diff --git a/lib/boxen/reporter.rb b/lib/boxen/reporter.rb
index b7ab165..879686b 100644
--- a/lib/boxen/reporter.rb
+++ b/lib/boxen/reporter.rb
@@ -32,12 +32,16 @@ module Boxen
     end
 
     def record_failure
+      return unless issues?
+
       title = "Failed for #{config.user}"
       config.api.create_issue(config.reponame, title, failure_details,
         :labels => [failure_label])
     end
 
     def close_failures
+      return unless issues?
+
       comment = "Succeeded at version #{checkout.sha}."
       failures.each do |issue|
         config.api.add_comment(config.reponame, issue.number, comment)
@@ -46,6 +50,8 @@ module Boxen
     end
 
     def failures
+      return [] unless issues?
+
       issues = config.api.list_issues(config.reponame, :state => 'open',
         :labels => failure_label, :creator => config.login)
       issues.reject! {|i| i.labels.collect(&:name).include?(ongoing_label)}
diff --git a/test/boxen_reporter_test.rb b/test/boxen_reporter_test.rb
index c81d3e9..84b670f 100644
--- a/test/boxen_reporter_test.rb
+++ b/test/boxen_reporter_test.rb
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ class BoxenReporterTest < Boxen::Test
   end
 
   def test_record_failure
+    @reporter.stubs(:issues?).returns(true)
+
     details = 'Everything went wrong.'
     @reporter.stubs(:failure_details).returns(details)
 
@@ -63,6 +65,15 @@ class BoxenReporterTest < Boxen::Test
     @reporter.record_failure
   end
 
+  def test_record_failure_no_issues
+    @reporter.stubs(:issues?).returns(false)
+
+    @config.api = api = mock('api')
+    api.expects(:create_issue).never
+
+    @reporter.record_failure
+  end
+
   def test_failure_label
     default = 'failure'
     assert_equal default, @reporter.failure_label
@@ -139,6 +150,8 @@ class BoxenReporterTest < Boxen::Test
   Label = Struct.new(:name)
 
   def test_close_failures
+    @reporter.stubs(:issues?).returns(true)
+
     @config.reponame = repo = 'some/repo'
 
     issues = Array.new(3) { |i|  Issue.new(i*2 + 2) }
@@ -156,7 +169,21 @@ class BoxenReporterTest < Boxen::Test
     @reporter.close_failures
   end
 
+  def test_close_failures_no_issues
+    @reporter.stubs(:issues?).returns(false)
+
+    @reporter.expects(:failures).never
+
+    @config.api = api = mock('api')
+    api.expects(:add_comment).never
+    api.expects(:close_issue).never
+
+    @reporter.close_failures
+  end
+
   def test_failures
+    @reporter.stubs(:issues?).returns(true)
+
     @config.reponame = repo = 'some/repo'
     @config.login    = user = 'hapless'
 
@@ -181,6 +208,15 @@ class BoxenReporterTest < Boxen::Test
     assert_equal issues.values_at(0,1,3), @reporter.failures
   end
 
+  def test_failures_no_issues
+    @reporter.stubs(:issues?).returns(false)
+
+    @config.api = api = mock('api')
+    api.expects(:list_issues).never
+
+    assert_equal [], @reporter.failures
+  end
+
   RepoInfo = Struct.new(:has_issues)
   def test_issues?
     @config.reponame = repo = 'some/repo'