diff --git a/lib/boxen/reporter.rb b/lib/boxen/reporter.rb
index 8b88f33..d290246 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)}
@@ -86,5 +92,12 @@ module Boxen
       @ongoing_label ||= 'ongoing'
     end
     attr_writer :ongoing_label
+
+    def issues?
+      return unless config.reponame
+      return if config.reponame == 'boxen/our-boxen'
+
+      config.api.repository(config.reponame).has_issues
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/boxen_reporter_test.rb b/test/boxen_reporter_test.rb
index b1c3c88..bbed771 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'
 
@@ -180,4 +207,36 @@ 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'
+
+    repo_info = RepoInfo.new(true)
+
+    @config.api = api = mock('api')
+    api.stubs(:repository).with(repo).returns(repo_info)
+    assert @reporter.issues?
+
+    repo_info = RepoInfo.new(false)
+    api.stubs(:repository).with(repo).returns(repo_info)
+    refute @reporter.issues?
+
+    @config.stubs(:reponame)  # to ensure the returned value is nil
+    api.stubs(:repository).returns(RepoInfo.new(true))
+    refute @reporter.issues?
+
+    @config.stubs(:reponame).returns('boxen/our-boxen') # our main public repo
+    api.stubs(:repository).returns(RepoInfo.new(true))
+    refute @reporter.issues?
+  end
 end