git-pr

created pr with 60.1 on 2025-04-07T22:44:49Z · by 964fa508

added 60.2 on 2025-08-10T19:03:50Z · by c8ef7d19


                      -:  ------- > 1:  867f3be Closing for now


                      1:  6a52e9e ! 2:  867f3be docs proposal

cmds

checkout latest patchset:

ssh pr.pico.sh print 60 | git am -3

checkout any patchset in a patch request:

ssh pr.pico.sh print 60.[rev] | git am -3

add changes to patch request:

git format-patch main --stdout | ssh pr.pico.sh pr add 60

Patchset `60.2` on 2025-08-10T19:03:50Z · commit 867f3be

Closing for now

Eric Bower 2025-08-10T19:02:46Z

→ docs proposal

jolheiser 2025-04-07T22:42:31Z

docs proposal

jolheiser 2025-04-07T22:42:31Z

This is closer to what I was thinking for docs.
This keeps a lot of the exposition off the main page and moves it to a separate page.

Signed-off-by: jolheiser <git@jolheiser.com>

Semantic diff summary

1 added, 1 modified, 0 signature changed, 0 removed across 1 analyzed file (3 files skipped: unsupported file type)

web.go

function_declaration docsHandler added
function_declaration GitWebServer modified

+2 -0 .gitignore #

...	...		@@ -15,3 +15,5 @@ __debug_bin
15	15		/public/
16	16		test.db
17	17		review.patch
	18	+	git-web*
	19	+	git-ssh*

+235 -0 tmpl/docs.html #

......@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
{{template "base" .}}

{{define "title"}}docs{{end}}

{{define "meta"}}{{end}}

{{define "body"}}
<header class="group">
  <h1 class="text-2xl">docs</h1>
  <div>
    <a href="/">dashboard</a> &middot;
    <a href="https://github.com/picosh/git-pr">github</a> &middot;
    <a href="https://youtu.be/d28Dih-BBUw">demo video</a>
  </div>
</header>
<main class="group">
  <details>
    <summary>Intro</summary>

    <div>
      <p>
        We are trying to build the simplest git collaboration tool. The goal is to make
        self-hosting as simple as running an SSH server -- all without
        sacrificing external collaborators time and energy.
      </p>

      <blockquote>
        <code>git format-patch</code> isn't the problem and pull requests aren't the solution.
      </blockquote>

      <p>
        We are combining mailing list and pull request workflows. In order to build the
        simplest collaboration tool, we needed something as simple as generating patches
        but the ease-of-use of pull requests.
      </p>

      <p>
        The goal is not to create another code forge, the goal is to create a very
        simple self-hosted git solution with the ability to collaborate with external
        contributors. All the code owner needs to setup a running git server:
      </p>

      <ul>
        <li>A single golang binary</li>
      </ul>

      <div>
        All an external contributor needs is:
      </div>

      <ul>
        <li>An SSH keypair</li>
        <li>An SSH client</li>
      </ul>

      <p>Then everyone subscribes to our RSS feeds to receive updates to patch requests.</p>

      <h2 class="text-xl">the problem</h2>

      <p>
        Email is great as a decentralized system to send and receive changes (patchsets)
        to a git repo. However, onboarding a new user to a mailing list, properly
        setting up their email client, and then finally submitting the code contribution
        is enough to make many developers give up. Further, because we are leveraging
        the email protocol for collaboration, we are limited by its feature-set. For
        example, it is not possible to make edits to emails, everyone has a different
        client, those clients have different limitations around plain text email and
        downloading patches from it.
      </p>

      <p>
        Github pull requests are easy to use, easy to edit, and easy to manage. The
        downside is it forces the user to be inside their website to perform reviews.
        For quick changes, this is great, but when you start reading code within a web
        browser, there are quite a few downsides. At a certain point, it makes more
        sense to review code inside your local development environment, IDE, etc. There
        are tools and plugins that allow users to review PRs inside their IDE, but it
        requires a herculean effort to make it usable.
      </p>

      <p>
        Further, self-hosted solutions that mimic a pull request require a lot of
        infrastructure in order to manage it. A database, a web site connected to git,
        admin management, and services to manage it all. Another big point of friction:
        before an external user submits a code change, they first need to create an
        account and then login. This adds quite a bit of friction for a self-hosted
        solution, not only for an external contributor, but also for the code owner who
        has to provision the infra. Often times they also have to fork the repo within
        the code forge before submitting a PR. Then they never make a contribution ever
        again and keep a forked repo around forever. That seems silly.
      </p>

      <h2 class="text-xl">introducing patch requests (PR)</h2>

      <p>
        Instead, we want to create a self-hosted git "server" that can handle sending
        and receiving patches without the cumbersome nature of setting up email or the
        limitations imposed by the email protocol. Further, we want the primary workflow
        to surround the local development environment. Github is bringing the IDE to the
        browser in order to support their workflow, we want to flip that idea on its
        head by making code reviews a first-class citizen inside your local development
        environment.
      </p>

