GitHub issues and Jira tasks in one list: step-by-step guide for developers with Foco Plus

As a developer, it’s common to jump between GitHub, Jira, and Linear to check issues, assigned tasks, and pending pull requests. Each tool has its own workflow, notifications, and structure, which fragments your attention and slows down progress. The solution isn’t to abandon these platforms—they’re essential for teamwork—but to consolidate GitHub issues and Jira tasks in one list that you can manage without switching contexts. In this guide, we’ll show you how to achieve this step by step with Foco Plus, leveraging its native integrations with these tools to centralize everything in a single dashboard.

Why developers need a unified task list

Imagine starting your day by checking your GitHub inbox, then opening Jira to review sprint tasks, and finally logging into Linear to check assigned issues. Each tool switch means: remembering where you left off, adapting to different interfaces, and—worst of all—losing track of priorities. Fragmentation isn’t an organization problem; it’s a tool problem: traditional task managers are designed for a single project or team, not for developers juggling multiple repositories, sprints, and teams at once.

Foco Plus solves this by automatically bringing your GitHub issues, Jira tasks, and Linear issues into one place, where you can view them alongside personal tasks, meetings, and reminders. Each task retains its origin (with a direct link to the original tool) but is displayed in a uniform format: with its title, due date, priority, and status. This way, you decide what to do without leaving Foco, and when you mark a task as done, Foco can automatically close the issue or task in the source tool.

Step-by-step: How to set up connections with GitHub, Jira, and Linear

1. Access connections from settings

In Foco Plus, go to Settings > Copilot > Connections. Here, you’ll see the list of available tools: GitHub, Jira, Linear, Notion, and Asana. Select the first one you want to connect (e.g., GitHub) and sign in with your platform account. Foco uses OAuth to access only the data you need: issues assigned to you, pull requests where you’re mentioned, and pending reviews.

2. Choose the 'destination workspace' for each connection

Each connection requires you to select a 'destination workspace' in Foco, where tasks will be created automatically. You have two options:

• Automatic (recommended for starters): Foco analyzes the content of each issue or task and assigns it to the most relevant workspace based on its title, labels, or project. For example, a GitHub issue with the label 'frontend' might go to your 'Web Development' workspace.
• Fixed workspace: If you prefer full control, choose a specific workspace (e.g., 'Sprint Q3' or 'Maintenance'). All tasks from that connection will go there, regardless of content.

For GitHub and Linear, the automatic mode usually works well, as their issues tend to be well-labeled. In Jira, where tasks can be more generic, it’s helpful to assign a fixed workspace per project or team.

3. Enable 'Complete in source tool'

This is the key to avoiding going back to the original tools. When you enable this option, marking a task as done in Foco will automatically close the issue or task in GitHub, Jira, or Linear. Foco adds a comment in the source tool with a link to the task in Foco, so your team knows it’s resolved. If you prefer to review manually before closing, you can disable this option and do it yourself from Foco with a click on the source link.

4. Repeat the process for Jira and Linear

Follow the same steps to connect Jira and Linear. In Jira, Foco will only bring tasks assigned to you, ignoring the rest of the team’s tasks. In Linear, in addition to assigned issues, you can configure Foco to include pull requests where you’re mentioned or pending reviews. All tasks will appear in Foco with the color of their workspace, helping you distinguish them visually in Panorama mode.

How to organize and prioritize your unified tasks

1. Use Panorama mode to see everything at once

Foco’s Panorama mode shows all your tasks in one view, each with the color of its workspace. Here, you’ll see your GitHub issues, Jira tasks, and Linear issues mixed with personal tasks, meetings, and reminders. It’s ideal for getting a global view of your day or week. For example, you can filter by priority ('urgent' or 'important') to see only critical tasks, regardless of which tool they come from.

2. Filter by workspace when you need focus

If you want to concentrate on a single project, enter Focus mode by selecting the corresponding workspace. For example, clicking on 'Sprint Q3' will show only the tasks for that sprint (including Jira and GitHub tasks assigned to that workspace). This eliminates noise from other projects and lets you work in dedicated time blocks.

