Code Improvement Suggestions (/improve)
Relevant source files
The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:
Code Improvement Suggestions is a core feature of the PR-Agent system that provides commit-ready inline code suggestions for Pull Requests. Users trigger this tool using the /improve command to receive automated feedback aimed at improving code quality, fixing bugs, and ensuring security standards are met across the repository fleet.
The system operates by analyzing the changes introduced in a PR and generating specific recommendations. These recommendations can be further processed by autonomous tools like autofix.py, which attempts to automatically apply and verify the suggested changes before committing them back to the PR branch.
Sources: README.md:27, scripts/autofix.py:3-12
Architecture and Execution Flow
The improvement process involves three primary stages: command invocation, AI-driven analysis, and autonomous remediation. The initial request is handled by the PR-Agent via GitHub comments, which then triggers the underlying logic to generate suggestions based on the PR diff.
Execution Lifecycle
The following diagram illustrates the flow from the /improve command to the autonomous application of fixes.
The logic differentiates between review findings (triggered by /improve or /review) and CI failures to ensure surgical code changes.
Sources: README.md:23-28, scripts/autofix.py:14-23, scripts/autofix.py:246-285
The Autofix Mechanism
The scripts/autofix.py script acts as the autonomous engine for the /improve feature. It operates in two primary modes: review-fix and ci-fix.
Mode Selection Logic
| Mode | Trigger | Objective |
|---|---|---|
review-fix | PR-Agent review comments | Resolves bugs and security issues flagged by the AI. |
ci-fix | Failed CI build/test | Repairs code to satisfy repository test runners. |
Sources: scripts/autofix.py:15-20
Findings Extraction
The script identifies relevant code segments by querying the GitHub REST API for two types of feedback:
- Inline Comments: Specific findings attached to a file and line number.
- Review Summaries: Broad summaries posted as issue comments by the bot.
def get_review_findings(repo, pr_number):
# Collects inline comments and review summaries
findings = []
# ... logic to fetch comments via gh_api_get ...
return findings
Sources: scripts/autofix.py:136-169
AI Processing with Gemini
The system utilizes the Gemini API to transform findings into actual code changes. A specific REVIEW_SYSTEM_PROMPT instructs the AI to be surgical, idiomatic, and to skip style nitpicks in favor of genuine bug fixes.
Response Schema
The AI must return a strict JSON object to be processed by the script:
{
"summary": "Short explanation of what was fixed",
"files": [
{
"path": "relative/path/to/file",
"content": "Full, complete updated file contents"
}
]
}
Sources: scripts/autofix.py:172-187
Verification and Safety
Before pushing any improvements, the system validates changes locally. It detects the project's environment (e.g., Cargo, NPM, Pytest, Go) and executes the appropriate test command.
Verification Sequence
Sources: scripts/autofix.py:221-260
Configuration and Environment
The behavior of the /improve and autofix feature is governed by environment variables and the central .pr_agent.toml file.
Key Configuration Variables
| Variable | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
GEMINI_API_KEY | Required | Key for Google AI Studio. |
GH_TOKEN | Required | GitHub token for API access and CLI operations. |
REPO | Required | The owner/repo identifier. |
BASE_REF | Optional | Comparison target (defaults to origin/main). |
Sources: scripts/autofix.py:27-35, README.md:9-12
The system automatically inherits settings from JWEB0689/pr-agent-settings unless overridden by a repository-specific .pr_agent.toml file. This allows for unified code improvement standards across all managed projects.
Sources: README.md:14-21