The PR that changes core authentication
logic with zero tests and a description
that says "added login stuff."
The contributor who responds to every review
comment with a new commit instead of amending.
By the time it's ready to merge the history
looks like a wall of "address feedback"
commits that tell you nothing.
I tried handling this with PR templates.
Wrote detailed contributing guides.
Added a checklist to every PR.
Contributors ignored them.
Not maliciously. They're excited to contribute
and moving fast. I get it. But I was spending
more time leaving the same comments over and
over than actually reviewing the code.
"Please add tests for this."
"Can you split this into smaller PRs?"
"This commit message doesn't tell me anything."
Copy paste. Every week. For 14 PRs in a row.
So I built Zaxion.
It's a GitHub App that sits in your repo
and enforces whatever rules you define —
in plain English or Json/YAML.
Not generic rules. YOUR rules.
Things like:
- Flag any PR touching more than 20 files without a linked issue
- Block merges on
/authchanges with no test files included - Reject PRs where CI is failing
- Warn on commit messages under 10 characters
You write the rule once. Zaxion enforces
it on every PR forever.
When a contributor opens a PR that breaks
your rules, Zaxion leaves a comment explaining
exactly what's wrong. The contributor fixes
it before it ever reaches your review queue.
The part that surprised me most —
contributors actually appreciate it.
Getting a clear automated comment saying
"this PR is missing test coverage for
the files you changed in /auth" is less
embarrassing than a maintainer leaving
the same comment manually.
It feels like a system, not a judgment.
It's free for open source projects.
Takes about 30 seconds to install.
If you maintain a repo and you're tired
of leaving the same review comments every
single week — try it.
I'm still building it and taking feedback
actively.
I need brutal honest feedback.
What's the most annoying PR pattern
you keep seeing in your repo?
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