Cannot see all issues

[gamer191]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

Body

Some issues are currently not searchable on Github and can only be accessed using a direct link.
In the yt-dlp/yt-dlp repo these issues are unsearchable: 2405, 2406, 2410, 2412, 2413, 2415, 3768, 3769, 3770
In the actions/checkout repo these issues are unsearchable: 649, 650, 1926

This issue was originally reported by the reporter of https://github.com/community/maintainers/discussions/790. Because this affects many more repos than the repo linked in that issue, I figured it made sense to open a public issue here

Note that hidden issues are still visible using gh issue list or the GraphQL API. Below is a script I created to find hidden issues:

# These values are derived from the repo url (https://github.com/repo_owner/repo_name)
repo_owner = ''
repo_name = ''
# generate a personal access token at https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new with read-only access to public repos (if you wanna use a private repo you'll have to experiment)
auth_token = ''

import requests
requests = requests.session()

visible_issues = set()
next_page_url = {'url': f'https://api.github.com/repos/{repo_owner}/{repo_name}/issues?state=all&per_page=100'}
while next_page_url:
    issue_request = requests.get(next_page_url['url'], headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {auth_token}'})
    visible_issues.update(issue['number'] for issue in issue_request.json())
    next_page_url = issue_request.links.get('next')

# Hidden issues are visible through GraphQL api
issues = set()

for issue_type in ['issues', 'pullRequests']:
    end_cursor = ''
    while end_cursor is not None:
        payload = f'''
        {{
            repository(owner:"{repo_owner}",name:"{repo_name}") {{
                {issue_type}(first:100 after:"{end_cursor}"){{
                    nodes{{
                        number
                    }}
                    pageInfo{{
                        endCursor
                    }}
                }}
            }}
        }}
        '''
        issue_request = requests.post('https://api.github.com/graphql', headers={'Authorization': f'Bearer {auth_token}'}, json={'query': payload}).json()['data']['repository'][issue_type]
        issues.update(issue['number'] for issue in issue_request['nodes'])
        end_cursor = issue_request['pageInfo']['endCursor']


hidden_issues = issues - visible_issues

print('Hidden issues:')
print(hidden_issues)

(Note that this script may list issues that were created whilst the script was running)

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[krassowski]

Older one on PRs: https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/193463

[gamer191]

I think you accidentally copied only part of the link?

[krassowski]

Yes, thanks, edited.

[v-ember]

Hi @gamer191, thanks for posting in GitHub Discussions!

The Repository category is meant for conversations related to repositories on GitHub. A repository contains all of your project's files and each file's revision history.. I've gone ahead and moved this post to our Projects and Issues category, as this topic may be more relevant there and might help someone give you a nudge in the right direction. 😁

[sheikh-abuhurairah]

This likely indicates a search indexing / visibility desync, where issues exist in the repository and are returned via REST/GraphQL, but are not present in the search index. GitHub Search is eventually consistent and can lag or selectively miss records due to indexing delays, partial reindexing, or metadata filter mismatches (state, visibility, spam heuristics).
Since issues are still accessible via API/GraphQL, this is not a permission issue but a search backend indexing gap affecting specific issue IDs across multiple repos.