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Note: Approvability is currently in beta. If you would like to use this feature, please contact us at [email protected].
Approvability

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How It Works

When a PR is opened or updated, Macroscope runs a new “Approvability” check. Approvability requires the changes in the PR to clear three hurdles: ownership, eligibility, and correctness. If all three hurdles are cleared, Macroscope will approve the PR automatically. Approvability The Approvability check appears as Macroscope - Approvability Check in two places on your PR:
  1. Checks Tab: Click the “Checks” tab at the top of your PR to see the full check run with detailed results for each of the three checks
  2. PR Conversation: Macroscope will post a comment in the PR conversation with the results of the Approvability check.
Approvability

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The Three Checks

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1. Ownership ✅

Verifies the PR author is a code owner for all modified files. This ensures only authorized contributors can auto-approve changes to sensitive areas.
  • Uses your repository’s CODEOWNERS file
  • Supports direct username, team, and email-based ownership
FAQ: What if I don’t have a CODEOWNERS file?If no CODEOWNERS file exists, the ownership check fails. See GitHub’s documentation on CODEOWNERS files for more information.

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2. Eligibility ✅

Uses AI to evaluate whether a PR is a good candidate for auto-approval.
  • Macroscope applies eligibility guidelines by default.
  • You can optionally add a macroscope_approvability.md file in your repo root to define custom eligibility rules. When present, custom eligibility rules are treated as the highest priority and applied on top of the default guidelines.

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Default Eligibility Guidelines

Below are some of the eligibility guidelines that Macroscope uses by default when assessing a PR’s eligibility for auto-approval. 
Some examples of PRs that are typically good candidates for auto-approval:
- Changes that don’t impact runtime behavior (e.g. documentation, unit tests, code behind a feature flag).
- Simple, low-risk, self-contained changes (e.g. updating copy, adding a small endpoint)
- Straightforward bug fixes (clear intent, limited scope, obvious resolution).

Some clear signs a PR is **not** eligible for auto-approval:
- High complexity (large or difficult-to-review change)
- Schema impact (e.g. major database or API changes)
- Significant runtime behavior changes (outside small, self-contained bug fixes)
- Major side effects (breaking changes or wide-reaching behavior changes)
- Major refactors
- Production deployment or significant infrastructure changes
- Any security, billing, authentication, or other sensitive-data changes

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Example Custom Eligibility Rules

If you want to add custom eligibility rules on top of the default eligibility guidelines, you can do so by creating a macroscope_approvability.md file and defining your own rules. Below are examples of some of the custom eligibility rules that we have defined for our own use in our macroscope_approvability.md file. 
If a PR changes files in any of the following paths, DO NOT auto-approve:
- services/auth
- services/billing
- targets/auth
FAQ: What if I don’t have a macroscope_approvability.md file?No worries. If no macroscope_approvability.md file exists, Macroscope’s analysis will rely on its own default eligibility guidelines for determining eligibility.

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3. Correctness ✅

Confirms the PR passed Macroscope’s code review Correctness check with zero issues.
  • Waits for the Correctness check run to complete.
  • If any issues were flagged, this check fails.

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Setting Up Approvability

  1. Ensure you have a CODEOWNERS file in your repository
  2. (Optional) Create a macroscope_approvability.md file in your repo root defining your eligibility criteria. If no file is provided, Macroscope’s analysis will rely on its own standard judgment for determining eligibility.

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Notes

  • Macroscope cannot approve its own PRs (self-approval prevention).
  • All three checks must pass: a single failed check (for whatever reason) blocks auto-approval.
  • If a PR passes eligibility and correctness checks but the author isn’t a code owner of all the changed files, Macroscope will post a review comment indicating approval without formally approving the PR. This makes it clear to reviewers that Macroscope recommends approval.
  • Check results include detailed reasoning so authors understand any failures.
FAQ: What happens if the Approvability check fails?The PR won’t be auto-approved, but you can still get manual approval as usual.