Dependabot options reference

About the dependabot.yml file

The dependabot.yml file defines how Dependabot maintains dependencies using version updates. In addition, all options marked with a icon also change how Dependabot creates pull requests for security updates, except where target-branch is used.

The Dependabot configuration file, dependabot.yml, uses YAML syntax. If you're new to YAML and want to learn more, see Learn YAML in five minutes.

You must store this file in the .github directory of your repository in the default branch. When you add or update the dependabot.yml file, this triggers an immediate check for version updates. For more information and an example, see Configuring Dependabot version updates.

Required keys

Optionally, you can also include a top-level registries key to define access details for private registries, see Top-level registries key.

# Basic `dependabot.yml` file with
# minimum configuration for two package managers

version: 2
updates:
  # Enable version updates for npm
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    # Look for `package.json` and `lock` files in the `root` directory
    directory: "/"
    # Check the npm registry for updates every day (weekdays)
    schedule:
      interval: "daily"

  # Enable version updates for Docker
  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    # Look for a `Dockerfile` in the `root` directory
    directory: "/"
    # Check for updates once a week
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"

# Basic `dependabot.yml` file with
# minimum configuration for two package managers

version: 2
updates:
  # Enable version updates for npm
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    # Look for `package.json` and `lock` files in the `root` directory
    directory: "/"
    # Check the npm registry for updates every day (weekdays)
    schedule:
      interval: "daily"

  # Enable version updates for Docker
  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    # Look for a `Dockerfile` in the `root` directory
    directory: "/"
    # Check for updates once a week
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"

For a real-world example of a dependabot.yml file, see Dependabot's own configuration file.

allow

Use to define exactly which dependencies to maintain for a package ecosystem. Often used with the ignore option. For examples, see Controlling which dependencies are updated by Dependabot.

Dependabot default behavior:

• All dependencies explicitly defined in a manifest are kept up to date by version updates.
• All dependencies defined in lock files with vulnerable dependencies are updated by security updates.

When allow is specified Dependabot uses the following process:

1. Check for all explicitly allowed dependencies.

2. Then filter out any ignored dependencies or versions.

   If a dependency is matched by an allow and an ignore statement, then it is ignored.

dependency-name (allow)

For most package managers, you should define a value that will match the dependency name specified in the lock or manifest file. A few systems have more complex requirements.

dependency-type (allow)

assignees

Specify individual assignees for all pull requests raised for a package ecosystem. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Pull requests are created without any assignees.

When assignees is defined:

• All pull requests for version updates are created with the chosen assignees.
• All pull requests for security updates are created with the chosen assignees, unless target-branch defines updates to a non-default branch.

Assignees must have write access to the repository. For organization-owned repositories, organization members with read access are also valid assignees.

commit-message

Define the format for commit messages. Since the titles of pull requests are written based on commit messages, this setting also impacts the titles of pull requests. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Commit messages follow similar patterns to those detected in the repository.

When commit-message is defined:

• All commit messages follow the defined pattern.
• All commit messages follow the defined pattern, unless target-branch defines updates to a non-default branch.

prefix

• Used for all commit messages unless prefix-development is also defined.
• Value can be up to 50 characters.
• Dependabot inserts a colon after the prefix before adding the main commit message when the value ends with a letter, number, closing parenthesis, or closing bracket.
• End the value with a whitespace character to stop a colon being added.

prefix-development

Supported by: bundler, composer, mix, maven, npm, and pip.

• Used only for commit messages that update dependencies in the Development dependency group.
• Otherwise, the parameter behaves exactly as the prefix parameter.

include

• Supports only the value scope
• When defined any prefix is followed by the type of dependencies updated in the commit: deps or deps-dev.

directories or directory

Required option. Use to define the location of the package manifests for each package manager (for example, the package.json or Gemfile). Without this information Dependabot cannot create pull requests for version updates. For examples, see Defining multiple locations for manifest files.

• Use directory to define a single directory of manifests.
• Use directories to define a list of multiple directories of manifests.
• Define directories relative to the root of the repository for most package managers.
• For GitHub Actions, use the value /. Dependabot will search the /.github/workflows directory, as well as the action.yml/action.yaml file from the root directory.

If you need to use more than one block in the configuration file to define updates for a single target branch of an ecosystem, you must ensure that all values are unique and there is no overlap in directories defined.

enable-beta-ecosystems

Not currently in use.

groups

Define rules to create one or more sets of dependencies managed by a package manager, to group updates into fewer, targeted pull requests. For examples, see Optimizing the creation of pull requests for Dependabot version updates.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Open a single pull request for each dependency that needs to be updated to a newer version for version updates and for security updates.

When groups is used to define rules:

• All updates for dependencies that match a rule are combined in a single pull request.
• If a dependency matches more than one rule, it's included in the first group that it matches.
• Any outdated dependencies that do not match a rule are updated in individual pull requests.

dependency-type (groups)

Supported by: bundler, composer, mix, maven, npm, and pip.

By default, a group will include all types of dependencies.

• Use development to include only dependencies in the "Development dependency group".
• Use production to include only dependencies in the "Production dependency group".

patterns and exclude-patterns (groups)

Both options support using * as a wild card to define matches with dependency names. If a dependency matches both a pattern and an exclude-pattern, then it is excluded from the group.

update-types (groups)

By default, a group will include updates for all semantic versions (SemVer). SemVer is an accepted standard for defining versions of software packages, in the form x.y.z. Dependabot assumes that versions in this form are always major.minor.patch.

