Context

We have recently introduced the possibility to push branches created by Batch Changes to a fork of the repository, rather than the repository itself.

This was built as an MVP to address:

• Most users do not have write permission on all repositories, so branch creation fails for them (https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/544)
• Some companies enforce that all PRs created by automation are opened on forks. (https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/565, https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/4778 )

Problem

The current MVP state is the end state solution for companies that mandate using forks for all repositories. It's not a fully mature solution though for users that don't have write-permission on all repositories and only want to use forks in some cases. In particular:

• not all users want to use forks
• a given user wants to use forks, but only for a specific batch change
• a user wants to create forks, only if they're missing permissions
• site admins aren't aware of the fork setting, or don't set it up, resulting in https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/40922 not being solved despite the current minimal fork support (e.g. https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/544)

Impacted customers

• https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/6859 (insight)
• https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/544
• https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/6716
• https://github.com/sourcegraph/accounts/issues/7485

Next iteration

• Introduce a fork attribute, allowing users to specify the fork
• The site admin settingenforceForks allows admins to force that all branches are created on forks.
  • TBD: Add a UI message that surfaces this to the user? "Some changesets have been created on a fork because ..."
• Allow forks to be deleted when a Batch Change is closed or deleted (Source Control hygiene)

The fork attribute behaves in the way proposed by @LawnGnome (whose legacy lives on forever):

changesetTemplate:
  fork: foo           # forks into the `foo` organisation/user, assuming the
                      # user has permission
  fork: LawnGnome     # forks into the user's namespace as well (assuming the
                      # user is LawnGnome), but explicitly by name
  fork: user          # forks into the user's namespace, same as the current
                      # switch

Tracked issues

@unassigned

• https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/27090
  • (🏁 159 days ago) https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/50850

Completed

• (🏁 756 days ago) https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/24466
• (🏁 615 days ago) https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/27348

@adeola-ak

Completed

• (🏁 132 days ago) https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/50849

@courier-new

Completed

• (🏁 132 days ago) https://github.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/issues/50849