      <p>
        We see this as a hybrid between the github workflow of a pull request and
        sending and receiving patches over email.
      </p>

      <p>
        The basic idea is to leverage an SSH app to handle most of the interaction
        between contributor and owner of a project. Everything can be done completely
        within the terminal, in a way that is ergonomic and fully featured.
      </p>

      <p>
        Notifications would happen with RSS and all state mutations would result in the
        generation of static web assets so it can all be hosted using a simple file web
        server.
      </p>

      <h3 class="text-lg">format-patch workflow</h3>

      <p>
        The fundamental collaboration tool here is <code>format-patch</code>. Whether you a
        submitting code changes or you are reviewing code changes, it all happens in
        code. Both contributor and owner are simply creating new commits and generating
        patches on top of each other. This obviates the need to have a web viewer where
        the reviewing can "comment" on a line of code block. There's no need, apply the
        contributor's patches, write comments or code changes, generate a new patch,
        send the patch to the git server as a "review." This flow also works the exact
        same if two users are collaborating on a set of changes.
      </p>

      <p>
        This also solves the problem of sending multiple patchsets for the same code
        change. There's a single, central Patch Request where all changes and
        collaboration happens.
      </p>

      <p>
        We could figure out a way to leverage <code>git notes</code> for reviews / comments, but
        honestly, that solution feels brutal and outside the comfort level of most git
        users. Just send reviews as code and write comments in the programming language
        you are using. It's the job of the contributor to "address" those comments and
        then remove them in subsequent patches. This is the forcing function to address
        all comments: the patch won't be merged if there are comment unaddressed in
        code; they cannot be ignored or else they will be upstreamed erroneously.
      </p>
    </div>
  </details>

  <details>
    <summary>How do Patch Requests work?</summary>
    <div>
      Patch requests (PR) are the simplest way to submit, review, and accept changes to your git repository.
      Here's how it works:
    </div>

    <ol>
      <li>External contributor clones repo (<code>git-clone</code>)</li>
      <li>External contributor makes a code change (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
      <li>External contributor generates patches (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
      <li>External contributor submits a PR to SSH server</li>
      <li>Owner receives RSS notification that there's a new PR</li>
      <li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>) from SSH server</li>
      <li>Owner makes suggestions in code! (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
      <li>Owner submits review by piping patch to SSH server (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
      <li>External contributor receives RSS notification of the PR review</li>
      <li>External contributor re-applies patches (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
      <li>External contributor reviews and removes comments in code!</li>
      <li>External contributor submits another patch (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
      <li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
      <li>Owner marks PR as accepted and pushes code to main (<code>git-push</code>)</li>
    </ol>

    <div>Example commands</div>

    <pre># Owner hosts repo `test.git` using github

      # Contributor clones repo
      git clone git@github.com:picosh/test.git

      # Contributor wants to make a change
      # Contributor makes changes via commits
      git add -A && git commit -m "fix: some bugs"

      # Contributor runs:
      git format-patch origin/main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create test
      # > Patch Request has been created (ID: 1)

      # Owner can checkout patch:
      ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr print 1 | git am -3

      # Owner can comment (IN CODE), commit, then send another format-patch
      # on top of the PR:
      git format-patch origin/main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add --review 1
      # UI clearly marks patch as a review

      # Contributor can checkout reviews
      ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} print pr-1 | git am -3

      # Owner can reject a pr:
      ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr close 1

      # Owner can accept a pr:
      ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr accept 1

      # Owner can prep PR for upstream:
      git rebase -i origin/main

      # Then push to upstream
      git push origin main

      # Done!
    </pre>
  </details>

  <details>
    <summary>First time user?</summary>

    <div>
      Using this service for the first time? Creating a patch request is simple:
    </div>

    <pre>git format-patch main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create {repo}</pre>

    <div>When running that command we will automatically create a user and a repo if one doesn't exist.</div>

    <div>Want to submit a v2 of the patch request?</div>

    <pre>git format-patch main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add {prID}</pre>
  </details>
</main>
{{end}}

+3 -222 tmpl/index.html #

......@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@
{{define "title"}}git-pr{{end}}

{{define "meta"}}
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml"
      title="RSS feed for git collaboration server"
      href="/rss" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="RSS feed for git collaboration server" href="/rss">
{{end}}

{{define "body"}}

......@@ -13,8 +11,7 @@
  <h1 class="text-2xl">git-pr</h1>
  <div>
    <span>A pastebin supercharged for git collaboration</span> &middot;
    <a href="https://github.com/picosh/git-pr">github</a> &middot;
    <a href="https://youtu.be/d28Dih-BBUw">demo video</a>
    <a href="/docs">docs</a>
  </div>

  {{if .MetaData.Desc}}

......@@ -22,222 +19,6 @@
    <div>{{.MetaData.Desc}}</div>
  </div>
  {{end}}

  <details>
    <summary>Intro</summary>

    <div>
      <p>
        We are trying to build the simplest git collaboration tool. The goal is to make
        self-hosting as simple as running an SSH server -- all without
        sacrificing external collaborators time and energy.
      </p>

