auto-resolve switched on, the ticket also moves to Resolved.
  • Merging a pull request into the default branch records a Change when raise-change-on-merge is switched on for that repository.

To receive these, the GitHub App must be subscribed to the Issues and Pull request events.

Step 5: Sync a project to a GitHub board

Open a Helpdesk project and choose its GitHub tab.

  1. Link an existing GitHub Project (v2) board from your organisation.
  2. Check the column mapping, which pairs each task status with a board column. Chorum maps them by name automatically; adjust any that do not line up.
  3. Press Sync now to mirror both directions. Tasks push to the board as cards, and board cards pull into the project as tasks. When both sides changed since the last sync, the most recently edited one wins. No items are deleted on either side.

Once the App is subscribed to the Projects v2 and Projects v2 item events, moving a card between columns on GitHub updates the linked task straight away. Your task edits push on the next Sync now.

Troubleshooting

  • "Resource not accessible by integration" (403). The App is missing a permission. Grant it on GitHub, accept the update on the organisation, then use Refresh connection.
  • Empty repository or board list after changing permissions. The access token is cached for up to an hour. Use Refresh connection to mint a new one.
  • A linked board reports that it cannot be read. The board was deleted or access was removed. Unlink it and relink to a live board.