GitHub Copilot application automations can automate the daily review of pull requests opened by Dependabot. The automation groups updates according to their risks, separates safe patch and minor version upgrades, checks the CI status, and provides a brief summary.
The user gives the automation a name, specifies how often it should run and the environment in which it will operate, and defines the task in natural language; they then select the repository to be analyzed. The results show dependencies requiring additional review, and a Copilot session can be started directly for major upgrades. Saving each run allows the actions performed and the results to be reviewed later.
Why it matters
Rather than handling dependency updates one by one, this approach organizes them according to risk and version type, clarifying which requests should be allocated for human review during maintenance processes. For teams that receive a large number of Dependabot requests in particular, viewing CI results and automation summaries in the same workflow could make it easier to separate changes requiring additional review. Because saved runs allow the actions performed to be audited later, they are also important for the traceability of automated decisions. At the same time, directing major version upgrades straight to a Copilot session shows that these changes still require more comprehensive evaluation. The open question is which risk criteria teams will use to set the threshold for additional review and how they will validate the automation results.