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GitHub pull requests

When a project is on a branch that isn't the repository's default branch, and that branch has an open pull request on GitHub, the GitHub tab shows the pull request and every check run on its latest commit.

What you see

  • The pull request's number, title, and whether it is a draft, with Open pull request.
  • A summary: checks still running, all passed, or how many failed, the commit, and when Bombadil last looked.
  • One row per check, failures first, with its workflow, how long it took, and Open to go to the run on GitHub.

When there is nothing to show, the tab says why: not a git repository, no GitHub remote, on the default branch, no open pull request, or not signed in.

How often

Bombadil looks every two minutes, for every project, and once at launch. Refresh looks at the selected project immediately.

Notifications

You are notified, on the desktop and inside Bombadil, when a pull request's checks start and when they finish, with how many passed or failed. Nothing is announced for the first look after Bombadil starts or after you switch branches, so opening the app is quiet.

Signing in

Bombadil uses the GitHub CLI when it is installed and signed in (gh auth login). That covers GitHub Enterprise hosts too.

When gh is signed in to more than one github.com account, pick the one Bombadil should use under Settings › GitHub pull requests › Account. Until you pick one, Bombadil uses whichever account gh has active. Your choice applies to Bombadil only: gh in your terminal keeps its own active account. If the chosen account later signs out of gh, the tab says so rather than switching to another account.

Add account signs another account in without a terminal. Bombadil shows a one-time code. Enter it at github.com/login/device, using Copy code and Open GitHub. Once you approve, the new account is selected, and gh switches back to whichever account it had active before.

Without gh, add a personal access token in Settings › GitHub pull requests. A fine-grained token with read-only access to Pull requests, Checks and Commit statuses is enough. It is stored in the system keychain, never in the configuration file, and only github.com is reached this way.

Bombadil never changes anything on GitHub.

Turning it off

Settings › GitHub pull requests › Don't watch stops all lookups.