FAQ

Last updated

Why doesn't Argus review my PR automatically?

Auto-review is off by default. When a PR opens, Argus posts a Trigger Argus review checkbox comment with an estimated token + cost preview. Tick the box to run a review on demand. The default is off because large PRs (50+ files) can cost several dollars per review on paid providers, and we want reviewers to see the estimate first.

To flip the default: Settings → Org Defaults → Auto-review (org-wide) or Repo Overrides → Auto-review (per-repo). Repo setting beats org default.

The trigger checkbox doesn't appear on a PR — what now?

A few reasons the one-shot trigger comment may not be present:

  • The PR opened before Argus was installed on the repo.
  • A webhook delivery failed and wasn't redelivered.
  • Auto-review is on — in that case no checkbox is needed.
  • The base branch matches a skip pattern in Branch Filters.
  • No API key is configured — you'll see an onboarding comment instead.

You can always trigger manually by commenting @argus-eye review on the PR.

Who can click the trigger checkbox?

Anyone GitHub allows to toggle task-list checkboxes on the repo (typically triage+ access). The review runs under a tighter 3/hour per-repo cap for checkbox-triggered reviews (same as the --force command flag). Clicks on pasted or forged trigger comments are ignored — only comments authored by argus-eye[bot] count.

How many LLM tokens does the issue acceptance check cost?

One extra LLM call per linked issue, roughly 1–2k tokens (depends on diff size and criterion count). With 5 issues linked, budget ~5–10k extra tokens per review. Most PRs link zero or one issue, so the typical cost is negligible.

What if the issue body has no acceptance criteria section?

Argus uses the full issue body as one free-form criterion and asks the LLM to judge the whole thing. You'll get one verdict instead of a per-criterion checklist. The verdict is usually ambiguousbecause free-form issues are hard to judge strictly — that's a signal to add a structured section.

Why does cross-repo say "no access"?

Argus fetches linked PRs through the GitHub App installation of the primary PR. If the linked PR lives in a repo where Argus isn't installed, the GitHub API returns 404, and Argus logs the link as "no access". The primary review still completes normally.

Install Argus on the linked repo to enable full cross-PR verification.

Can I disable these features?

Yes. Go to Settings → Features:

  • Auto-review — when off, opened PRs get a trigger checkbox instead of running automatically (default: off).
  • Issue acceptance check — toggles the issue verification worker (default: on).
  • Cross-repo PR checks — toggles the cross-PR worker (default: on for new installations).
  • Max linked PRs per review — caps how many PRs the cross-PR worker fetches (default: 5).

What if the linked issue is in a different repo?

Argus tries to fetch it via the installation that owns the primary PR. If that works (i.e., the installation has access to both repos), the check runs normally. If not, the link is marked "no access" and the review continues.

Does this work with GitLab/Bitbucket?

Not yet — GraphQL closingIssuesReferences is a GitHub-only field. Other platforms would need equivalent linking APIs.