Ask Proofline to investigate

Describe a symptom in a pull request comment or in your connected Slack channel, and Proofline investigates it in one environment. The answer arrives where you asked once Proofline records the result. It lists the changes to check first, names a likely cause only when one was validated, and links to the investigation.

Before you ask#

• On a pull request: you need write access to the repository, and the repository must belong to a Proofline environment.
• In Slack: an administrator must set up Slack delivery, and your Slack account must be linked to an active member of the organization. If your account is not linked, mentioning Proofline sends you a private account link, and nothing starts.

Ask on a pull request#

1. Start a comment on the pull request with a mention of Proofline, then write investigate and the symptom, for example @proofline investigate checkout returns 502. The comment can be on the conversation or in a review comment thread.
2. If the repository belongs to several environments, name one of them as a separate word or phrase, by the name Proofline shows for it or by its key, for example @proofline investigate production: checkout returns 502.

Proofline posts nothing when the investigation starts. Its only reply is the answer.

If the symptom names no environment, or names more than one, the reply lists each of the repository's environments by name and key, and nothing starts. Comment again with one of them. If no environment includes the repository, the reply says so; link the repository to an environment first.

A commenter without write access starts nothing. If they are a collaborator on the repository, the reply says that write access is required.

Ask in Slack#

1. In the connected channel, mention Proofline with your question, for example @Proofline checkout returns 502 since noon. Mention it in a new message or in a thread.
2. If the organization has several environments, name one of them as a separate word or phrase, by the name Proofline shows for it or by its key, for example @Proofline production: checkout returns 502.

A mention in a thread opened by Discuss in Slack, or in a deployment approval thread, asks about that review instead and starts no investigation. See Link your account and discuss a review.

If the question names no environment, or names more than one, Proofline replies in your thread, where the channel can see it, and lists each environment by name and key. Nothing starts. Ask again with one of them. A mention with no question, or with a question that is too long, gets a reply in the same place that says what to send.

Read the answer#

On a pull request, Proofline posts one comment when it records the result: on the pull request's conversation, or in the review comment thread where you asked. In Slack, it replies in your thread, or in a new thread under your message.

The answer names a likely cause only when Proofline's validation accepted it. That change comes first, with the timeline entries it cites, and the other leads follow. Otherwise the answer says that a cause was not established and lists the ranked leads, most likely first. A lead is a change to check first, not an established cause.

The answer shows at most ten leads, counts the rest, and ends with a link to the investigation page. On a pull request, a commit lead shows its short commit SHA, linked to its review when it has one. A commit lead in the pull request's own repository also shows its pull request's number when Proofline recorded one. A commit lead without a review says when the change was deployed to the environment or, if no deploy carried it, when it landed. A configuration lead says when the configuration changed. In Slack, the answer names no repository or commit, because channel members may lack access to them: a reviewed commit lead links its review, and other leads show only their kind and when they were deployed or landed.

A question names no alert, so the investigation reads no alert telemetry. The answer also omits the evidence Proofline could not read. Open the investigation page to read the timeline, the evidence and any setup action. Find an environment's investigations explains that page.

An answer without a likely cause, or without leads, does not show that nothing changed or that the environment is healthy.

In Slack, Proofline withholds the answer when the channel was changed or disconnected, or when your account link or membership ended. The investigation still appears on the environment's Investigations page.