<!--IssueSummary start--> <details> <summary> Everyone can contribute. [Help move this issue forward](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/contributor-success/community-contributors-workflows/#contributor-links) while earning points, leveling up and collecting rewards. </summary> - [Label this issue](https://contributors.gitlab.com/manage-issue?action=label&projectId=278964&issueIid=593983) </details> <!--IssueSummary end--> ### Summary Custom group and instance level project templates retain open/closed issues and merge requests from the source template project when creating a new project. This is related to #351032, which addressed commit history and pipelines being retained. However, issues and merge requests are also copied to the new project, which is inconsistent with the expected behavior of a "clean" project template. ### Current behavior When creating a project from a custom group or instance level template: - All issues (open and closed) from the template project are copied to the new project - All merge requests (open, closed, and merged) from the template project are copied to the new project ### Expected behavior Custom group and instance level project templates should act consistently with built-in templates and **not** import issues or merge requests from the source template project. A new project created from a template should start with a clean issue tracker and no merge requests. ### Proposal Exclude issues and merge requests when creating projects from custom group or instance level templates, similar to how !226117 excluded commit history and !225088 excluded CI pipelines.