Categories
Organize tasks into categories for clearer structure and targeted GitHub sync routing
Categories are named groups that organize your tasks into distinct sections. Unlike labels (which can stack on a task), a task belongs to one category at a time. Categories are visible on the public board as a sidebar filter, and they also power GitHub sync routing.
Creating Categories
- Navigate to Settings > Categories in your organization
- Click New Category
- Enter a name
- Pick a color and an icon
- Click Save
Permissions
Only members with the Manage categories permission can create, edit, or delete categories. By default, this is restricted to administrators.
Category Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The display name shown in the sidebar and task detail (e.g., Bug Reports, Feature Requests) |
| Color | A color for the category badge — helps teams visually distinguish sections |
| Icon | A Tabler icon that represents the category |
Assigning a Category to a Task
From the task detail panel, find the Category field and click it to open the picker. Select a category from the list, or search by name. A task can only belong to one category at a time.
You can also assign a category when creating a task in the quick-create modal.
How Categories Appear on the Public Board
On your organization's public page ({your-org}.sayr.io), categories appear in the left sidebar with a count of public tasks in each one. Visitors can click a category to filter the board to only tasks in that group.
This makes it easy for your community to find relevant feedback and feature requests — a visitor who cares only about mobile bugs can click the Mobile or Bug Reports category to focus their view.
Filtering by Category
Inside the admin dashboard:
- Open the filter panel above the task list
- Click Category
- Select one or more categories
You can use Any, None, Empty (no category), or Not Empty (has any category) filter modes.
Using Categories with GitHub Sync
Categories double as routing rules for GitHub repository sync. When you create a sync connection, you can tie it to a specific category:
| Sync Configuration | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Linked to a category | Only tasks in that category sync with the connected repository. Issues created on GitHub in that repo also land in that category. |
| Linked to No category | All tasks in your organization sync to that repository, regardless of category. |
This lets you route tasks to the right repositories automatically. For example:
Bug Reportscategory → syncs withmy-org/bugsDocumentationcategory → syncs withmy-org/docs- All tasks (no category filter) → syncs with
my-org/app
See GitHub Integration for setup instructions.
Editing and Deleting Categories
Editing
- Go to Settings > Categories
- Click the menu icon next to the category
- Select Edit
- Update the name, color, or icon and save
Deleting
Deleting a category removes it from all tasks assigned to it. Tasks will no longer belong to any category after deletion.
- Go to Settings > Categories
- Click the menu icon next to the category
- Select Delete and confirm
Deleting a category also removes any GitHub sync connections tied to that category. Those tasks will no longer sync to the previously linked repository.
Best Practices
Align Categories with Your Product Areas
Categories work best when they mirror the sections of your product or your team's responsibilities. Examples:
- A SaaS product:
Dashboard,API,Billing,Mobile App - An open source library:
Bug Reports,Feature Requests,Documentation,Performance - An agency:
Client A,Client B,Internal
Use Categories + Labels Together
- Categories define the structural home of a task
- Labels add cross-cutting attributes like
urgent,blocked, orneeds-design
A task in the API category might also have the bug and breaking-change labels.
One Category per Repo (for GitHub Sync)
If you use GitHub sync, keep a one-to-one relationship between categories and synced repositories. This makes it clear which repository a task will land in when created, and avoids sync conflicts.