      <blockquote>
        <code>git format-patch</code> isn't the problem and pull requests aren't the solution.
      </blockquote>

      <p>
        We are combining mailing list and pull request workflows. In order to build the
        simplest collaboration tool, we needed something as simple as generating patches
        but the ease-of-use of pull requests.
      </p>

      <p>
        The goal is not to create another code forge, the goal is to create a very
        simple self-hosted git solution with the ability to collaborate with external
        contributors. All the code owner needs to setup a running git server:
      </p>

      <ul><li>A single golang binary</li></ul>

      <div>
        All an external contributor needs is:
      </div>

      <ul>
        <li>An SSH keypair</li>
        <li>An SSH client</li>
      </ul>

      <p>Then everyone subscribes to our RSS feeds to receive updates to patch requests.</p>

      <h2 class="text-xl">the problem</h2>

      <p>
        Email is great as a decentralized system to send and receive changes (patchsets)
        to a git repo. However, onboarding a new user to a mailing list, properly
        setting up their email client, and then finally submitting the code contribution
        is enough to make many developers give up. Further, because we are leveraging
        the email protocol for collaboration, we are limited by its feature-set. For
        example, it is not possible to make edits to emails, everyone has a different
        client, those clients have different limitations around plain text email and
        downloading patches from it.
      </p>

      <p>
        Github pull requests are easy to use, easy to edit, and easy to manage. The
        downside is it forces the user to be inside their website to perform reviews.
        For quick changes, this is great, but when you start reading code within a web
        browser, there are quite a few downsides. At a certain point, it makes more
        sense to review code inside your local development environment, IDE, etc. There
        are tools and plugins that allow users to review PRs inside their IDE, but it
        requires a herculean effort to make it usable.
      </p>

      <p>
        Further, self-hosted solutions that mimic a pull request require a lot of
        infrastructure in order to manage it. A database, a web site connected to git,
        admin management, and services to manage it all. Another big point of friction:
        before an external user submits a code change, they first need to create an
        account and then login. This adds quite a bit of friction for a self-hosted
        solution, not only for an external contributor, but also for the code owner who
        has to provision the infra. Often times they also have to fork the repo within
        the code forge before submitting a PR. Then they never make a contribution ever
        again and keep a forked repo around forever. That seems silly.
      </p>

      <h2 class="text-xl">introducing patch requests (PR)</h2>

      <p>
        Instead, we want to create a self-hosted git "server" that can handle sending
        and receiving patches without the cumbersome nature of setting up email or the
        limitations imposed by the email protocol. Further, we want the primary workflow
        to surround the local development environment. Github is bringing the IDE to the
        browser in order to support their workflow, we want to flip that idea on its
        head by making code reviews a first-class citizen inside your local development
        environment.
      </p>

      <p>
        We see this as a hybrid between the github workflow of a pull request and
        sending and receiving patches over email.
      </p>

      <p>
        The basic idea is to leverage an SSH app to handle most of the interaction
        between contributor and owner of a project. Everything can be done completely
        within the terminal, in a way that is ergonomic and fully featured.
      </p>

      <p>
        Notifications would happen with RSS and all state mutations would result in the
        generation of static web assets so it can all be hosted using a simple file web
        server.
      </p>

      <h3 class="text-lg">format-patch workflow</h3>

      <p>
        The fundamental collaboration tool here is <code>format-patch</code>. Whether you a
        submitting code changes or you are reviewing code changes, it all happens in
        code. Both contributor and owner are simply creating new commits and generating
        patches on top of each other. This obviates the need to have a web viewer where
        the reviewing can "comment" on a line of code block. There's no need, apply the
        contributor's patches, write comments or code changes, generate a new patch,
        send the patch to the git server as a "review." This flow also works the exact
        same if two users are collaborating on a set of changes.
      </p>

      <p>
        This also solves the problem of sending multiple patchsets for the same code
        change. There's a single, central Patch Request where all changes and
        collaboration happens.
      </p>

      <p>
        We could figure out a way to leverage <code>git notes</code> for reviews / comments, but
        honestly, that solution feels brutal and outside the comfort level of most git
        users. Just send reviews as code and write comments in the programming language
        you are using. It's the job of the contributor to "address" those comments and
        then remove them in subsequent patches. This is the forcing function to address
        all comments: the patch won't be merged if there are comment unaddressed in
        code; they cannot be ignored or else they will be upstreamed erroneously.
      </p>
    </div>
  </details>

  <details>
    <summary>How do Patch Requests work?</summary>
      <div>
        Patch requests (PR) are the simplest way to submit, review, and accept changes to your git repository.
        Here's how it works:
      </div>

