GitHub
Install the Watari GitHub App, select repositories, configure branch protection prerequisites, and set up CODEOWNERS-driven PR routing.
TL;DR
GitHub
The Watari GitHub App gives Watari read access to your repositories for code mapping and write access to open draft pull requests — nothing more.
Why a GitHub App, not a personal access token
A GitHub App installation is scoped to an organization and to specific repositories. Any organization admin can install or uninstall it in one click from GitHub's settings, and revoking it immediately cuts Watari's access to every repo in that installation. Personal access tokens are user-bound, harder to revoke cleanly, and carry broader scope than Watari needs.
Installing the App
In the Watari dashboard, go to Settings → Integrations and click Install GitHub App.
You are redirected to GitHub. Choose the organization where your repositories live.
Select which repositories Watari can access. You can choose All repositories or pick specific ones. Watari only reads and opens PRs in repositories you explicitly include here.
Click Install & Authorize. You are returned to the Watari dashboard and indexing starts for each selected repository.
What the App can do
The GitHub App requests the minimum permissions required to run the pipeline:
| Permission | Access | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Repository contents | Read + Write | Read source files for indexing; push commits for draft PR patches |
| Pull requests | Read + Write | Open draft PRs, request reviewers, respond to iteration comments |
| Issues | Read + Write | Sync bug records to GitHub Issues when that integration is enabled |
| Metadata | Read | Repository settings reads (required by GitHub for all Apps) |
| Checks | Read | Read CI status to surface pass/fail on draft PRs |
The App does not have permission to delete branches, force-push, or modify repository settings.
Repository indexing
After installation, Watari fetches each selected repository and builds a searchable index of its code. For a typical SaaS repository, the first index completes in a few minutes. Large monorepos take longer — progress is visible under Codebase in the dashboard.
Subsequent pushes to the default branch trigger an incremental reindex automatically. The index stays current without any manual action.
CODEOWNERS-driven reviewer routing
If your repository has a .github/CODEOWNERS file, Watari uses it to assign reviewers to draft PRs automatically. When a bug maps to a file owned by a specific team or individual, that owner is added as a reviewer.
The relevant CODEOWNERS rule for each mapped bug is shown on the bug detail page.
If your repository does not have a CODEOWNERS file, Watari synthesizes reviewer candidates from commit history and opens a one-click PR to adopt the file. You are not required to adopt it — the draft PRs still open, they just don't have auto-assigned reviewers.
Branch protection prerequisites
Watari opens draft PRs against your repository's default branch (usually main). If your branch protection rules require status checks to pass before merge (for example, CI must be green), Watari respects those rules — the PR sits as a draft and Watari watches CI status as checks run.
Watari does not bypass branch protection. If your protection requires a minimum number of approvals, the PR will not merge until those approvals are given by human reviewers.
Multi-repo support
If a bug maps to code across more than one repository in the same GitHub App installation, Watari opens linked draft PRs in each repository and tracks them as a stack. The customer-facing RCA is held until every contributing PR merges and a successful production deploy is confirmed across all affected repos.
Disconnecting
Uninstalling the Watari GitHub App from your GitHub organization settings immediately revokes access to all repositories in that installation. Historical bugs, mappings, and RCAs remain in your Watari workspace for 30 days after disconnect, then are purged. You can reconnect at any time.
To remove a single repository from Watari without uninstalling the App entirely, update the repository selection in the GitHub App settings on GitHub. Watari stops indexing and opening PRs for any repository removed from the selection.
Uninstalling the GitHub App from GitHub — not from the Watari settings page — is the authoritative revocation. If you disconnect from within Watari but leave the App installed on GitHub, Watari's access technically remains until the App is removed from GitHub as well. For a clean revocation, uninstall from both places.
Next: Routing and notifications — Slack, Linear, and Jira setup — configure Slack, Linear, Jira, and GitHub Issues sync.
Support tools — Zendesk and Intercom
Connect Zendesk and Intercom via OAuth. Both providers use the same setup pattern; this guide walks you through both.
Routing and notifications — Slack, Linear, Jira
Configure where Watari posts updates and where draft tickets land. Includes the Slack channel-invite step and the Jira ADF requirement.