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❓ Frequently Asked Questions — Early-Catch (GitHub Action)

This page covers PR-specific behavior.
For shared questions (API keys, tokens, install), see the Fundamentals FAQ.

🔐 Do I need a GitHub token even if auto-commit is disabled?​

Yes. The token input is always required to read PR metadata and post the summary comment.
Use:

token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

For token scopes and alternatives, see Token Requirements

🔑 Where do I get my API key?​

See API Key

🔔 Which PR event should I use to trigger Early-Catch?​

Recommended:

  • ready_for_review — if you use Draft PRs
  • opened — if PRs are opened when ready

Avoid synchronize unless you want to retry on every commit.

See Trigger example

See Event Type Guidance

🎯 What’s the current coverage threshold?​

0%.
Early-Catch only targets functions with zero coverage today.
Threshold will be configurable in a future release.

🌐 Which languages are supported?​

  • ✅ JavaScript
  • ✅ TypeScript
  • 🟡 Python (coming soon)

No support for other languages yet.

🧪 Which test frameworks are supported?​

  • ✅ Jest (required today)
  • 🟡 Vitest (coming soon)
  • ⚪ Mocha (planned)

If Jest isn’t configured, test generation won’t run.

📝 Will it overwrite my existing test files?​

No. It only generates new test files.
Existing files are left unchanged.

📂 Where are test files stored?​

Set with test-structure:

  • siblingFolder - next to source file
  • rootFolder - centralized tests/ folder

See Test Structure

📦 Will every PR always generate tests?​

No. Only if the PR includes zero-covered functions.
Otherwise, the action finishes without writing files.

✅ Will it ever commit broken tests?​

Never.
Only tests that compile cleanly and pass Jest are committed.

👀 Can I review the tests before commit?​

Yes. Set:

auto-commit: false

This will skip auto-commit so you can review changes manually.

🧱 Does it support monorepos?​

Yes — if each workspace/package has a valid Jest config.
Early-Catch runs Jest per-package for coverage analysis.

💻 Can I run Early-Catch locally?​

No. Use the Early CLI instead for local or non-GitHub CI environments.

🧹 What if my repo has lint/format rules?​

Use the following inputs to auto-fix files before validation/commit:

InputPurpose
lint-commandESLint fixes (e.g., eslint $early_filename --fix)
prettier-commandFormatting (e.g., prettier $early_filename --write)

If not set, commits may fail if hooks or CI block unformatted files.

💬 Still need help?​