      <ol>
        <li>External contributor clones repo (<code>git-clone</code>)</li>
        <li>External contributor makes a code change (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
        <li>External contributor generates patches (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
        <li>External contributor submits a PR to SSH server</li>
        <li>Owner receives RSS notification that there's a new PR</li>
        <li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>) from SSH server</li>
        <li>Owner makes suggestions in code! (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
        <li>Owner submits review by piping patch to SSH server (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
        <li>External contributor receives RSS notification of the PR review</li>
        <li>External contributor re-applies patches (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
        <li>External contributor reviews and removes comments in code!</li>
        <li>External contributor submits another patch (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
        <li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
        <li>Owner marks PR as accepted and pushes code to main (<code>git-push</code>)</li>
      </ol>

      <div>Example commands</div>

      <pre># Owner hosts repo `test.git` using github

# Contributor clones repo
git clone git@github.com:picosh/test.git

# Contributor wants to make a change
# Contributor makes changes via commits
git add -A && git commit -m "fix: some bugs"

# Contributor runs:
git format-patch origin/main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create test
# > Patch Request has been created (ID: 1)

# Owner can checkout patch:
ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr print 1 | git am -3

# Owner can comment (IN CODE), commit, then send another format-patch
# on top of the PR:
git format-patch origin/main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add --review 1
# UI clearly marks patch as a review

# Contributor can checkout reviews
ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} print pr-1 | git am -3

# Owner can reject a pr:
ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr close 1

# Owner can accept a pr:
ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr accept 1

# Owner can prep PR for upstream:
git rebase -i origin/main

# Then push to upstream
git push origin main

# Done!
</pre>
  </details>

  <details>
    <summary>First time user?</summary>

    <div>
      Using this service for the first time?  Creating a patch request is simple:
    </div>

    <pre>git format-patch main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create {repo}</pre>

    <div>When running that command we will automatically create a user and a repo if one doesn't exist.</div>

    <div>Want to submit a v2 of the patch request?</div>

    <pre>git format-patch main --stdout | ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add {prID}</pre>
  </details>
</header>

<main>

......@@ -255,4 +36,4 @@ git push origin main
<footer class="mt">
  <a href="/rss">rss</a>
</footer>
{{end}}
{{end}}

+16 -0 web.go #

......@@ -339,6 +339,21 @@ func indexHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
	}
}

func docsHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
	web, err := getWebCtx(r)
	if err != nil {
		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
		return
	}

	w.Header().Set("content-type", "text/html")
	tmpl := getTemplate("docs.html")
	err = tmpl.ExecuteTemplate(w, "docs.html", nil)
	if err != nil {
		web.Backend.Logger.Error("cannot execute template", "err", err)
	}
}

type UserData struct {
	UserID    int64
	Name      string

......@@ -1130,6 +1145,7 @@ func GitWebServer(cfg *GitCfg) http.Handler {
	mux.HandleFunc("GET /r/{user}", ctxMdw(ctx, userDetailHandler))
	mux.HandleFunc("GET /rss/{user}", ctxMdw(ctx, rssHandler))
	mux.HandleFunc("GET /rss", ctxMdw(ctx, rssHandler))
	mux.HandleFunc("GET /docs", ctxMdw(ctx, docsHandler))
	mux.HandleFunc("GET /", ctxMdw(ctx, indexHandler))
	mux.HandleFunc("GET /syntax.css", ctxMdw(ctx, chromaStyleHandler))
	embedFS, err := getEmbedFS(embedStaticFS, "static")

...	...		@@ -339,6 +339,21 @@ func indexHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
339	339		}
340	340		}
341	341
	342	+	func docsHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
	343	+	web, err := getWebCtx(r)
	344	+	if err != nil {
	345	+	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
	346	+	return
	347	+	}
	348	+
	349	+	w.Header().Set("content-type", "text/html")
	350	+	tmpl := getTemplate("docs.html")
	351	+	err = tmpl.ExecuteTemplate(w, "docs.html", nil)
	352	+	if err != nil {
	353	+	web.Backend.Logger.Error("cannot execute template", "err", err)
	354	+	}
	355	+	}
	356	+
342	357		type UserData struct {
343	358		UserID int64
344	359		Name string

