Desk includes a GitHub Projects v2 subsystem for planning work beside agents, terminals, code, Git, notes, and channels.
GitHub Projects board in Desk with project status updates, saved views, filters, grouped columns, and work-item cards

A GitHub Projects board in Desk: project metadata, status updates, saved views, filters, grouped cards, and the active work items

The subsystem uses the GitHub CLI:
  • gh api graphql for Projects v2 queries and mutations
  • gh issue and gh pr for issue and pull request operations
Desk does not store a separate GitHub token.

​
Authentication

Authenticate the GitHub CLI first:
Projects v2 requires the project scope:
When the token is missing that scope, Desk returns a scope-specific error and the UI can prompt you to refresh auth.

​
Project picker

Desk lists projects visible to the authenticated account:
  • viewer-owned projects
  • organization projects visible to the viewer
The active project determines the board, table, fields, views, and item drawer content.

​
Loading limits

Desk pages through project items and stops fetching after the first 1000 — a Desk-side loading cap, not a GitHub limit; the project itself can hold more. If a board is truncated this way, the UI shows a truncated state so you know it is not complete. Use filters, saved views, or GitHub itself for very large project audits.

​
Board view

The board groups items by a single-select or iteration field. Items without a value collect in a leading “No Status”-style column named after that field, which is hidden while empty (the same way GitHub hides it under a -no:status filter). You can:
  • switch the group-by field
  • drag cards between columns
  • reorder cards within a column
  • show or hide archived items
  • open an item drawer
  • use saved GitHub view chips when the project exposes them
For iteration fields, Desk includes the active iteration and recent completed iterations.

​
Table view

The table view gives a dense list with sortable columns and inline field editing.
GitHub Projects table view in Desk showing status, priority, iteration, owner, confidence, and due-date fields

The table layout: project fields, owners, iterations, confidence values, and item status in one dense view

Supported field edits include:
  • text
  • number
  • date
  • single-select
  • iteration
  • clearing a field value
Desk sends field changes through GitHub Projects GraphQL mutations.

​
Filters

The filter bar supports free text and structured filters:
Supported patterns include:
  • is:issue, is:pr, is:draft
  • is:open, is:closed, is:merged, is:archived
  • assignee:<login>, including assignee:@me for the signed-in account
  • label:<label>
  • repo:<owner/name>
  • no:<field>, plus no:assignee, no:label, and no:milestone against the issue itself
  • has:<field>, the positive twin of no: — non-empty assignees, labels, milestone, or any field
  • reason:completed, reason:reopened, reason:"not planned"
  • type:<issue type> against the organization issue type (Bug, Task, …)
  • date qualifiers on created:, updated:, closed:, and any DATE field by name, with >, >=, <, <=, an exact day, or an a..b range
  • comma lists as any-of within one qualifier: label:bug,ui, status:todo,"in progress"
  • any project field by name
  • negation with -
  • quoted values
A qualifier Desk does not recognize (including typos) is ignored rather than filtering the board down to nothing, so saved GitHub views with unsupported qualifiers still render.

​
Item drawer

Open an item to inspect and update its details.
GitHub Projects item drawer in Desk with editable fields, a rendered definition of done, anti-gaming gate notes, comments, and issue actions

An item drawer with editable fields, rendered markdown, comments, and issue actions

The drawer supports:
  • rendered markdown body
  • editable project fields
  • comments
  • assignee editing: assign yourself, or add and remove any login
  • label editing: add and remove labels inline
  • close and reopen for issues and pull requests
  • draft item editing
  • draft-to-issue conversion
  • archive and unarchive
  • delete item

​
Adding items

You can add an item by URL when GitHub can resolve it to an issue or a pull request. Any other text creates a draft item instead.
Add item modal in Desk Projects with an input for an issue URL, pull-request URL, or draft title

Add an issue, pull request, or draft title without leaving the Projects surface

You can also create draft items directly in the project and later convert them to issues.

​
Status updates

Desk supports project status updates, including create and delete operations (delete asks for confirmation). Status updates carry a health value such as on track, at risk, or off track, optional start and target dates, plus rendered body content.
Post status update modal in Desk Projects with a health selector and markdown body field

Post project health updates from the same sidebar that shows the current status history

​
Project operations

When authorized, Desk can:
  • create a project
  • edit project metadata: title, description, README, visibility, and open/closed state
  • delete a project, behind a confirmation
  • link a repository to a project
  • export the visible board (current filter applied) as a TSV file
These operations use GitHub’s Projects v2 GraphQL API and respect the authenticated account’s permissions.

​
Next steps