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Describe

Overview

The describe tool scans the PR code changes, and generates a description for the PR - title, type, summary, walkthrough and labels.

The tool can be triggered automatically every time a new PR is opened, or it can be invoked manually by commenting on any PR: 

/describe

Example usage

Manual triggering

Invoke the tool manually by commenting /describe on any PR:

Describe comment

After ~30 seconds, the tool will generate a description for the PR:

Describe New

If you want to edit configurations, add the relevant ones to the command: 

/describe --pr_description.some_config1=... --pr_description.some_config2=...

Automatic triggering

To run the describe automatically when a PR is opened, define in a configuration file: 

[github_app]
pr_commands = [
    "/describe",
    ...
]

[pr_description]
publish_labels = true
...

  • The pr_commands lists commands that will be executed automatically when a PR is opened.
  • The [pr_description] section contains the configurations for the describe tool you want to edit (if any).

Configuration options

Possible configurations

publish_labels If set to true, the tool will publish labels to the PR. Default is false.
publish_description_as_comment If set to true, the tool will publish the description as a comment to the PR. If false, it will overwrite the original description. Default is false.
publish_description_as_comment_persistent If set to true and `publish_description_as_comment` is true, the tool will publish the description as a persistent comment to the PR. Default is true.
add_original_user_description If set to true, the tool will add the original user description to the generated description. Default is true.
generate_ai_title If set to true, the tool will also generate an AI title for the PR. Default is false.
extra_instructions Optional extra instructions to the tool. For example: "focus on the changes in the file X. Ignore change in ..."
enable_pr_type If set to false, it will not show the `PR type` as a text value in the description content. Default is true.
final_update_message If set to true, it will add a comment message [`PR Description updated to latest commit...`](https://github.com/Codium-ai/pr-agent/pull/499#issuecomment-1837412176) after finishing calling `/describe`. Default is false.
enable_semantic_files_types If set to true, "Changes walkthrough" section will be generated. Default is true.
collapsible_file_list If set to true, the file list in the "Changes walkthrough" section will be collapsible. If set to "adaptive", the file list will be collapsible only if there are more than 8 files. Default is "adaptive".
enable_large_pr_handling Pro feature. If set to true, in case of a large PR the tool will make several calls to the AI and combine them to be able to cover more files. Default is true.
enable_help_text If set to true, the tool will display a help text in the comment. Default is false.

Inline file summary 💎

This feature enables you to copy the changes walkthrough table to the "Files changed" tab, so you can quickly understand the changes in each file while reviewing the code changes (diff view).

To copy the changes walkthrough table to the "Files changed" tab, you can click on the checkbox that appears PR Description status message below the main PR Description:

Add table checkbox

If you prefer to have the file summaries appear in the "Files changed" tab on every PR, change the pr_description.inline_file_summary parameter in the configuration file, possible values are:

  • 'table': File changes walkthrough table will be displayed on the top of the "Files changed" tab, in addition to the "Conversation" tab.

Diffview table

  • true: A collapsible file comment with changes title and a changes summary for each file in the PR.

Diffview changes

  • false (default): File changes walkthrough will be added only to the "Conversation" tab.

Note: that this feature is currently available only for GitHub.

Markers template

To enable markers, set pr_description.use_description_markers=true. Markers enable to easily integrate user's content and auto-generated content, with a template-like mechanism.

For example, if the PR original description was: 

User content...

## PR Type:
pr_agent:type

## PR Description:
pr_agent:summary

## PR Walkthrough:
pr_agent:walkthrough
The marker pr_agent:type will be replaced with the PR type, pr_agent:summary will be replaced with the PR summary, and pr_agent:walkthrough will be replaced with the PR walkthrough.

Describe markers before

→

Describe markers after

Configuration params:

  • use_description_markers: if set to true, the tool will use markers template. It replaces every marker of the form pr_agent:marker_name with the relevant content. Default is false.
  • include_generated_by_header: if set to true, the tool will add a dedicated header: 'Generated by PR Agent at ...' to any automatic content. Default is true.

Custom labels

The default labels of the describe tool are quite generic, since they are meant to be used in any repo: [Bug fix, Tests, Enhancement, Documentation, Other].

You can define custom labels that are relevant for your repo and use cases. Custom labels can be defined in a configuration file, or directly in the repo's labels page.

Make sure to provide proper title, and a detailed and well-phrased description for each label, so the tool will know when to suggest it. Each label description should be a conditional statement, that indicates if to add the label to the PR or not, according to the PR content.

Handle custom labels from a configuration file

Example for a custom labels configuration setup in a configuration file: 

[config]
enable_custom_labels=true


[custom_labels."sql_changes"]
description = "Use when a PR contains changes to SQL queries"

[custom_labels."test"]
description = "use when a PR primarily contains new tests"

...

Handle custom labels from the Repo's labels page 💎

You can also control the custom labels that will be suggested by the describe tool from the repo's labels page:

  • GitHub : go to https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/labels (or click on the "Labels" tab in the issues or PRs page)
  • GitLab : go to https://gitlab.com/{owner}/{repo}/-/labels (or click on "Manage" -> "Labels" on the left menu)

Now add/edit the custom labels. they should be formatted as follows:

  • Label name: The name of the custom label.
  • Description: Start the description of with prefix pr_agent:, for example: pr_agent: Description of when AI should suggest this label.

Examples for custom labels:

  • Main topic:performance - pr_agent:The main topic of this PR is performance
  • New endpoint - pr_agent:A new endpoint was added in this PR
  • SQL query - pr_agent:A new SQL query was added in this PR
  • Dockerfile changes - pr_agent:The PR contains changes in the Dockerfile
  • ...

The description should be comprehensive and detailed, indicating when to add the desired label. For example: Add native custom labels

Usage Tips

Automation

  • When you first install Qodo Merge app, the default mode for the describe tool is: 
    pr_commands = ["/describe", ...]
    meaning the describe tool will run automatically on every PR, with the default configurations.

  • Markers are an alternative way to control the generated description, to give maximal control to the user. If you set: 

    pr_commands = ["/describe --pr_description.use_description_markers=true", ...]
    the tool will replace every marker of the form pr_agent:marker_name in the PR description with the relevant content, where marker_name is one of the following: * type: the PR type. * summary: the PR summary. * walkthrough: the PR walkthrough.

  • Note that when markers are enabled, if the original PR description does not contain any markers, the tool will not alter the description at all.

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