...	...		@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
	1	+	{{template "base" .}}
	2	+
	3	+	{{define "title"}}docs{{end}}
	4	+
	5	+	{{define "meta"}}{{end}}
	6	+
	7	+	{{define "body"}}
	8	+	<header class="group">
	9	+	<h1 class="text-2xl">docs</h1>
	10	+	<div>
	11	+	<a href="/">dashboard</a> ·
	12	+	<a href="https://github.com/picosh/git-pr">github</a> ·
	13	+	<a href="https://youtu.be/d28Dih-BBUw">demo video</a>
	14	+	</div>
	15	+	</header>
	16	+	<main class="group">
	17	+	<details>
	18	+	<summary>Intro</summary>
	19	+
	20	+	<div>
	21	+	<p>
	22	+	We are trying to build the simplest git collaboration tool. The goal is to make
	23	+	self-hosting as simple as running an SSH server -- all without
	24	+	sacrificing external collaborators time and energy.
	25	+	</p>
	26	+
	27	+	<blockquote>
	28	+	<code>git format-patch</code> isn't the problem and pull requests aren't the solution.
	29	+	</blockquote>
	30	+
	31	+	<p>
	32	+	We are combining mailing list and pull request workflows. In order to build the
	33	+	simplest collaboration tool, we needed something as simple as generating patches
	34	+	but the ease-of-use of pull requests.
	35	+	</p>
	36	+
	37	+	<p>
	38	+	The goal is not to create another code forge, the goal is to create a very
	39	+	simple self-hosted git solution with the ability to collaborate with external
	40	+	contributors. All the code owner needs to setup a running git server:
	41	+	</p>
	42	+
	43	+	<ul>
	44	+	<li>A single golang binary</li>
	45	+	</ul>
	46	+
	47	+	<div>
	48	+	All an external contributor needs is:
	49	+	</div>
	50	+
	51	+	<ul>
	52	+	<li>An SSH keypair</li>
	53	+	<li>An SSH client</li>
	54	+	</ul>
	55	+
	56	+	<p>Then everyone subscribes to our RSS feeds to receive updates to patch requests.</p>
	57	+
	58	+	<h2 class="text-xl">the problem</h2>
	59	+
	60	+	<p>
	61	+	Email is great as a decentralized system to send and receive changes (patchsets)
	62	+	to a git repo. However, onboarding a new user to a mailing list, properly
	63	+	setting up their email client, and then finally submitting the code contribution
	64	+	is enough to make many developers give up. Further, because we are leveraging
	65	+	the email protocol for collaboration, we are limited by its feature-set. For
	66	+	example, it is not possible to make edits to emails, everyone has a different
	67	+	client, those clients have different limitations around plain text email and
	68	+	downloading patches from it.
	69	+	</p>
	70	+
	71	+	<p>
	72	+	Github pull requests are easy to use, easy to edit, and easy to manage. The
	73	+	downside is it forces the user to be inside their website to perform reviews.
	74	+	For quick changes, this is great, but when you start reading code within a web
	75	+	browser, there are quite a few downsides. At a certain point, it makes more
	76	+	sense to review code inside your local development environment, IDE, etc. There
	77	+	are tools and plugins that allow users to review PRs inside their IDE, but it
	78	+	requires a herculean effort to make it usable.
	79	+	</p>
	80	+
	81	+	<p>
	82	+	Further, self-hosted solutions that mimic a pull request require a lot of
	83	+	infrastructure in order to manage it. A database, a web site connected to git,
	84	+	admin management, and services to manage it all. Another big point of friction:
	85	+	before an external user submits a code change, they first need to create an
	86	+	account and then login. This adds quite a bit of friction for a self-hosted
	87	+	solution, not only for an external contributor, but also for the code owner who
	88	+	has to provision the infra. Often times they also have to fork the repo within
	89	+	the code forge before submitting a PR. Then they never make a contribution ever
	90	+	again and keep a forked repo around forever. That seems silly.
	91	+	</p>
	92	+
	93	+	<h2 class="text-xl">introducing patch requests (PR)</h2>
	94	+
	95	+	<p>
	96	+	Instead, we want to create a self-hosted git "server" that can handle sending
	97	+	and receiving patches without the cumbersome nature of setting up email or the
	98	+	limitations imposed by the email protocol. Further, we want the primary workflow
	99	+	to surround the local development environment. Github is bringing the IDE to the
	100	+	browser in order to support their workflow, we want to flip that idea on its
	101	+	head by making code reviews a first-class citizen inside your local development
	102	+	environment.
	103	+	</p>
	104	+
	105	+	<p>
	106	+	We see this as a hybrid between the github workflow of a pull request and
	107	+	sending and receiving patches over email.
	108	+	</p>
	109	+
	110	+	<p>
	111	+	The basic idea is to leverage an SSH app to handle most of the interaction
	112	+	between contributor and owner of a project. Everything can be done completely
	113	+	within the terminal, in a way that is ergonomic and fully featured.
	114	+	</p>
	115	+
	116	+	<p>
	117	+	Notifications would happen with RSS and all state mutations would result in the
	118	+	generation of static web assets so it can all be hosted using a simple file web
	119	+	server.
	120	+	</p>
	121	+
	122	+	<h3 class="text-lg">format-patch workflow</h3>
	123	+
	124	+	<p>
