Greenflag Dependabot
Efficient dependency update management during Greenflag KTLO weeks.
When to use this skill
- You're on Greenflag duty and need to process Dependabot PRs
- Triaging dependency updates by squad ownership
- Understanding which team owns a Bitso library
- Processing routine (non-security) version updates
- Reviewing squad-grouped Dependabot PRs
For security vulnerabilities: Use the fix-vulnerabilities skill instead (available in both Java and Node.js).
Skill Contents
Sections
Available Resources
π references/ - Detailed documentation
π§ scripts/ - Automation scripts
Quick Start
1. List Open Dependabot PRs (Context-Aware)
The skill automatically detects your context and filters PRs accordingly:
# Auto-detect context and list relevant PRs
mise run greenflag-dependabot:list-dependabot-prs
# Show all PRs (ignore context)
mise run greenflag-dependabot:list-dependabot-prs -- --all
# Filter to specific repo
mise run greenflag-dependabot:list-dependabot-prs -- --repo payments-api
# Output as JSON
mise run greenflag-dependabot:list-dependabot-prs -- --json
Context detection priority:
- Workspace repo - If you're in a Bitso repo, shows only that repo's PRs
- User's squad - Uses
git config user.emailto find your squad in estate-catalog, then shows PRs for your squad's repos - All PRs - Fallback if no context detected
Manual filtering (alternative)
# List all open Dependabot PRs
gh pr list --author app/dependabot --state open
# Filter by squad group in PR title
gh pr list --author app/dependabot --state open | grep "squad-name"
2. Identify Library Ownership
Search the bitso-gradle-catalogs/repos/ folder to find which repo publishes a library:
# Find where a Bitso library is published from
grep -r "com.bitso.library-name" bitso-gradle-catalogs/repos/
3. Review and Merge
For routine updates (minor/patch versions):
- Check the PR diff for breaking changes
- Verify CI passes
- Merge if safe
For major versions or complex updates:
- Check release notes
- Consider creating a dedicated ticket
- Coordinate with owning squad if needed
4. Generate Changelog for PR
When reviewing a Dependabot PR, generate a changelog showing what changed between versions:
# From PR number (auto-extracts library and versions)
mise run greenflag-dependabot:generate-changelog -- --pr 12345
# From library and version range
mise run greenflag-dependabot:generate-changelog -- \
--lib business-account-models-api --from 2.3.0 --to 2.4.0
# Post as PR comment
mise run greenflag-dependabot:generate-changelog -- --pr 12345 --post-comment
The script:
- Uses version history from
bitso-gradle-catalogsto get commit hashes - Fetches commits between versions from the source repo
- Filters to relevant changes (lib folder, gradle folder)
- Generates formatted Markdown with commit links
5. Batch Similar Updates
Group related PRs for efficient review:
# List PRs by a specific group
gh pr list --author app/dependabot --state open --json number,title | \
jq '.[] | select(.title | contains("jvm-generic-libraries"))'
Greenflag Context
The Greenflag process assigns an engineer to handle unplanned work during on-call weeks.
KTLO tasks include:
- Upgrading dependencies
- Addressing security vulnerabilities
- Fixing simple incident remediation tasks
- Improving documentation
Dependency updates fall under KTLO - routine version bumps should be processed during Greenflag weeks to keep the codebase healthy.
Priority Order
- Security alerts - Use
fix-vulnerabilitiesskill (highest priority) - Breaking/Major updates - May need coordination with product team
- Minor/Patch updates - Safe to batch and merge during KTLO
Recent Improvements
Spring Major Version Blocking (PR #8691)
Spring major version updates (Spring Boot 4, Spring Framework 7) are now blocked. This prevents Dependabot from opening PRs for major upgrades that require coordinated migration efforts.
Blocked patterns: org.springframework* major versions
Squad-Level Grouping (PR #8703)
Dependabot PRs are now grouped by squad ownership:
jvm-generic-libraries- Shared platform libraries- 22 squad-specific groups (e.g.,
asset-management-squad,blackbird-squad) - External dependency groups (spring, grpc, aws, testing, logging)
This makes it easier to understand which team should review each PR.
References
| Reference | Description | |-----------|-------------| | references/greenflag-workflow.md | Weekly workflow for Greenflag engineers | | references/squad-groups.md | Using squad-level Dependabot groups | | references/catalog-search.md | Searching bitso-gradle-catalogs |
Related Skills
| Skill | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| fix-vulnerabilities | Security vulnerability fixes (CVEs) - available in Java and Node.js |
| dependency-management | Version catalogs and BOMs (Java) |
| jira-integration | Creating tickets for complex updates |