Trello GitHub integration: what the Power-Up syncs

The Trello GitHub integration is the GitHub Power-Up, and it links GitHub work to Trello cards without syncing it. You attach a branch, commit, issue or pull request to a card and Trello shows its details; the issue and the card remain two records, and nothing you do to one changes the other. This guide shows how to set the Power-Up up, what it carries, and when it is simpler to run the board in GitHub Projects.

We make Gitsu, a client for GitHub Projects, so we have a side. The Trello facts below come from Atlassian's own documentation, and the page says where Trello is the better fit.

Does Trello integrate with GitHub?

Yes, through the GitHub Power-Up, which Atlassian documents as a way to attach pull requests, issues and commits from GitHub directly to Trello cards. You can attach a branch, commit, issue or pull request. An attached pull request shows its name, whether it passed checks, its labels, who opened it, whether it merged, the assignee and the number of comments. The Power-Up works with GitHub Enterprise instances that are hosted on https, not http.

Trello has other integrations too, since Power-Ups are how it connects to tools such as Slack and Google Drive. GitHub is one Power-Up among them, enabled board by board.

How do I connect Trello to GitHub?

Enable the Power-Up on the board, authorize your GitHub account, then attach items from a card.

1. Open the board menu on the right of the page and choose Power-Ups.
2. Click Enable next to the GitHub Power-Up.
3. Click the gear icon, choose Authorize Account, then Link Your GitHub Account.
4. In the window that opens, click Authorize application.
5. Open a card and click the GitHub Power-Up button on its back. Attach a branch, commit, issue or pull request.

If your organization's repositories do not show up, grant the Trello GitHub Power-Up access to the organization in your GitHub application settings, then use Remove personal settings in Trello and authorize again. An organization with third-party application restrictions needs an owner to approve it. Trello's Free plan allows unlimited Power-Ups per board, so the Power-Up itself does not need a paid plan; check Trello's pricing page for the current limits.

What does the Trello GitHub Power-Up sync, and what does it leave out?

It syncs nothing. It reads details from GitHub to show on the card, and it writes to GitHub in exactly one case. Atlassian's documentation says the only time the Power-Up writes back into GitHub is when you attach a pull request, issue or commit to a card: Trello then comments on the attached item with a link to the card, and you can switch that comment off in the Power-Up's settings.

The consequences are what teams run into:

• Moving a card does not touch the issue. Dragging a card to Done leaves the GitHub issue open.
• Closing the issue does not move the card. The card keeps showing wherever someone last put it.
• Nothing creates issues for you. The Power-Up attaches items that already exist. Creating an issue from a card, or a card from an issue, takes your own automation.
• The Power-Up asks for read-write access. Atlassian says it needs both scopes to list your public and private repositories and their pull requests, branches, issues and commits.

None of this is a flaw for a team that wants Trello as the planning surface and GitHub as the code host: the card is a place to talk about the work, with the pull request one click away. It becomes a cost when the cards are the issues, because then someone moves each card by hand to match GitHub.

When should I move the board to GitHub Projects?

Move it when the cards on your Trello board are mostly GitHub issues and pull requests. A GitHub Projects board makes the card the issue itself. GitHub's documentation says a project's integration with issues works both ways: change a status or assignee in the project and the issue changes. Projects is included on GitHub's Free plan, which also includes unlimited private repositories, and a project can hold up to 50,000 items.

GitHub's Board layout gives you the columns Trello users expect. The GitHub Kanban board guide shows how to create one, and the board templates guide lists what GitHub's ready-made templates create. For the full comparison, including Trello's plan limits and prices, read GitHub Projects vs Trello.

Moving over means turning cards into issues. Gitsu has no Trello importer, so cards come across by hand or by a script you write against the GitHub API. Move only the cards still open; archive the rest in Trello.

Where does Gitsu fit?

Gitsu is for the case where the board should live in GitHub and GitHub's own board is the slow part. It is a client for the same GitHub Projects boards: dragging a card in Gitsu writes the column's field value to GitHub, so teammates on github.com see the same move and nothing needs syncing. It adds a board, dense lists, keyboard controls, nested filters and bulk edits.

Its limits matter for a Trello refugee. Everyone who edits needs a GitHub account with access to the project, and Gitsu loads one project at a time, up to 2,000 items. It is not a Trello replacement for a mixed team that includes people who do not use GitHub. The Gitsu web app is free, and the macOS app and AI features need a paid Seat; see pricing for current amounts.

Open the free web app at dash.gitsu.app, sign in with GitHub and pick one project to see your issues as a board.