How to Handle Duplicate GitHub Issues Without Annoying Your Users
I love feedback. When you run a popular app or open source project like TinaCMS, duplicate issues are a good problem to have – it means people care enough to tell you about bugs or when they have good ideas.
Teams I see at other companies see duplicates as noise, something to be swept away quickly. If your default is to close a duplicate with a cold “Closed as duplicate” and nothing else, you’re quietly training your users to stop helping you. Let’s fix that.
When GitHub Issues Explode After a Release
Here’s a common scenario for product companies. You ship a new version, something subtle breaks, and suddenly you see your GitHub backlog with a bunch of dupes.
E.g. “menu is broken on mobile.”
Note: For teams that use AI tools like YakShaver.ai the dupe problem is more noticeable.
Most teams I see do the same thing, they pick one “real” issue to keep, then slam Closed as duplicate on the rest, and move on. That’s great for your backlog as you’re keeping it clean, but it’s a pretty terrible CX (Customer eXperience) for the people who took time out of their day to help you. If all they ever get back is a cold auto-email, they’re a lot less likely to report the next bug.
Turn Duplicates into a Better Experience
The solution is simple, every time you close a duplicate, treat it like a tiny customer interaction. Add a short note explaining where the work is being tracked and how they can follow it.
E.g. “Thanks for reporting this! We’re tracking it on #123 – feel free to subscribe there for updates.”
When the issue is completed, they are informed and it gives them the opportunity to then test it works for them. This will keep your open-source community more engaged.
Automate the Good Manners with GitHub Actions
If all this sounds good, you can go one step further and automate it. Use a small GitHub Action that runs when the main bug is closed and posts a friendly comment back on all the duplicates
E.g. “We’ve fixed this – thanks again for reporting it 🙌”
This positive ping when the fix ships, they’re likely to test it for you, and you’ve turned noisy duplicates into a free testing army.
Clean backlog, happy users, better product – all for a few extra lines of YAML.
How do you deal with duplicates? Let me know in the comments.