diff --git a/tests/fixtures/layouts/reporting-github.yaml b/tests/fixtures/layouts/reporting-github.yaml
index 0fdec85..ddb0588 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/layouts/reporting-github.yaml
+++ b/tests/fixtures/layouts/reporting-github.yaml
@@ -35,6 +35,27 @@
         comment: false
 
 - pipeline:
+    name: this_is_a_really_stupid_long_name_for_a_pipeline_that_should_never_be_used_in_production_becuase_it_will_be_too_long_for_the_API_to_make_use_of_without_crashing
+    description: Uncommon reporting
+    manager: independent
+    trigger:
+      github:
+        - event: pull_request
+          action: comment
+          comment: 'long pipeline'
+    start:
+      github:
+        status: 'pending'
+    success:
+      github:
+        comment: false
+        status: 'success'
+        status-url: http://logs.example.com/{tenant.name}/{pipeline.name}/{change.project}/{change.number}/{buildset.uuid}/
+    failure:
+      github:
+        comment: false
+
+- pipeline:
     name: push-reporting
     description: Uncommon reporting
     manager: independent
@@ -68,6 +89,9 @@
     reporting:
       jobs:
         - project-test1
+    this_is_a_really_stupid_long_name_for_a_pipeline_that_should_never_be_used_in_production_becuase_it_will_be_too_long_for_the_API_to_make_use_of_without_crashing:
+      jobs:
+        - project-test1
 
 - project:
     name: org/project2
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_github_driver.py b/tests/unit/test_github_driver.py
index 1ae36aa..0e199df 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_github_driver.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_github_driver.py
@@ -272,7 +272,8 @@
         check_url = ('http://zuul.example.com/status/#%s,%s' %
                      (A.number, A.head_sha))
         self.assertEqual('tenant-one/check', check_status['context'])
-        self.assertEqual('Standard check', check_status['description'])
+        self.assertEqual('check status: pending',
+                         check_status['description'])
         self.assertEqual('pending', check_status['state'])
         self.assertEqual(check_url, check_status['url'])
         self.assertEqual(0, len(A.comments))
@@ -287,6 +288,8 @@
         check_url = ('http://zuul.example.com/status/#%s,%s' %
                      (A.number, A.head_sha))
         self.assertEqual('tenant-one/check', check_status['context'])
+        self.assertEqual('check status: success',
+                         check_status['description'])
         self.assertEqual('success', check_status['state'])
         self.assertEqual(check_url, check_status['url'])
         self.assertEqual(1, len(A.comments))
@@ -312,6 +315,8 @@
         self.assertEqual(3, len(statuses))
         report_status = statuses[0]
         self.assertEqual('tenant-one/reporting', report_status['context'])
+        self.assertEqual('reporting status: success',
+                         report_status['description'])
         self.assertEqual('success', report_status['state'])
         self.assertEqual(2, len(A.comments))
 
@@ -330,6 +335,33 @@
                         MatchesRegex('^[a-fA-F0-9]{32}\/$'))
 
     @simple_layout('layouts/reporting-github.yaml', driver='github')
+    def test_truncated_status_description(self):
+        project = 'org/project'
+        # pipeline reports pull status both on start and success
+        self.executor_server.hold_jobs_in_build = True
+        A = self.fake_github.openFakePullRequest(project, 'master', 'A')
+        self.fake_github.emitEvent(
+            A.getCommentAddedEvent('long pipeline'))
+        self.waitUntilSettled()
+        statuses = self.fake_github.statuses[project][A.head_sha]
+        self.assertEqual(1, len(statuses))
+        check_status = statuses[0]
+        # Status is truncated due to long pipeline name
+        self.assertEqual('status: pending',
+                         check_status['description'])
+
+        self.executor_server.hold_jobs_in_build = False
+        self.executor_server.release()
+        self.waitUntilSettled()
+        # We should only have two statuses for the head sha
+        statuses = self.fake_github.statuses[project][A.head_sha]
+        self.assertEqual(2, len(statuses))
+        check_status = statuses[0]
+        # Status is truncated due to long pipeline name
+        self.assertEqual('status: success',
+                         check_status['description'])
+
+    @simple_layout('layouts/reporting-github.yaml', driver='github')
     def test_push_reporting(self):
         project = 'org/project2'
         # pipeline reports pull status both on start and success
@@ -427,7 +459,7 @@
         check_url = ('http://zuul.example.com/status/#%s,%s' %
                      (A.number, A.head_sha))
         self.assertEqual('tenant-one/check', check_status['context'])
-        self.assertEqual('Standard check', check_status['description'])
+        self.assertEqual('check status: pending', check_status['description'])
         self.assertEqual('pending', check_status['state'])
         self.assertEqual(check_url, check_status['url'])
         self.assertEqual(0, len(A.comments))
@@ -443,6 +475,7 @@
                      (A.number, A.head_sha))
         self.assertEqual('tenant-one/check', check_status['context'])
         self.assertEqual('success', check_status['state'])
+        self.assertEqual('check status: success', check_status['description'])
         self.assertEqual(check_url, check_status['url'])
         self.assertEqual(1, len(A.comments))
         self.assertThat(A.comments[0],
diff --git a/zuul/driver/github/githubreporter.py b/zuul/driver/github/githubreporter.py
index b0791d9..3b8f518 100644
--- a/zuul/driver/github/githubreporter.py
+++ b/zuul/driver/github/githubreporter.py
@@ -101,9 +101,15 @@
                 url_pattern = sched_config.get('webapp', 'status_url')
         url = item.formatUrlPattern(url_pattern) if url_pattern else ''
 
-        description = ''
-        if item.pipeline.description:
-            description = item.pipeline.description
+        description = '%s status: %s' % (item.pipeline.name,
+                                         self._commit_status)
+
+        if len(description) >= 140:
+            # This pipeline is named with a long name and thus this
+            # desciption would overflow the GitHub limit of 1024 bytes.
+            # Truncate the description. In practice, anything over 140
+            # characters seems to trip the limit.
+            description = 'status: %s' % self._commit_status
 
         self.log.debug(
             'Reporting change %s, params %s, status:\n'