made the pull-request gate configurable: added watcher.pullRequestGate (default true); set false for plain-git origins without pull-request refs, so requirePullRequest gates are ignored and gated branches build on new commits; added the PR-doc

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.claude/skills/architecture/SKILL.md

@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ The runtime is selected per branch behind the `BuildRunner` interface: `Dispatch
 
 ## Watcher
 
-`Watcher` replaces the legacy blocking main loop with a non-blocking fixed-delay poll cycle: fetch origin, enqueue due branches (changed local, recent new origin, due auto-build slots) via `BuildExecutor`, then prune results, artifacts, and stale worktrees. Branches with `branches.<name>.requirePullRequest` are enqueued only while their head commit matches a pull-request head, detected without an API token by listing `refs/pull/*/head` via `git ls-remote` (lazily, at most once per poll cycle); manual `build` commands bypass this gate. Nothing is scheduled until `Watcher.start()` is called explicitly (server/watch mode) — CLI commands and tests never start the loop. "Already built" is tracked via the result repository, not by moving local branch refs. Auto-build slot state lives in `.git/gittally/auto-builds.json`; watcher health is exposed via `Watcher.state()`.
+`Watcher` replaces the legacy blocking main loop with a non-blocking fixed-delay poll cycle: fetch origin, enqueue due branches (changed local, recent new origin, due auto-build slots) via `BuildExecutor`, then prune results, artifacts, and stale worktrees. Branches with `branches.<name>.requirePullRequest` are enqueued only while their head commit matches a pull-request head, detected without an API token by listing `refs/pull/*/head` via `git ls-remote` (lazily, at most once per poll cycle); manual `build` commands bypass this gate, and `watcher.pullRequestGate: false` disables it globally for plain-git origins without pull-request refs. Nothing is scheduled until `Watcher.start()` is called explicitly (server/watch mode) — CLI commands and tests never start the loop. "Already built" is tracked via the result repository, not by moving local branch refs. Auto-build slot state lives in `.git/gittally/auto-builds.json`; watcher health is exposed via `Watcher.state()`.
 
 ## System Metrics
 

docs/configuration.md

@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ watcher:
   pollInterval: 10s
   # max commit age for new origin branches to be pulled automatically
   newBranchMaxAge: 5d
+  # Honor the branches.<name>.requirePullRequest gates (see notes below).
+  # Set false for a plain git origin without pull-request refs (no Gitea/GitHub);
+  # gated branches then build on new commits like any other branch.
+  pullRequestGate: true
 
 # Per-branch build configuration.
 # Use "default" as the fallback for all branches not listed explicitly.
@@ -142,6 +146,9 @@ branches:
 
 Without the `main` override, direct pushes and merges to `main` would never build — merge commits do not match any pull-request head.
 
+A plain git origin (no Gitea/GitHub) serves no `refs/pull/*/head` at all, so gated branches would never build there.
+For such origins, disable all gates globally with `watcher.pullRequestGate: false` — typically in the machine-specific `.git/gittally/.gittally.yml`, so the committed configuration keeps the gates for forge-backed environments.
+
 ### Notes on `branches.<name>.docker`
 
 With `docker.enabled`, GitTally shells out to the `docker` CLI; the `docker` command must be on the `PATH`.

