Introducing Mergify Workflow Automation

Mergify Workflow Automation is a sophisticated system designed to revolutionize your pull request process. It empowers development teams to automate tasks and processes using a rule-based approach. This ensures efficiency, consistency, and adherence to project standards.

1. Automate Repetitive Tasks: Frequent tasks such as labeling, assigning, or merging pull requests can be automated, freeing up developers to focus on code and innovative solutions.

2. Consistent Standards: Ensure that each pull request adheres to your project’s guidelines, with automated checks and balances in place.

3. Flexible and Powerful: The system is based on rules that you define, offering flexibility to cater to your project’s unique needs.

4. Real-time Feedback: Instantly inform contributors about the status of their pull requests, ensuring clarity and quick response times.

5. Easier On-boarding: Make it easy for any developer to understand your repository rules by crafting your rules in an easy-to-read YAML format.

Mergify evaluates the state of a pull request rather than individual events.

This means it checks the current status of a pull request and acts based on defined conditions. This behavior is known as “edge triggering.”

An action will only by re-triggered for a pull request if the state flips back from being unmatched to matched.

For instance, consider a rule that specifies a pull request should be merged if it has at least two approved reviews and all CI checks pass. Even if the second approval and CI success come at different times, Mergify will act once the entire state of the pull request matches the rule.

pull_request_rules:
  - name: merge automatically when CI passes and PR is approved
    conditions:
      - "#approved-reviews-by >= 2"
      - check-success = my-favorite-ci
    actions:
      merge:

On the other hand, a rule that posts a comment when a pull request is in conflict with its base branch will only be triggered when the pull request becomes in conflict, or when it becomes in conflict again — not every push to its base branch.

pull_request_rules:
  - name: merge automatically when CI passes and PR is approved
    conditions:
      - conflict
    actions:
      comment:
        message: Your PR is in conflict, {{author}}. You should fix it.

This makes sure the system does not spam the pull request.

To begin with Mergify, you’ll need to setup Mergify on your repository. You can then set up rules for your repository.

Each rule will contain conditions (e.g., pull request state, number of reviews) and actions (e.g., merge, label). When a pull request meets the conditions of a rule, the specified actions are automatically executed.

Mergify Workflow Automation is more than just a tool – it’s a game changer for developers and teams who seek efficiency, consistency, and automation in their pull request process. By introducing state-based, edge-triggered rules, Mergify provides unparalleled control over your project’s workflows. Dive in, set up your first rule, and experience the transformation firsthand.