Connect GitHub

FlightDesk uses a GitHub App — not personal access tokens — for secure, scoped access to your repositories. Tokens are short-lived and auto-refreshed. You never create or rotate credentials manually.

Why a GitHub App?

Personal access tokens (PATs) are org-wide, long-lived, and easy to accidentally over-scope. GitHub Apps are different:

• Installation tokens expire in approximately one hour and are automatically refreshed
• Scoped to specific repos: You choose which repositories to grant access to
• Revocable at any time from GitHub's UI without affecting other tools
• Webhooks are automatic: When you install the app, FlightDesk starts receiving PR events immediately

Installation

1. Open Integrations

Navigate to Settings → Organization → Integrations in FlightDesk.

2. Click Connect GitHub

You'll be redirected to GitHub to install the FlightDesk GitHub App.

3. Choose Where to Install

Select either:

• Your personal account — for personal repositories
• A GitHub organization — you must have admin access to the org

4. Select Repositories

Choose which repositories FlightDesk can access:

• All repositories — includes any repos you create in the future
• Selected repositories — only the specific repos you pick now

You can change this at any time from GitHub.

5. Complete Installation

Click Install. GitHub redirects you back to FlightDesk, and the connection is live.

Permissions

FlightDesk requests the minimum permissions needed:

| Permission | Level | Used For | |---|---|---| | Pull requests | Read & Write | Read PR details, post review comments | | Repository contents | Read | Clone repos into preview containers | | Issues | Read & Write | Post comments (GitHub uses the Issues API for PR comments) | | Checks | Read | Read CI check status | | Metadata | Read | List repositories |

FlightDesk does not request admin, webhook management, or organization permissions.

What Gets Automated

Once connected:

• PR webhooks are received automatically when PRs open, close, or receive pushes
• Task status updates from PR Open through to Merged without any manual action
• Preview environments can clone private repos using the short-lived installation token
• GitHub Copilot review comments are fetched and surfaced in the Checks panel

Managing the Connection

Add More Repositories

Go to GitHub → Settings → Applications → FlightDesk → Configure. You can add or remove repositories here.

Disconnect

To fully remove FlightDesk's access, go to GitHub → Settings → Applications → FlightDesk → Revoke. This stops all webhooks and token issuance immediately.

Multiple Organizations

If you have multiple GitHub organizations, you can install the FlightDesk app on each one separately. Each installation is managed independently.