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Slash Bug Fixing Time: Automate Fixes with RepoBird AI

📅 Published on: 2025-04-15👤 By: The RepoBird Team

The Never-Ending Bug Hunt

Software development is an exciting field, but let's be honest: fixing bugs can often feel like a repetitive chore. Tracking down the source of an error, implementing a fix, testing it, and creating a pull request – it all takes time, especially for minor or common issues. This time could be better spent on developing new features, improving architecture, or tackling more complex problems.

What if you could automate a significant portion of this bug-fixing process?

Enter RepoBird: Your AI Bug Squasher

RepoBird is designed precisely for this scenario. As your AI software engineering assistant within GitHub, RepoBird can take a reported bug in an issue, understand the context, devise a solution, write the code, and submit a pull request for your review – often with just a simple command.

This post dives into how you can leverage RepoBird to automate bug fixes and reclaim valuable developer hours.

The Automated Bug Fix Workflow with RepoBird

Here’s a typical flow of how RepoBird handles a bug fix request:

  1. Issue/PR Creation: A bug is reported in a standard GitHub issue, or perhaps discussed within an existing Pull Request. Include details like steps to reproduce, expected behavior, and actual behavior. The more context, the better RepoBird can understand the problem.
  2. Summon RepoBird: In a comment on the relevant GitHub Issue or Pull Request, you invoke RepoBird using its handle (@RepoBird) followed by a command and optional instructions.
  3. Analysis & Planning: RepoBird reads the Issue/PR title, body, and the command comment. It analyzes the bug description, potentially examines the linked codebase, and formulates a plan to fix the issue.
  4. Code Generation: Based on its plan, RepoBird writes the necessary code changes. This might involve modifying existing files or adding new logic.
  5. Pull Request Creation: RepoBird automatically creates a new branch, commits the changes, and opens a pull request back to your repository. The PR description often includes a summary of the changes and links back to the original issue.
  6. Review & Merge: Your team reviews the AI-generated pull request just like any other PR. You can request changes, add comments, or, if satisfied, merge the fix.

Key RepoBird Commands for Bug Fixes

While RepoBird understands natural language, using specific commands in an Issue or Pull Request comment helps guide its actions. Remember, the prompt RepoBird receives includes the original Issue/PR title and body, plus any text you add in the command comment itself.

Here are the primary commands for bug fixing:

  • @RepoBird basic <optional instructions>: Triggers a standard ("basic") run. RepoBird analyzes the Issue/PR context and your optional instructions to attempt a fix. This is great for straightforward bugs where the context is clear.

    @RepoBird basic Fix the typo in the main heading.

    Use Case: Fixing typos, correcting simple logical errors described in the Issue/PR, applying straightforward changes based on the context. If no instructions are given (@RepoBird basic), it relies solely on the Issue/PR title and body.

  • @RepoBird pro <optional instructions>: Triggers a "pro" run, often using more advanced AI models suitable for complex tasks. Provide detailed context or specific guidance in the command comment.

    @RepoBird pro The calculation on line 42 of `utils.py` should use `Decimal` instead of `float` to avoid precision errors. Please apply this fix.

    Use Case: Guiding RepoBird towards specific files/lines, suggesting libraries or approaches, handling complex logic, requesting more thorough analysis.

  • @RepoBird propose <optional instructions>: Asks RepoBird to analyze the Issue/PR and your instructions, then propose a fix by commenting back with a plan or code snippet, without immediately creating a Pull Request.

    @RepoBird propose a fix for the date formatting issue described above.

    Use Case: Getting an AI suggestion for a tricky bug, reviewing the intended changes before code generation, exploring potential solutions.

Note: The exact capabilities and differences between basic and pro runs depend on your subscription tier. Check the RepoBird Documentation for the latest details.

Example Scenario: Fixing a Calculation Error

Imagine an issue is reported:

Issue #123: Incorrect Total Price Calculation

Steps:

  1. Add item A ($10.50) to cart.
  2. Add item B ($5.25) to cart.
  3. Go to checkout.

Expected: Total price is $15.75. Actual: Total price is shown as $15.7499999999. Seems like a floating-point precision issue in cart_service.py.

You could comment on the issue (or a related PR):

@RepoBird pro Please ensure the total price calculation in `cart_service.py` uses a method suitable for currency to avoid floating-point errors. Consider using the `Decimal` type.

RepoBird would then:

  1. Read Issue #123 and your comment.
  2. Locate cart_service.py.
  3. Identify the calculation logic.
  4. Modify the code to use Decimal for price calculations.
  5. Create a pull request titled something like "Fix: Use Decimal for price calculation in cart_service.py" linked to Issue #123.

Benefits Recap

Automating bug fixes with RepoBird offers significant advantages:

  • Massive Time Savings: Reduces developer time spent on debugging and coding simple fixes.
  • Faster Resolution: Bugs get fixed and deployed more quickly.
  • Improved Focus: Engineers can concentrate on more strategic and complex tasks.
  • Consistency: Ensures fixes follow a standard process (issue -> command -> PR).

Get Started with Automated Bug Fixing

Ready to let RepoBird handle some of your bug backlog?

  1. Install the RepoBird GitHub App: Find it on the GitHub Marketplace.
  2. Grant Permissions: Allow RepoBird access to the repositories where you want it to operate.
  3. Start Commanding: Go to a bug issue or relevant PR and try @RepoBird basic <your instruction> or @RepoBird pro <your instruction>!

Check out our documentation for more detailed guides and advanced usage.

Conclusion

Bug fixing is essential, but it doesn't have to consume a disproportionate amount of your team's time. By integrating RepoBird into your workflow, you can automate the resolution of many common bugs, leading to faster development cycles and happier, more productive engineers. Give it a try and see how much time you can save!