docs/prs/2026-07-08-PR#000-build-only-pull-request-branches.md

@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+# Build Only Branches with a Pull Request
+
+> **WARNING:** This document describes only the change applied in this PR.
+> It may already be outdated once the next PR is merged.
+> Historic PR-documentation is not maintained along with new PRs — treat it as a snapshot, not as current documentation.
+
+## The Problem
+
+The watcher builds every changed or recently created origin branch.
+On repositories with many work-in-progress branches this wastes build capacity on branches nobody asked to be verified.
+The desired policy is: only branches with a pull request get watcher builds.
+Detecting pull requests must not require a Gitea API token, so it must work for anonymous read access.
+
+## Non-Goals
+
+- Distinguishing open from closed pull requests (requires the Gitea API, see Open Questions).
+- Gating manual `gittally build <branch>` invocations; an explicit command always builds.
+- Building the merge preview commit (`refs/pull/<n>/merge`) instead of the branch head.
+
+## The Scenarios
+
+### Feature: watcher builds only pull-request branches
+
+#### Background
+
+- Gitea (like GitHub) exposes each pull request to plain git clients as a ref `refs/pull/<n>/head` pointing at the PR's head commit.
+- A branch "has a pull request" when its origin head commit equals one of those pull-request head commits.
+- The gate is configured per branch via `branches.<name>.requirePullRequest` (default `false`); setting it under `branches.default` applies it to all branches.
+
+#### Scenario#000.01: A gated branch with a pull request is built!
+
+So that pull-request branches get their commit status verified as before.
+
+- **Given** `requirePullRequest: true` applies to branch `feature/pr`
+  - **and** `feature/pr` has new commits on origin
+  - **and** a ref `refs/pull/<n>/head` on origin points at the head commit of `feature/pr`
+- **When** the watcher polls
+- **Then** a build of `feature/pr` at that head commit is enqueued
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [WatcherTest: "a branch requiring a pull request is only built when its head matches a pull-request head"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt)
+
+#### Scenario#000.02: A gated branch without a pull request is not built!
+
+So that work-in-progress branches do not consume build capacity.
+
+- **Given** `requirePullRequest: true` applies to branch `feature/no-pr`
+  - **and** `feature/no-pr` has new commits on origin
+  - **and** no `refs/pull/<n>/head` points at its head commit
+- **When** the watcher polls
+- **Then** no build is enqueued
+  - **and** the skip is logged
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [WatcherTest: "a branch requiring a pull request is only built when its head matches a pull-request head"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt)
+
+#### Scenario#000.03: Pull-request detection works without an API token!
+
+So that GitTally needs no Gitea credentials for this feature.
+
+- **Given** a git remote that serves `refs/pull/<n>/head` refs
+- **When** pull-request heads are queried
+- **Then** they are read via `git ls-remote origin "refs/pull/*/head"` using the existing git authentication (or none)
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [GitServiceTest: "pullRequestHeads returns the head commits of the remote's pull-request refs"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/git/GitServiceTest.kt)
+
+#### Scenario#000.04: Ungated setups make no extra remote calls!
+
+So that existing installations see no new network traffic.
+
+- **Given** no due branch has `requirePullRequest` set
+- **When** the watcher polls
+- **Then** `refs/pull/*/head` is not queried at all
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [WatcherTest: "pull-request refs are not queried when no due branch requires a pull request"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt)
+
+#### Scenario#000.05: A branch entry overrides the default!
+
+So that permanent branches like `main` keep building after merges, whose merge commits never match a pull-request head.
+
+- **Given** `branches.default.requirePullRequest: true`
+  - **and** `branches.main.requirePullRequest: false`
+- **When** `main` has new commits and the watcher polls
+- **Then** `main` is built without any pull-request check
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [WatcherTest: "a branch entry overrides requirePullRequest from the default entry"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt)
+
+#### Scenario#000.06: Auto builds respect the gate!
+
+So that scheduled rebuilds follow the same policy as push-triggered builds.
+
+- **Given** a branch with `autoBuild.enabled` and `requirePullRequest: true`
+  - **and** its head commit matches no pull-request head
+- **When** an auto-build slot becomes due
+- **Then** no build is enqueued
+  - **and** the slot stays untriggered, so it is retried on later poll cycles
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [WatcherTest: "an auto build requiring a pull request is skipped and its slot stays untriggered"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt)
+
+#### Scenario#000.07: The gate can be disabled globally for plain git origins!
+
+So that the same committed configuration works on environments whose origin is plain git without pull-request refs (no Gitea/GitHub), e.g. a local test server.
+
+- **Given** `requirePullRequest: true` applies to branch `feature/no-pr`
+  - **and** `watcher.pullRequestGate: false` is set (typically in the machine-specific `.git/gittally/.gittally.yml`)
+- **When** the watcher polls and `feature/no-pr` has new commits
+- **Then** a build is enqueued like for an ungated branch
+  - **and** `refs/pull/*/head` is not queried at all
+
+##### Verified by
+
+- [WatcherTest: "a disabled pull-request gate builds gated branches on plain-git origins without querying pull-request refs"](../../src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt)
+
+## The Solution
+
+`GitService.pullRequestHeads()` lists `refs/pull/*/head` on origin via `git ls-remote` and returns the set of head commit SHAs.
+The refs are read remotely instead of being fetched, because the default fetch refspec only covers `refs/heads/*` and mirroring pull refs locally would bloat every clone.
+The watcher's `startBuildIfDue` gate compares the branch's origin head commit against that set when the resolved branch config has `requirePullRequest`.
+The set is computed lazily and shared across one poll cycle, so `ls-remote` runs at most once per cycle and only when a gated branch is otherwise due.
+The new config key lives in `BranchConfig` with default `false`, so the feature is opt-in and existing configurations behave unchanged.
+`watcher.pullRequestGate` (default `true`) turns all `requirePullRequest` gates off globally, because a plain git origin serves no `refs/pull/*/head` and gated branches would otherwise never build there; being a property of the environment, it is typically set in the machine-specific `.git/gittally/.gittally.yml`.
+Config reference, `init` templates, and `CLAUDE.md` were updated in sync, including the recommended setup (`default: true`, `main: false`).
+
+## Open Questions
+
+- Closed pull requests whose head ref still equals the branch head also pass the gate, because matching is by commit id only; distinguishing open from closed would require the Gitea API. Currently implemented: any matching `refs/pull/<n>/head` counts.
+- A due auto-build slot of a gated branch without a pull request is re-checked every poll cycle for the rest of the day instead of being marked as skipped. Currently implemented: the slot stays untriggered, mirroring the behavior while a build is still running.
+
+## Follow-up PRs
+
+- Optionally use the Gitea API (when a token is configured) to restrict the gate to *open* pull requests.

