Fix release-drafter silent failure on PR events

[ElanHasson]

Summary

• Fix release-drafter v6 failing silently on pull_request events due to invalid GraphQL query
• Remove duplicate pull_request trigger (keep only pull_request_target)
• Add disable-releaser condition to only run autolabeler on PR events

Root Cause

The release-drafter action was using refs/pull/XX/merge as targetCommitish in GraphQL queries, which returns null for object(expression:), causing the "Data doesn't contain nodes field" error.

Test plan

• Verify autolabeler still works on PRs
• Verify release drafting works on push to main

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[claude]

Claude finished @ElanHasson's task —— View job

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PR Review: Fix release-drafter silent failure

Review Checklist

• Read and analyze the modified workflow file
• Evaluate code quality and best practices
• Check for potential bugs or issues
• Assess performance considerations
• Review security concerns
• Evaluate test coverage implications

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Overall Assessment ✅

This is a well-implemented fix that addresses a real issue with release-drafter v6. The changes are minimal, targeted, and follow GitHub Actions best practices.

Code Quality & Best Practices ⭐

Excellent implementation with the following strengths:

1. Clean trigger separation: Removing the duplicate pull_request trigger eliminates confusion and potential race conditions
2. Conditional logic: Using disable-releaser: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request_target' }} is elegant and self-documenting
3. Clear documentation: The inline comments explain the behavior clearly (.github/workflows/release-drafter.yml:23-24)
4. Minimal change principle: Only modified what was necessary to fix the issue

Technical Analysis 🔍

✅ Root Cause Accurately Identified

The GraphQL query issue with refs/pull/XX/merge is a known limitation in release-drafter v6. This ref doesn't exist as a proper Git object, causing the object(expression:) query to return null.

✅ Solution is Correct

• Before: Had both pull_request AND pull_request_target triggers (redundant and problematic)
• After: Only uses pull_request_target with conditional disable-releaser
• Result: Autolabeler runs on PRs, release drafting only on push to main

Security Considerations 🔒

No security concerns identified:

1. ✅ pull_request_target is used appropriately (necessary for autolabeler to work with forks)
2. ✅ Permissions remain properly scoped (contents: read at workflow level, elevated only for the job)
3. ✅ No new secrets or tokens introduced
4. ✅ Configuration file is properly referenced and secured

Performance & Efficiency 📈

Improvements achieved:

1. Reduced workflow runs: Eliminates duplicate triggers on PR events
2. Faster PR processing: Skips unnecessary release drafting on PRs
3. Clear separation of concerns: Autolabeling vs. release drafting

Potential Issues & Recommendations 🔧

Minor Considerations:

1. No breaking changes detected - existing functionality preserved
2. Autolabeler config looks comprehensive - good coverage of file patterns and branch naming
3. Consider monitoring: Watch the first few PRs to ensure autolabeling works as expected

Suggested Test Validation:

Based on your test plan, you should verify:

• Open a test PR and confirm labels are automatically applied
• Push to main and verify release draft is created/updated
• Check that no errors appear in the Actions logs

Dependencies & Configuration ✅

The release-drafter configuration (.github/release-drafter.yml) is well-structured with:

• Comprehensive autolabeler rules covering branch patterns and file changes
• Good categorization for changelog generation
• Proper version resolution strategy

Summary

This is a high-quality fix that solves a real problem with minimal impact. The implementation follows GitHub Actions best practices and maintains backward compatibility while fixing the silent failure issue.

Recommendation: ✅ Approve and merge after verifying the test plan items.

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