	125	+	The fundamental collaboration tool here is <code>format-patch</code>. Whether you a
	126	+	submitting code changes or you are reviewing code changes, it all happens in
	127	+	code. Both contributor and owner are simply creating new commits and generating
	128	+	patches on top of each other. This obviates the need to have a web viewer where
	129	+	the reviewing can "comment" on a line of code block. There's no need, apply the
	130	+	contributor's patches, write comments or code changes, generate a new patch,
	131	+	send the patch to the git server as a "review." This flow also works the exact
	132	+	same if two users are collaborating on a set of changes.
	133	+	</p>
	134	+
	135	+	<p>
	136	+	This also solves the problem of sending multiple patchsets for the same code
	137	+	change. There's a single, central Patch Request where all changes and
	138	+	collaboration happens.
	139	+	</p>
	140	+
	141	+	<p>
	142	+	We could figure out a way to leverage <code>git notes</code> for reviews / comments, but
	143	+	honestly, that solution feels brutal and outside the comfort level of most git
	144	+	users. Just send reviews as code and write comments in the programming language
	145	+	you are using. It's the job of the contributor to "address" those comments and
	146	+	then remove them in subsequent patches. This is the forcing function to address
	147	+	all comments: the patch won't be merged if there are comment unaddressed in
	148	+	code; they cannot be ignored or else they will be upstreamed erroneously.
	149	+	</p>
	150	+	</div>
	151	+	</details>
	152	+
	153	+	<details>
	154	+	<summary>How do Patch Requests work?</summary>
	155	+	<div>
	156	+	Patch requests (PR) are the simplest way to submit, review, and accept changes to your git repository.
	157	+	Here's how it works:
	158	+	</div>
	159	+
	160	+	<ol>
	161	+	<li>External contributor clones repo (<code>git-clone</code>)</li>
	162	+	<li>External contributor makes a code change (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
	163	+	<li>External contributor generates patches (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
	164	+	<li>External contributor submits a PR to SSH server</li>
	165	+	<li>Owner receives RSS notification that there's a new PR</li>
	166	+	<li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>) from SSH server</li>
	167	+	<li>Owner makes suggestions in code! (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
	168	+	<li>Owner submits review by piping patch to SSH server (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
	169	+	<li>External contributor receives RSS notification of the PR review</li>
	170	+	<li>External contributor re-applies patches (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
	171	+	<li>External contributor reviews and removes comments in code!</li>
	172	+	<li>External contributor submits another patch (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
	173	+	<li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
	174	+	<li>Owner marks PR as accepted and pushes code to main (<code>git-push</code>)</li>
	175	+	</ol>
	176	+
	177	+	<div>Example commands</div>
	178	+
	179	+	<pre># Owner hosts repo `test.git` using github
	180	+
	181	+	# Contributor clones repo
	182	+	git clone git@github.com:picosh/test.git
	183	+
	184	+	# Contributor wants to make a change
	185	+	# Contributor makes changes via commits
	186	+	git add -A && git commit -m "fix: some bugs"
	187	+
	188	+	# Contributor runs:
	189	+	git format-patch origin/main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create test
	190	+	# > Patch Request has been created (ID: 1)
	191	+
	192	+	# Owner can checkout patch:
	193	+	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr print 1 \| git am -3
	194	+
	195	+	# Owner can comment (IN CODE), commit, then send another format-patch
	196	+	# on top of the PR:
	197	+	git format-patch origin/main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add --review 1
	198	+	# UI clearly marks patch as a review
	199	+
	200	+	# Contributor can checkout reviews
	201	+	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} print pr-1 \| git am -3
	202	+
	203	+	# Owner can reject a pr:
	204	+	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr close 1
	205	+
	206	+	# Owner can accept a pr:
	207	+	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr accept 1
	208	+
	209	+	# Owner can prep PR for upstream:
	210	+	git rebase -i origin/main
	211	+
	212	+	# Then push to upstream
	213	+	git push origin main
	214	+
	215	+	# Done!
	216	+	</pre>
	217	+	</details>
	218	+
	219	+	<details>
	220	+	<summary>First time user?</summary>
	221	+
	222	+	<div>
	223	+	Using this service for the first time? Creating a patch request is simple:
	224	+	</div>
	225	+
	226	+	<pre>git format-patch main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create {repo}</pre>
	227	+
	228	+	<div>When running that command we will automatically create a user and a repo if one doesn't exist.</div>
	229	+
	230	+	<div>Want to submit a v2 of the patch request?</div>
	231	+
	232	+	<pre>git format-patch main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add {prID}</pre>
	233	+	</details>
	234	+	</main>
	235	+	{{end}}

