Patronus keeps your integration branch(es) green by monitoring your pull requests. When a pull request is reviewed and approved by a team member, Patronus creates a merge commit, runs the tests, and fast-forwards if the tests pass. Simple.
At a high level, Patronus should need to store no state for any particular build. The only persisted data should be ACL/Auth-related. Everything else should be done in response to webhooks/page views.
Patronus should not be seek to serve a million users in a single instance. Instead, it should be incredibly simple to deploy to heroku for an individual/team.
Also, commenting on PRs is rude. Patronus shouldn't do that, and optionally could delete the command comments. (If configured to comment, allow also configuring the GH user to do it as.)
Has an associated oauth token to use (the person who authorized). List of reviewers.
Optionally, run a test against incoming PRs.
If is approval (@patronus :+1:) by an admin, create a new ref (patronus-HEAD_SHA) from master, merge in the approved commit. In the merge commit message, track the exact message, so we know what actions to take once testing is finished. Also, create a pending status for the PR ref, with the URL pointing to the PR/commit page on Patronus for that commit.
Likewise, if :+1: branch=branch_name.
Likewise, if test. But this wont cause the target branch to be fast-forwarded to the merge even if it passes.
If :-1:, set Marhsal's status for the merged ref to failed.
Get the combined status for the ref. If it passed, introspect the commit message. If it has a @patronus :+1:, fast forward the target branch to that commit.
Set the build status of the PR commit to the result of that ref. If configured, send a slack message / post a comment on the PR (and then optionally delete it :P).
If a patronus- branch, delete it.
List the admin users (and modify that list, if an admin. Use GH auth.) Optionally, be able to set a GH auth token / name / email for the merge commits?
List all builds for that PR. Optionally, store a set of junit reports that could be rendered (per built commit).