Running the PipelineRun #

Pipelines as Code (PAC) can be used to run pipelines on events such as pushes or pull requests. When an event occurs, PAC will try to match it to any PipelineRuns located in the .tekton directory of your repository that are annotated with the appropriate event type.

The PipelineRuns definitions are fetched from the .tekton directory at the root of you repository from where the event come from, this is unless you have configured the provenance from the default branch on you Repository CR.

For example, if a PipelineRun has this annotation:

    pipelinesascode.tekton.dev/on-event: "[pull_request]"

it will be matched when a pull request is created and run on the cluster, as long as the submitter is allowed to run it.

The rules for determining whether a submitter is allowed to run a PipelineRun on CI are as follows. Any of the following conditions will allow a submitter to run a PipelineRun on CI:

The author of the pull request is the owner of the repository.
The author of the pull request is a collaborator on the repository.
The author of the pull request is a public or private member of the organization that owns the repository.
The author of the pull request has permissions to push to branches inside the repository.
The author of the pull request is listed in an OWNER file located in the root directory of the branch that is configured as the default branch on GitHub or your other provider. The OWNER file follows the Prow OWNERS file format, and Pipelines as Code will allow a contributor to run a PipelineRun if they are listed in the approvers or reviewers sections.
For example, if the approvers section of your OWNERS file in the main or master branch of your repository looks like this:
```
approvers:
  - approved
```
then the user approved will be allowed.

If the pull request author does not have the necessary permissions to run a PipelineRun, another user who does have the necessary permissions can comment /ok-to-test on the pull request to run the PipelineRun.

If you are using the GitHub Apps and have installed it on an organization, Pipelines as Code will only be triggered if it detects a Repo CR that matches one of the repositories in a URL on a repository that belongs to the organization where the GitHub App has been installed. Otherwise, Pipelines as Code will not be triggered.

PipelineRun Execution #

The PipelineRun will always run in the namespace of the Repository CRD associated with the repo that generated the event.

You can follow the execution of your PipelineRun with the tkn pac cli :

tkn pac logs -n my-pipeline-ci -L

If you need to show another pipelinerun than the last one you can use the tkn pac logs command and it will ask you to select a PipelineRun attached to the repository :

tkn pac logs -n my-pipeline-ci

If you have set-up Pipelines as Code with the Tekton Dashboard or on OpenShift using the OpenShift Console. Pipelines as Code will post a URL in the Checks tab for GitHub apps to let you click on it and follow the pipeline execution directly there.

Restarting the PipelineRun #

You can restart a PipelineRun without having to send a new commit to your branch or pull_request.

GitHub APPS #

If you are using the GitHub apps method, you have the option to access the “Checks” tab where you can find an upper right button labeled “Re-Run”. By clicking on this button, you can trigger Pipelines as Code to respond and recommence testing the PipelineRun.

This feature enables you to either rerun a particular pipeline or execute the entire suite of checks once again.

github apps rerun check

Gitops command on pull or merge request #

If you are targetting a pull or merge request you can use GitOps comment inside your pull request, to restart all or specific Pipelines.

For example you want to restart all your pipeline you can add a comment starting with /retest and all PipelineRun attached to that pull or merge request will be restarted :

Example :

Thanks for contributing, This is a much needed bugfix, and we love it ❤️ The
failure is not with your PR but seems to be an infra issue.

/retest

If you have multiple PipelineRun and you want to target a specific PipelineRun you can use the /test comment, example:

roses are red, violets are blue. pipeline are bound to flake by design.

/test <pipelinerun-name>

Cancelling the PipelineRun #

You can cancel a running PipelineRun by commenting on the PullRequest.

For example if you want to cancel all your PipelinerRuns you can add a comment starting with /cancel and all PipelineRun attached to that pull or merge request will be cancelled.

Example :

It seems the infra is down, so cancelling the pipelineruns.

/cancel

If you have multiple PipelineRun and you want to target a specific PipelineRun you can use the /cancel comment with the PipelineRun name

Example:

roses are red, violets are blue. why to run the pipeline when the infra is down.

/cancel <pipelinerun-name>

On GitHub App the status of the Pipeline will be set to cancelled.

pipelinerun canceled