3. Leverage views to adapt to your workflow

Foco offers three views to manage your tasks:

• List: Groups tasks by date (Today, This Week, Later, No Date) and shows a collapsible section for completed tasks. Ideal for planning your day or week.
• Kanban: Customizable columns (e.g., 'To Do', 'In Progress', 'Review', 'Done') where you can drag and drop tasks. On mobile, columns are swipeable tabs.
• Calendar: Shows your tasks and synced events from Google Calendar or Outlook in a weekly or monthly view. Perfect for seeing deadlines and meetings in context.

For developers, the Kanban view is especially useful for replicating a sprint workflow: you move tasks from 'To Do' to 'In Progress' and finally to 'Done', and Foco updates the status in the source tool automatically if you have 'Complete in source tool' enabled.

How Foco outperforms alternatives like spreadsheets or generic task managers

Many developers resort to temporary solutions to unify their tasks, such as spreadsheets, note-taking apps, or generic task managers like Trello or Notion. These options have key limitations when it comes to consolidating GitHub issues and Jira tasks in one list:

• Spreadsheets: Manually copying and pasting each issue or task is tedious and error-prone. There’s no automatic sync, so changes in GitHub or Jira aren’t reflected in real time.
• Note-taking apps: While you can paste links to issues, there’s no real integration. You can’t mark a task as done and have it close automatically in the source tool, nor can you see due dates or priorities in a structured way.
• Generic task managers: Tools like Trello or Notion allow GitHub or Jira integrations via plugins, but they’re often partial solutions. For example, in Trello, you need to create a board per project and set up complex automations, while in Notion, sync isn’t real-time and requires manual maintenance.

Foco Plus is specifically designed for those managing multiple jobs at once, like developers with issues in GitHub, tasks in Jira, and projects in Linear. Its key advantages are:

• Native integrations: Connections with GitHub, Jira, and Linear are optimized to bring only what’s relevant (issues assigned to you, pull requests where you’re mentioned) and update in real time.
• Bidirectional sync: Marking a task as done in Foco automatically closes it in the source tool, avoiding duplicate work.
• Flexible structure: You can view all your tasks together (Panorama mode) or filter by workspace (Focus mode), something generic task managers don’t offer natively.
• Full context: Each task in Foco includes a direct link to the source tool, attached notes, and the option to add reminders or priorities, something a spreadsheet can’t replicate.

Advanced tips for developers

1. Use labels to categorize by task type

Foco allows you to add unlimited colored labels to each task. You can use them to categorize your issues and tasks by type, for example:

• bug (for error issues),
• feature (for new functionalities),
• refactor (for refactoring tasks),
• docs (for documentation).

This lets you quickly filter in Panorama mode, for example, to see only urgent bugs across all your projects.

2. Leverage voice capture for quick issues

If you’re in a meeting or reviewing code and an issue comes up, use Foco’s voice capture to dictate it. For example: 'Bug in the mobile app login, urgent priority, due tomorrow.' Foco will transcribe the audio, automatically detect the priority and due date, and create the task with the audio attached. If you have the GitHub or Jira connection enabled, you can assign the task to the corresponding workspace, and Foco will send it to the source tool.

3. Set up the daily briefing for clarity

Foco Plus’s daily briefing (part of Copilot) sends you a summary at your chosen time with the most important things for your day: which tasks are due today, which GitHub or Jira issues need attention, what others owe you, and calendar updates. You can configure it to include only the workspaces you care about (e.g., exclude personal tasks) and receive it via email or view it directly in the app.

Consolidating GitHub issues and Jira tasks in one list isn’t about replacing these tools, but about reducing the time you waste switching between them and gaining focus on what really matters: writing code and solving problems.

Conclusion: A unified workflow for developers

Consolidating your GitHub issues and Jira tasks in one list isn’t just about convenience—it’s about efficiency. Every time you avoid opening GitHub to check an issue, entering Jira to update a task, or jumping to Linear to review a pull request, you save minutes that add up to hours by the end of the week. Foco Plus lets you do this without losing the context of each tool, thanks to its native integrations, bidirectional sync, and flexible views.

If you’re a developer managing multiple projects, repositories, or teams, try connecting Foco to your work tools. Start with one connection (e.g., GitHub) and add others as needed. In no time, you’ll notice the difference: fewer context switches, fewer oversights, and more time for what truly matters.