Apply and verify¶
Use apply only after the immediately preceding plan is understood. Octoform
uses the plan it just produced for confirmation and execution; it does not hide
an independent mutation path behind the command.
Apply to the same repository¶
Review the displayed plan again. Enter y only when every executable change is
expected. Any other answer declines the operation and exits without mutation.
Do not use --yes for this first run. That option belongs in a protected
automation path where configuration review, plan retention, credentials, and
environment approval replace the interactive prompt.
Inspect the result¶
Octoform reports each attempted change separately. A successful operation does not prove that an independent operation succeeded, and partial failures are not rolled back automatically.
Confirm the setting in GitHub, then produce the same narrow plan again:
An idempotent result contains no remaining change for
delete_branch_on_merge. This second plan is the verification step.
Recover from failure¶
If an operation fails:
- Record the affected repository, field, requested value, and GitHub error without copying credentials.
- Inspect which independent operations succeeded.
- Correct permissions, repository state, or policy.
- Run a new plan; do not assume the original plan is still current.
- Apply only the newly reviewed executable changes.
Octoform does not invent a rollback because the previous state may no longer be valid and another actor may have changed the repository after observation.
Continue safely¶
- Learn tri-state values and precedence.
- Adopt the complete plan and apply procedure.
- Choose a broader validated example.
- Design a protected automation workflow.