...	...		@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@
3	3		{{define "title"}}git-pr{{end}}
4	4
5	5		{{define "meta"}}
6		-	<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml"
7		-	title="RSS feed for git collaboration server"
8		-	href="/rss" />
	6	+	<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="RSS feed for git collaboration server" href="/rss">
9	7		{{end}}
10	8
11	9		{{define "body"}}

...	...		@@ -13,8 +11,7 @@
13	11		<h1 class="text-2xl">git-pr</h1>
14	12		<div>
15	13		<span>A pastebin supercharged for git collaboration</span> ·
16		-	<a href="https://github.com/picosh/git-pr">github</a> ·
17		-	<a href="https://youtu.be/d28Dih-BBUw">demo video</a>
	14	+	<a href="/docs">docs</a>
18	15		</div>
19	16
20	17		{{if .MetaData.Desc}}

...	...		@@ -22,222 +19,6 @@
22	19		<div>{{.MetaData.Desc}}</div>
23	20		</div>
24	21		{{end}}
25		-
26		-	<details>
27		-	<summary>Intro</summary>
28		-
29		-	<div>
30		-	<p>
31		-	We are trying to build the simplest git collaboration tool. The goal is to make
32		-	self-hosting as simple as running an SSH server -- all without
33		-	sacrificing external collaborators time and energy.
34		-	</p>
35		-
36		-	<blockquote>
37		-	<code>git format-patch</code> isn't the problem and pull requests aren't the solution.
38		-	</blockquote>
39		-
40		-	<p>
41		-	We are combining mailing list and pull request workflows. In order to build the
42		-	simplest collaboration tool, we needed something as simple as generating patches
43		-	but the ease-of-use of pull requests.
44		-	</p>
45		-
46		-	<p>
47		-	The goal is not to create another code forge, the goal is to create a very
48		-	simple self-hosted git solution with the ability to collaborate with external
49		-	contributors. All the code owner needs to setup a running git server:
50		-	</p>
51		-
52		-	<ul><li>A single golang binary</li></ul>
53		-
54		-	<div>
55		-	All an external contributor needs is:
56		-	</div>
57		-
58		-	<ul>
59		-	<li>An SSH keypair</li>
60		-	<li>An SSH client</li>
61		-	</ul>
62		-
63		-	<p>Then everyone subscribes to our RSS feeds to receive updates to patch requests.</p>
64		-
65		-	<h2 class="text-xl">the problem</h2>
66		-
67		-	<p>
68		-	Email is great as a decentralized system to send and receive changes (patchsets)
69		-	to a git repo. However, onboarding a new user to a mailing list, properly
70		-	setting up their email client, and then finally submitting the code contribution
71		-	is enough to make many developers give up. Further, because we are leveraging
72		-	the email protocol for collaboration, we are limited by its feature-set. For
73		-	example, it is not possible to make edits to emails, everyone has a different
74		-	client, those clients have different limitations around plain text email and
75		-	downloading patches from it.
76		-	</p>
77		-
78		-	<p>
79		-	Github pull requests are easy to use, easy to edit, and easy to manage. The
80		-	downside is it forces the user to be inside their website to perform reviews.
81		-	For quick changes, this is great, but when you start reading code within a web
82		-	browser, there are quite a few downsides. At a certain point, it makes more
83		-	sense to review code inside your local development environment, IDE, etc. There
84		-	are tools and plugins that allow users to review PRs inside their IDE, but it
85		-	requires a herculean effort to make it usable.
86		-	</p>
87		-
88		-	<p>
89		-	Further, self-hosted solutions that mimic a pull request require a lot of
90		-	infrastructure in order to manage it. A database, a web site connected to git,
91		-	admin management, and services to manage it all. Another big point of friction:
92		-	before an external user submits a code change, they first need to create an
93		-	account and then login. This adds quite a bit of friction for a self-hosted
94		-	solution, not only for an external contributor, but also for the code owner who
95		-	has to provision the infra. Often times they also have to fork the repo within
96		-	the code forge before submitting a PR. Then they never make a contribution ever
97		-	again and keep a forked repo around forever. That seems silly.
98		-	</p>
99		-
100		-	<h2 class="text-xl">introducing patch requests (PR)</h2>
101		-
102		-	<p>
103		-	Instead, we want to create a self-hosted git "server" that can handle sending
104		-	and receiving patches without the cumbersome nature of setting up email or the
105		-	limitations imposed by the email protocol. Further, we want the primary workflow
106		-	to surround the local development environment. Github is bringing the IDE to the
107		-	browser in order to support their workflow, we want to flip that idea on its
108		-	head by making code reviews a first-class citizen inside your local development
109		-	environment.
110		-	</p>
111		-
112		-	<p>
113		-	We see this as a hybrid between the github workflow of a pull request and
114		-	sending and receiving patches over email.
115		-	</p>
116		-
117		-	<p>
118		-	The basic idea is to leverage an SSH app to handle most of the interaction
119		-	between contributor and owner of a project. Everything can be done completely
120		-	within the terminal, in a way that is ergonomic and fully featured.
121		-	</p>
122		-
123		-	<p>
124		-	Notifications would happen with RSS and all state mutations would result in the
125		-	generation of static web assets so it can all be hosted using a simple file web
126		-	server.
127		-	</p>
128		-
129		-	<h3 class="text-lg">format-patch workflow</h3>
130		-
131		-	<p>
132		-	The fundamental collaboration tool here is <code>format-patch</code>. Whether you a
133		-	submitting code changes or you are reviewing code changes, it all happens in
134		-	code. Both contributor and owner are simply creating new commits and generating
