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  1. Getting Started

Create Your First Initiative

Walk through creating your first initiative step-by-step.

Before You Start

Make sure you've:

  • ✅ Connected your GitHub or GitLab account
  • ✅ Have at least 5-10 repositories you want to test with

Pick a simple first initiative:

  • Well-defined change (clear before/after)
  • Easy to validate by looking at the code
  • Not critical (so you're comfortable experimenting)

Good first examples:

  • Add a CODEOWNERS file
  • Update a config file
  • Add a documentation section

Step 1: Create the Initiative

  1. Click New Initiative in the main navigation
  2. Give it a descriptive name: "Add CODEOWNERS file"
  3. Click Create

Step 2: Describe the Change

In the description field, explain what needs to change:

Add a CODEOWNERS file to the root of each repository with the following content:

* @platform-team

This makes the platform team the default owner for all files.

Tips for good descriptions:

  • Be specific about what should change
  • Include examples of the desired end state
  • Mention file locations if relevant
  • The more detail, the better

Step 3: Select Repositories

Choose which repositories should receive this change.

For your first initiative:

  • Select 5-10 repositories manually
  • Pick repos you're familiar with
  • Choose similar repos (all Node.js, or all Python, etc.)

Later, you can:

  • Select more repos (50, 100+)
  • Use filters to automatically include repos

Click Next when you've selected your repos.

Step 4: Generate Changes

Click Generate Changes.

Tidra will now:

  • Read your selected repositories
  • Understand the current state
  • Generate appropriate changes based on your description

This takes 5-10 minutes for most initiatives.

Step 5: Review Changes

Once generation is complete, you'll see:

  • A list of all repositories
  • Status for each (changes generated, no changes needed, or errors)
  • Code complexity estimates

Click on individual repositories to see:

  • Exactly what will change (before/after diff)
  • Why changes were made
  • File paths affected

Review carefully:

  • Do the changes look correct?
  • Is anything missing or incorrect?
  • Are there any surprises?

If something isn't right:

  • Go back and refine your description
  • Click Regenerate Changes
  • Review again

Step 6: Create Pull Requests

Once you're satisfied with the changes:

  1. Click Create Pull Requests
  2. Tidra creates branches and opens PRs in all repositories
  3. You'll see progress as PRs are created

This usually takes 1-2 minutes.

Step 7: Track Progress

You'll now see your initiative dashboard showing:

  • Status Summary: How many PRs are pending, in progress, merged, blocked
  • Repository List: Click any repo to see its PR
  • Overall Progress: Track completion percentage

Next steps:

  • Review PRs in GitHub/GitLab as normal
  • Your team reviews and approves
  • Merge PRs once approved
  • Watch the dashboard update as PRs are merged

What You Should See in PRs

Each pull request includes:

  • The code changes you reviewed
  • A clear description of what changed and why
  • A link back to the Tidra initiative

PRs follow your normal review process:

  • Team members can comment
  • Request changes if needed
  • Approve and merge when ready

Tips for Success

Start small: Your first initiative should be simple. Don't try to tackle 100 repos with complex changes right away.

Review thoroughly: Always review the generated changes before creating PRs. Tidra shows you exactly what will happen.

Get feedback: After your first initiative, ask reviewers how the PRs looked. Use that feedback to improve your next initiative description.

Iterate: If something isn't perfect, that's okay! Refine your description and try again on a few repos first.

Common First-Time Questions

What if the code isn't perfect? Review it before creating PRs. If something isn't right, regenerate with a more detailed description.

What if different repos need slightly different changes? Tidra adapts to each repo's structure. A Node.js repo will get different changes than a Python repo, even with the same description.

Can I create PRs gradually? Yes! You can review a few repos, create PRs for just those, then do more later.

What if a PR gets rejected? That's fine. Address it individually, and the rest of the initiative continues.

How long does this take?

  • Describe change: 5 minutes
  • Select repos: 2 minutes
  • Generate: 5-10 minutes
  • Review: 10-15 minutes
  • Create PRs: 2 minutes
  • Total: ~30 minutes for your first initiative

Next Steps

After your first initiative:

Try a second initiative: Now that you've done one, try something a bit larger:

  • More repositories (20-30)
  • Slightly more complex change
  • Different type of change

Updated 16 days ago