Installation

Git-Zen installation is quick. The app steps you through the process.

First, install Git-Zen from the Zendesk Marketplace and authorize Zendesk. Then continue here to connect GitHub.

Git-Zen works with repositories on github.com. This includes GitHub Free, Team, and Enterprise Cloud organizations.

Caution

Git-Zen does not support GitHub Enterprise Server (self-hosted GitHub). All GitHub requests go to api.github.com.

GitHub authorization

After you click Allow on the Zendesk authorization screen, Git-Zen opens the GitHub authorization screen. If you are not signed in to GitHub, GitHub asks you to sign in.

Git-Zen asks GitHub for two OAuth scopes:

• repo: read and write issues, comments, labels, and webhooks in your repositories.
• project: read and add issues to GitHub Projects. See Projects.

Git-Zen acts in GitHub as the user who authorizes it. Consider a dedicated service account. See GitHub OAuth user.

When you authorize Git-Zen, the authorization window closes. Return to your Zendesk window and refresh it.

Danger

You must refresh the entire browser window that runs Zendesk. Do not click “reload all apps”. That restarts the authorization process.

If your company does not allow OAuth apps, use a personal access token instead.

Link GitHub repositories with webhooks

You now see the full Git-Zen app in the sidebar. A Webhooks icon appears on the Git-Zen menu bar.

Click this icon to see your GitHub repositories. Select the repositories you want to use with Git-Zen, then click Save Changes.

The list shows the repositories that the OAuth user owns, collaborates on, or can reach as an organization member. Git-Zen lists up to 1,000 repositories. Disabled repositories cannot get a webhook.

Git-Zen creates one webhook in each selected repository. The webhook sends these GitHub events: push, issues, issue_comment, commit_comment, pull_request, and release. See What syncs from GitHub and Release notifications.

Note

To create a webhook, the OAuth user must have admin access to the repository. Git-Zen marks a repository without admin access with a yellow warning sign. A repository admin must then add the webhook manually.

Caution

If you only see your personal repositories and not your organization’s repositories, your organization may restrict OAuth apps. See Organization authorization.

You’re all set

You are ready to begin using Git-Zen.