135		-	patches on top of each other. This obviates the need to have a web viewer where
136		-	the reviewing can "comment" on a line of code block. There's no need, apply the
137		-	contributor's patches, write comments or code changes, generate a new patch,
138		-	send the patch to the git server as a "review." This flow also works the exact
139		-	same if two users are collaborating on a set of changes.
140		-	</p>
141		-
142		-	<p>
143		-	This also solves the problem of sending multiple patchsets for the same code
144		-	change. There's a single, central Patch Request where all changes and
145		-	collaboration happens.
146		-	</p>
147		-
148		-	<p>
149		-	We could figure out a way to leverage <code>git notes</code> for reviews / comments, but
150		-	honestly, that solution feels brutal and outside the comfort level of most git
151		-	users. Just send reviews as code and write comments in the programming language
152		-	you are using. It's the job of the contributor to "address" those comments and
153		-	then remove them in subsequent patches. This is the forcing function to address
154		-	all comments: the patch won't be merged if there are comment unaddressed in
155		-	code; they cannot be ignored or else they will be upstreamed erroneously.
156		-	</p>
157		-	</div>
158		-	</details>
159		-
160		-	<details>
161		-	<summary>How do Patch Requests work?</summary>
162		-	<div>
163		-	Patch requests (PR) are the simplest way to submit, review, and accept changes to your git repository.
164		-	Here's how it works:
165		-	</div>
166		-
167		-	<ol>
168		-	<li>External contributor clones repo (<code>git-clone</code>)</li>
169		-	<li>External contributor makes a code change (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
170		-	<li>External contributor generates patches (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
171		-	<li>External contributor submits a PR to SSH server</li>
172		-	<li>Owner receives RSS notification that there's a new PR</li>
173		-	<li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>) from SSH server</li>
174		-	<li>Owner makes suggestions in code! (<code>git-add</code> & <code>git-commit</code>)</li>
175		-	<li>Owner submits review by piping patch to SSH server (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
176		-	<li>External contributor receives RSS notification of the PR review</li>
177		-	<li>External contributor re-applies patches (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
178		-	<li>External contributor reviews and removes comments in code!</li>
179		-	<li>External contributor submits another patch (<code>git-format-patch</code>)</li>
180		-	<li>Owner applies patches locally (<code>git-am</code>)</li>
181		-	<li>Owner marks PR as accepted and pushes code to main (<code>git-push</code>)</li>
182		-	</ol>
183		-
184		-	<div>Example commands</div>
185		-
186		-	<pre># Owner hosts repo `test.git` using github
187		-
188		-	# Contributor clones repo
189		-	git clone git@github.com:picosh/test.git
190		-
191		-	# Contributor wants to make a change
192		-	# Contributor makes changes via commits
193		-	git add -A && git commit -m "fix: some bugs"
194		-
195		-	# Contributor runs:
196		-	git format-patch origin/main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create test
197		-	# > Patch Request has been created (ID: 1)
198		-
199		-	# Owner can checkout patch:
200		-	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr print 1 \| git am -3
201		-
202		-	# Owner can comment (IN CODE), commit, then send another format-patch
203		-	# on top of the PR:
204		-	git format-patch origin/main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add --review 1
205		-	# UI clearly marks patch as a review
206		-
207		-	# Contributor can checkout reviews
208		-	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} print pr-1 \| git am -3
209		-
210		-	# Owner can reject a pr:
211		-	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr close 1
212		-
213		-	# Owner can accept a pr:
214		-	ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr accept 1
215		-
216		-	# Owner can prep PR for upstream:
217		-	git rebase -i origin/main
218		-
219		-	# Then push to upstream
220		-	git push origin main
221		-
222		-	# Done!
223		-	</pre>
224		-	</details>
225		-
226		-	<details>
227		-	<summary>First time user?</summary>
228		-
229		-	<div>
230		-	Using this service for the first time? Creating a patch request is simple:
231		-	</div>
232		-
233		-	<pre>git format-patch main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr create {repo}</pre>
234		-
235		-	<div>When running that command we will automatically create a user and a repo if one doesn't exist.</div>
236		-
237		-	<div>Want to submit a v2 of the patch request?</div>
238		-
239		-	<pre>git format-patch main --stdout \| ssh {{.MetaData.URL}} pr add {prID}</pre>
240		-	</details>
241	22		</header>
242	23
243	24		<main>

...	...		@@ -255,4 +36,4 @@ git push origin main
255	36		<footer class="mt">
256	37		<a href="/rss">rss</a>
257	38		</footer>
258		-	{{end}}
	39	+	{{end}}

...	...		@@ -1130,6 +1145,7 @@ func GitWebServer(cfg *GitCfg) http.Handler {
1130	1145		mux.HandleFunc("GET /r/{user}", ctxMdw(ctx, userDetailHandler))
1131	1146		mux.HandleFunc("GET /rss/{user}", ctxMdw(ctx, rssHandler))
1132	1147		mux.HandleFunc("GET /rss", ctxMdw(ctx, rssHandler))
	1148	+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /docs", ctxMdw(ctx, docsHandler))
1133	1149		mux.HandleFunc("GET /", ctxMdw(ctx, indexHandler))
1134	1150		mux.HandleFunc("GET /syntax.css", ctxMdw(ctx, chromaStyleHandler))
1135	1151		embedFS, err := getEmbedFS(embedStaticFS, "static")

git-pr

Patchset 60.2 on 2025-08-10T19:03:50Z · commit 867f3be

Patchset `60.2` on 2025-08-10T19:03:50Z · commit 867f3be