Better Reviewers

A Go program that intelligently finds and assigns reviewers for GitHub pull requests based on code context and reviewer activity.

Features

• Smart reviewer selection: Context-based matching using code blame analysis and activity patterns
• Workload balancing: Filters out overloaded reviewers (>9 non-stale open PRs)
• Stale PR filtering: Only counts PRs updated within 90 days for accurate workload assessment
• Resilient API handling: 25 retry attempts with exponential backoff (5s-20min) and intelligent caching
• Bot detection: Comprehensive filtering of bots, service accounts, and organizations
• Multiple targets: Single PR, project-wide, or organization-wide monitoring
• Polling support: Continuous monitoring with configurable intervals
• Graceful degradation: Continues operation even when secondary features fail
• Comprehensive logging: Detailed decision tracking and performance insights
• Dry-run mode: Test assignments without making changes

Installation

go build -o better-reviewers

Prerequisites

• Go 1.21 or later
• For personal use: GitHub CLI (gh) installed and authenticated
• For GitHub App mode:
  • GitHub App ID (found in your app settings)
  • GitHub App private key file (.pem file downloaded when creating the app)
• GitHub token with appropriate permissions (repo access)

Usage

Single PR Analysis

./better-reviewers -pr "https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123"
./better-reviewers -pr "owner/repo#123"

Project Monitoring

./better-reviewers -project "owner/repo"

Organization Monitoring

./better-reviewers -org "myorg"

GitHub App Mode

Monitor all organizations where your GitHub App is installed:

# Using command-line flags
./better-reviewers --app-id "123456" --app-key "/path/to/private-key.pem"

# Using environment variables with file path
export GITHUB_APP_ID="123456"
export GITHUB_APP_KEY_PATH="/path/to/private-key.pem"
./better-reviewers

# Using Google Secret Manager (recommended for production)
export GITHUB_APP_ID="123456"
# GITHUB_APP_KEY should be stored in Google Secret Manager
./better-reviewers

Polling Mode

./better-reviewers -project "owner/repo" -poll 1h

Dry Run Mode

./better-reviewers -pr "owner/repo#123" -dry-run

Configuration Options

Command-Line Flags

• -pr: Pull request URL or reference
• -project: GitHub project to monitor
• -org: GitHub organization to monitor
• --app-id: GitHub App ID for authentication
• --app-key: Path to GitHub App private key file
• -poll: Polling interval (e.g., 1h, 30m)
• -dry-run: Run without making changes
• -min-age: Minimum time since last activity (default: 1h)
• -max-age: Maximum time since last activity (default: 180d)
• -max-prs: Maximum open PRs per reviewer (default: 9)
• -pr-count-cache: Cache duration for PR counts (default: 6h)

Environment Variables

For GitHub App authentication:

• GITHUB_APP_ID: Your GitHub App's ID
• GITHUB_APP_KEY: Secret name in Google Secret Manager (recommended for production)
• GITHUB_APP_KEY_PATH: Path to your app's private key file (for local development)

GitHub App Setup

1. Create a GitHub App in your organization settings
2. Required permissions:
   • Repository: Read & Write (for PR assignments)
   • Pull requests: Read & Write
   • Organization members: Read
3. Download the private key when prompted
4. Note your App ID from the app settings page
5. Install the app on your organization(s)

How It Works

1. Analysis: Examines PR changes, file history, and contributor patterns
2. Scoring: Rates candidates based on:
   • Code overlap with changed files
   • Recent activity and expertise
   • Current workload (open PRs)
3. Selection: Chooses optimal reviewers avoiding overloaded contributors
4. Assignment: Adds reviewers to PRs (unless in dry-run mode)

Security Notes

• Private keys should have restricted permissions (not world-readable)
• JWT tokens are automatically refreshed before expiry
• All API responses are sanitized in logs
• Token validation ensures only valid GitHub tokens are accepted

Testing

Run in dry-run mode to preview reviewer assignments:

./better-reviewers --dry-run --pr https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123

License

[License details here]