Renovate Bot Guide¶

This guide explains how to enable and manage the automated dependency updates for this repository.

1. Enable Renovate¶

Since this is a GitHub repository, you'll need to enable the Renovate app:

1. Go to github.com/apps/renovate.
2. Click Install.
3. Select your repository (jerdaw/dotfiles).
4. Click Install.

Once installed, Renovate will detect the .github/renovate.json configuration file we created.

2. The Onboarding PR¶

Renovate will typically open an "Onboarding PR" properly configured. Since we already have a configuration file, it might just start working or open a "Pin Dependencies" PR.

• Action: Merge the Onboarding PR if one appears.

3. Workflow¶

• Schedule: Updates run every weekend (Saturday/Sunday).
• Grouping: Tools in mise.toml are grouped into a single PR named "chore(deps): update mise tools".
• Automerge: Patch updates for node, python, and rust will automerge if CI passes.

4. Manual Triggers¶

If you want to trigger an update check manually (e.g., to verify the config):

1. Go to the "Dependency Dashboard" issue (Renovate creates this).
2. Click the check box for "Check for updates".

5. Troubleshooting¶

If PRs aren't being created:

• Check the Renovate Dashboard.
• Ensure CI has passed on the default branch.
• Check the "Dependency Dashboard" issue in your repo.

6. Verifying Renovate Status¶

Check that Renovate is actively monitoring your repository:

Quick Check¶

1. Look for the "Dependency Dashboard" issue in your repository
2. The issue should show:
3. Last run timestamp
4. Pending updates (if any)
5. Rate limit status

Expected Behavior¶

Common Issues¶

• No PRs created: Check if automerge is consuming them
• "Disabled" status: Repository may need re-enabling
• JSON errors: Validate renovate.json syntax