Automate Your GitHub Workflows with Floci

Ever feel like you're doing the same manual tasks in your GitHub repos over and over? Updating labels, closing stale issues, or managing pull requests can become a real time sink. What if you could automate those repetitive actions without writing a single line of YAML for GitHub Actions or spinning up a dedicated server? That's the itch Floci aims to scratch.

It's a lightweight, serverless automation tool that listens to events in your repositories and performs actions for you. Think of it as a simple, focused automation buddy for your GitHub projects.

What It Does

Floci is a GitHub App that you install on your repositories. Once installed, you configure "flows" – these are essentially rules that say, "When this event happens, do that action."

For example, you can create a flow that automatically adds a needs-triage label to every newly opened issue. Or one that posts a welcome comment on a first-time contributor's pull request. The actions are triggered by common GitHub webhooks like issues, pull_request, and discussion events.

Why It's Cool

The clever part is the simplicity. Floci's power comes from its straightforward configuration. You define your automation logic in a simple floci.json file placed in your repository. This keeps your automation co-located with your code, version-controlled, and easy to understand.

Here’s a taste of what a flow looks like in that config:

{
  "flows": [
    {
      "name": "Label New Issues",
      "on": "issues.opened",
      "actions": [
        {
          "type": "add-label",
          "label": "needs-triage"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

No complex CI/CD pipeline syntax. It's declarative and gets right to the point. This makes it incredibly accessible for automating small to medium tasks that don't require the full power and complexity of a CI system.

Key Use Cases:

• Auto-labeling issues and PRs based on title, content, or author.
• Sending automated comments (think welcome messages or reminders).
• Managing stale issues or discussions.
• Synchronizing labels or milestones across repositories.
• Basic project board management.

How to Try It

Getting started is pretty straightforward:

1. Install the GitHub App: Head over to the Floci GitHub App page and install it on your personal account or organization. You can choose to give it access to all repos or just select ones.
2. Create a floci.json file: In the root of your chosen repository, create a file named floci.json.
3. Define your first flow: Populate the file with a simple flow, like the auto-labeling example above.
4. Push and watch: Commit and push the file. The next time the triggering event (like an issues.opened) occurs, Floci will spring into action.

That's it. The configuration lives in your repo, and Floci's infrastructure handles the rest, serverlessly.

Final Thoughts

Floci isn't meant to replace GitHub Actions for build, test, and deployment pipelines. Instead, it's a perfect companion for those lighter, workflow-oriented tasks that live in the gaps between code changes. It removes the friction of setting up automation for mundane chores.

If you've ever thought, "I wish this repo would just handle this small thing automatically," give Floci a look. It's a pragmatic tool that solves a specific problem well, and sometimes that's exactly what you need to keep your project's maintenance overhead low.

@githubprojects