using git bot in CI workflow #

this works for any CI/CD tool, but I will use GitHub Actions as an example.

use case #

To commit or make changes to the repository without human intervention, we can use Bot account. Simply create a new account and give it access to the repository.

For example my use case is to merge branches using bot account.

bot-merge-branch

git configuration #

Here is some bot configuration I often use:

  • github-actions[bot] 
    git config --global user.name github-actions[bot]
git config --global user.email 41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com

Source (GitHub API): https://api.github.com/users/github-actions[bot]/events/public

  • dependabot[bot] 
    git config --global user.name dependabot[bot]
git config --global user.email 49699333+dependabot[bot]@users.noreply.github.com

Source (GitHub API): https://api.github.com/users/dependabot[bot]/events/public

  • or any other bot of your organization

Then you can interact with the repository as a bot.

add bot config as a step in CI workflow #

for example with GitHub Actions:

- name: Configure Bot Git Credentials
  run: |
    git config --global user.name github-actions[bot]
    git config --global user.email 41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com