Self-driving: configurable branch naming for agent PRs
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- Python
- Stars
- 39.9k
- Forks
- 3.4k
- Avg merge
- 6h 51m
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 232
Description
Filing via the API, so I can't apply the
enhancementlabel myself — please tag per CONTRIBUTING.
Is your feature request related to a problem?
Please describe.
Self-driving branches look like posthog-self-driving/fix<scope>-<description>-<hash> (older ones posthog-code/<description>). Our repo convention is <owner>/<ticket-id>-<short-description>, and some tooling keys off it.
We can't fix it after the fact: renaming the branch closes the PR. So we had to write an explicit exemption into our agent guidance saying the branch-naming rule doesn't apply to posthog[bot] — a carve-out in a hard rule, which is exactly the kind of thing that erodes a convention over time.
Describe the solution you'd like
A branch-name template setting with a few variables — something like {prefix}, {ticket}, {slug}, {hash} — so the branch can match the repo's convention.
This is much more useful alongside issue creation (PostHog/posthog#79133), since the ticket ID is usually the piece a naming convention wants. {ticket} is only substitutable if PostHog has minted the ticket.
Describe alternatives you've considered
- Renaming the branch after the PR opens. Not possible — it closes the PR.
- Relaxing our convention for everyone. Rejected; the convention exists so branches map to tickets and owners.
- The exemption we actually wrote. Works, but it's a documented hole in a rule we otherwise enforce.
Additional context
Low priority relative to PostHog/posthog#79131 and #79132 — this one is cosmetic, those two cost real time.
Debug info
- PostHog Cloud (US)
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by locating the self-driving branch-name construction entry point and read the related issue, PostHog/posthog#79133, for ticket creation context. Trace how current prefixes, descriptions, and hashes are assembled. Done means a documented template setting supports the requested variables and handles ticket substitution only when PostHog has minted a ticket.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- developer-experience, devtools
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100