Show HN: Backprop – Smarter Pull Requests

11 points

3 years ago

Hey everyone!

Every reviewer loves smaller pull requests, but they can be hard to do practically.

We created a Github integration that adds the following features

  - Commit checkpoints (i.e. stacked reviews)
  - Autogenerated tabs (based on dependency graphs)
  - A central pull request inbox (highlights which PRs need your attention)

Commit checkpoints helps authors stack smaller changes within a single pull request without having to manage tons of branch offshoots. It works by using the common “[x/n]” prefix notation (where x is the stack number). This is the workflow:

  - Author makes some commits to a branch
  - Author is ready to set a review checkpoint, they leave a commit message prefixed with “[1/n]”
  - Author continues to make commits, and when ready for the next review checkpoint, leaves a commit message prefixed with “[2/n]”
  - etc

Our UI collapses the in-between commits and makes it easy to see the diff between checkpoints. There’s also a feature to easily walkthrough them sequentially.

Lots of things are still WIP, looking for feedback to know what to prioritize next, thanks!

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