GitHub Search Filters Shift: Navigating Changes in Your Git Activity Workflow

GitHub Search Filters Shift: Navigating Changes in Your Git Activity Workflow

Developers relying on GitHub's search filters for a unified view of issues and pull requests have recently encountered an unexpected change. What was once a seamless way to monitor all repository git activity has been altered, impacting established engineering workflow routines. This community insight dives into the problem, offers immediate solutions, and explains why this shift occurred.

The Problem: A Split View for Issues and Pull Requests

Historically, a common practice for many developers was to use the sort:updated-desc filter on a repository's /issues page. This allowed them to catch up on all new activity – both issues and PRs – in a single, chronologically sorted list. Further refinement with is:issue or is:pr could then filter this combined view as needed.

However, as of late March 2026, users like andrei-lazarov reported that the /issues page now exclusively returns issues. Even applying an is:pr filter on this page fails to display pull requests, effectively separating these crucial development items. This change forces developers to navigate between distinct 'Issues' and 'Pull requests' tabs, disrupting a previously efficient method of tracking repository updates and potentially affecting the accuracy of an agile kpi dashboard if not adjusted for.

Initial Workarounds and Their Limitations

Upon discovering the change, some users suggested workarounds:

• Global Search: Using global search with repo:owner/repo sort:updated-desc can still return a combined list of issues and PRs. For example:

  repo:Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt sort:updated-desc

  While functional, many users, including straight-shoota, found this alternative lacking. The global search interface is designed for a different purpose and doesn't offer the same streamlined user experience as the dedicated issues page.

• Switching Tabs: The most straightforward, albeit less efficient, method is to manually switch between the 'Issues' and 'Pull requests' tabs. This adds friction to the engineering workflow for those accustomed to a single overview.

The Solution: Restoring Your Unified Git Activity View

Fortunately, a simple and effective solution has emerged from the community. Asaddevx discovered that explicitly including an is:open or is:closed filter restores the old behavior, bringing issues and pull requests back into a single, sortable list on the /issues page.

To get your combined view back, modify your search query or bookmark:

• For Open Issues and PRs:

  https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt/issues?q=is%3Aopen+sort%3Aupdated-desc

• For All (Open + Closed) Issues and PRs:

  https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt/issues?q=is%3Aopen%2Cclosed+sort%3Aupdated-desc

This works because GitHub has subtly changed the default behavior of the /issues page. It now defaults to 'issues only' unless an explicit state filter (like is:open or is:closed) is provided, which then triggers the combined view. A 'Filters' dropdown on the issues page also offers a quick toggle for this behavior.

GitHub's Response and Community Impact

The GitHub Issues product team has acknowledged the issue, with hellojanehere stating they are "looking into this." This highlights the critical role of community feedback in shaping platform features and ensuring that changes align with user expectations and established engineering workflow patterns.

For developers tracking git activity across multiple repositories or needing a quick overview of their team's progress, maintaining a unified view is paramount. The community's swift identification of a workaround ensures that productivity remains high while GitHub investigates a more permanent solution.