GitHub Issues API Docs

Portfolio guides

Pagination and Filtering

Task-focused guides that complement the OpenAPI reference docs (Redoc).

Pagination and Filtering

Audience: Developers integrating with the GitHub Issues REST API (portfolio subset)

Scope: Observed pagination and query-parameter behavior for GET /repos/{{owner}}/{{repo}}/issues, backed by saved request/response evidence.

This guide documents behavior that can be easy to get wrong if you only read generic reference docs: defaults, max limits, and what happens when inputs are invalid.

Pagination parameters

  • per_page: number of results per page
  • page: which page of results to return

Observed defaults and limits (verified)

  • Default per_page is 30 when omitted
    • Evidence: TEST-001_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_200_20251210_0214ET.json
  • per_page=10 returns 10 results
    • Evidence: TEST-011_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_per_page_10_200_20251214_2039ET.json
  • Max per_page is 100
    • Evidence: TEST-013_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_per_page_100_200_20251214_2051ET.json
  • If per_page is above max (example 150), results cap at 100
    • Evidence: TEST-V2_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_per_page_150_200_20260112_1539ET.json
  • If per_page=0, results fall back to 30
    • Evidence: TEST-V3_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_per_page_0_200_20260112_1539ET.json
  • If per_page is negative (example -5), results fall back to 30
    • Evidence: TEST-V4_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_per_page_-5_200_20260112_1539ET.json

Examples

Get 10 issues

GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues?per_page=10

Get page 2 with 5 per page

GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues?per_page=5&page=2

Verified evidence:

  • TEST-045_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_per_page_5_page_2_200_20260106_1945ET.json

Sorting and direction

The list issues endpoint supports sort and direction. Two verified behaviors are worth calling out:

Gotcha: invalid sort can be silently ignored

If sort is invalid, the request may still return 200 OK and fall back to the default sort behavior.

  • Evidence: TEST-042_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_sort_invalid_200_20260106_1945ET.json

Gotcha: direction may be ignored when sort is invalid

When sort is invalid, direction may not change ordering as expected.

  • Evidence: TEST-V1_GET_repos_owner_repo_issues_sort_invalid_direction_asc_200_20260112_1539ET.json
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