src/main/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/commands/InitCommand.kt

@@ -152,6 +152,9 @@ class InitCommand(
               pollInterval: 10s
               # max commit age for new origin branches to be pulled automatically
               newBranchMaxAge: 5d
+              # honor branches.<name>.requirePullRequest; set false for a plain git origin
+              # without pull-request refs (refs/pull/*/head) — gated branches then build on new commits
+              pullRequestGate: true
 
             # Per-branch build configuration.
             # Use "default" as the fallback for all branches not listed explicitly.

src/main/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/config/GitTallyConfig.kt

@@ -49,6 +49,13 @@ data class WatcherConfig(
     /** Delay between poll cycles, e.g. `10s` or `1m`. */
     val pollInterval: String = "10s",
     val newBranchMaxAge: String = "5d",
+    /**
+     * Honor the `branches.<name>.requirePullRequest` gates. Set false for a plain git
+     * origin without pull-request refs (no Gitea/GitHub) — gated branches then build
+     * on new commits like any other branch. Typically overridden per machine in
+     * `.git/gittally/.gittally.yml` when the committed config enables the gates.
+     */
+    val pullRequestGate: Boolean = true,
 )
 
 data class BranchConfig(

src/main/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/Watcher.kt

@@ -175,7 +175,9 @@ class Watcher(
      * repository, not by resetting the local ref like legacy. A new commit for a
      * branch that is still pending/running waits for a later cycle (queue-behind).
      * With `requirePullRequest`, the branch head must match a pull-request head on
-     * origin (`refs/pull/<n>/head`); manual `build` commands bypass this gate.
+     * origin (`refs/pull/<n>/head`); manual `build` commands bypass this gate, and
+     * `watcher.pullRequestGate: false` disables it globally for plain-git origins
+     * without pull-request refs.
      */
     private fun startBuildIfDue(
         branch: String,
@@ -192,7 +194,10 @@ class Watcher(
         if (!allowSameCommit && latest?.commit == commit) {
             return false
         }
-        if (branchConfig(config, branch).requirePullRequest && commit !in pullRequestHeads.value) {
+        if (config.watcher.pullRequestGate &&
+            branchConfig(config, branch).requirePullRequest &&
+            commit !in pullRequestHeads.value
+        ) {
             log.info("not enqueueing branch {}: no pull request has head commit {}", branch, commit)
             return false
         }

src/test/kotlin/de/hoennig/gittally/watcher/WatcherTest.kt

@@ -256,6 +256,24 @@ class WatcherTest : FunSpec() {
             verify(exactly = 0) { harness.gitService.pullRequestHeads(any()) }
         }
 
+        test("a disabled pull-request gate builds gated branches on plain-git origins without querying pull-request refs") {
+            val harness =
+                Harness(
+                    GitTallyConfig(
+                        watcher = WatcherConfig(pullRequestGate = false),
+                        branches = mapOf("default" to BranchConfig(requirePullRequest = true)),
+                    ),
+                )
+            every { harness.gitService.originBranches(any()) } returns listOf("feature/no-pr")
+            every { harness.gitService.newOriginBranches(any(), any()) } returns listOf("feature/no-pr")
+            every { harness.gitService.originHeadCommit("feature/no-pr", any()) } returns "commit-solo"
+
+            harness.watcher.poll(harness.workingDir)
+
+            harness.startedBuilds shouldContainExactly listOf("feature/no-pr" to "commit-solo")
+            verify(exactly = 0) { harness.gitService.pullRequestHeads(any()) }
+        }
+
         test("a branch entry overrides requirePullRequest from the default entry") {
             val harness =
                 Harness(