• Use patch to include patch releases.
• Use minor to include minor releases.
• Use major to include major releases.

For examples, see Controlling which dependencies are updated by Dependabot.

ignore

Use with the allow option to define exactly which dependencies to maintain for a package ecosystem. Dependabot checks for all allowed dependencies and then filters out any ignored dependencies or versions. So a dependency that is matched by both an allow and an ignore will be ignored. For examples, see Controlling which dependencies are updated by Dependabot.

Dependabot default behavior:

• All dependencies explicitly defined in a manifest are kept up to date by version updates.
• All dependencies defined in lock files with vulnerable dependencies are updated by security updates.

When ignore is used Dependabot uses the following process:

1. Check for all explicitly allowed dependencies.

2. Then filter out any ignored dependencies or versions.

   If a dependency is matched by an allow and an ignore statement, then it is ignored.

dependency-name (ignore)

For most package managers, you should define a value that will match the dependency name specified in the lock or manifest file. A few systems have more complex requirements.

versions (ignore)

Use to ignore specific versions or ranges of versions. If you want to define a range, use the standard pattern for the package manager. For example:

• npm: use ^1.0.0
• Bundler: use ~> 2.0
• Docker: use Ruby version syntax
• NuGet: use 7.*

For examples, see Controlling which dependencies are updated by Dependabot.

update-types (ignore)

Specify which semantic versions (SemVer) to ignore. SemVer is an accepted standard for defining versions of software packages, in the form x.y.z. Dependabot assumes that versions in this form are always major.minor.patch.

• Use patch to include patch releases.
• Use minor to include minor releases.
• Use major to include major releases.

insecure-external-code-execution

Supported by: bundler, mix, and pip.

Allow Dependabot to execute external code in the manifest during updates. For examples, see Allowing external code execution.

Dependabot default behavior:

• When you give Dependabot access to one or more registries, external code execution is automatically disabled to protect your code from compromised packages.
• Version updates may fail without the ability to execute code.

When you allow insecure-external-code-execution:

• Dependabot will execute code in the manifest as part of the version update process.
• The code has access to only the package managers in the registries associated with that updatessetting. There is no access allowed to any of the registries defined in the top level registries configuration.
• This should enable the update to succeed but also could allow a compromised package to steal credentials or gain access to configured registries.

Supported value: allow.

labels

Specify your own labels for all pull requests raised for a package manager. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• All pull requests have a dependencies label.
• If you define more than one package manager, an additional label for the ecosystem or language is added to each pull request. For example: java for Gradle updates and submodules for git submodule updates.
• Dependabot creates these default labels automatically, as necessary in your repository.

When labels is defined:

• The labels specified are used instead of the default labels.
• If any of these labels is not defined in the repository, it is ignored.
• You can disable all labels, including the default labels, using labels: [ ].

Setting this option will also affect pull requests for security updates to the manifest files of this package manager, unless you use target-branch to check for version updates on a non-default branch.

milestone

Associate all pull requests raised for a package manager with a milestone. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• No milestones are used.

When milestone is defined:

• All pull requests for the package manager are added to the milestone.

Supported value: the numeric identifier of a milestone.

open-pull-requests-limit

Change the limit on the maximum number of pull requests for version updates open at any time.

Dependabot default behavior:

• If five pull requests with version updates are open, no further pull requests are raised until some of those open requests are merged or closed.
• Security updates have a separate, internal limit of ten open pull requests which cannot be changed.

When open-pull-requests-limit is defined:

• Dependabot opens pull requests up to the defined integer value.
• You can temporarily disable version updates for a package manager by setting this option to zero, see Disabling Dependabot version updates.

package-ecosystem

Required option. Define one package-ecosystem element for each package manager that you want Dependabot to monitor for new versions. The repository must also contain a dependency manifest or lock file for each package manager, see Example dependabot.yml file.

pull-request-branch-name.separator

Specify a separator to use when generating branch names. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Generate branch names of the form: dependabot/PACKAGE_MANAGER/DEPENDENCY

When pull-request-branch-name.separator is defined:

• Use the specified character in place of /.

Supported values: "-", _, /

rebase-strategy

Disable automatic rebasing of pull requests raised by Dependabot.

Dependabot default behavior is to rebase open pull requests when Dependabot detects any changes to a version or security update pull request. Dependabot checks for changes when:

• Your schedule runs to check for version updates.
• You reopen a closed Dependabot pull request.
• You change the value of target-branch in the Dependabot configuration file, see target-branch.
• A Dependabot pull request is in conflict after a recent push to the target branch.

When rebase-strategy is set to disabled, Dependabot stops rebasing pull requests.

registries

Configure access to private package registries to allow Dependabot to update a wider range of dependencies, see Configuring access to private registries for Dependabot and Guidance for the configuration of private registries for Dependabot.

There are 2 locations in the dependabot.yml file where you can use the registries key:

1. At the top level, where you define the private registries you want to use and their access information, see Configuring access to private registries for Dependabot.
2. Within the updates blocks, where you can specify which private registries each package manager should use.

Dependabot default behavior is to raise pull requests only to update dependencies stored in publicly accessible registries.

When the Dependabot configuration file has a top-level registries section, defining access to one or more private registries, you can configure each package-ecosystem to use one or more of these private registries.

When registries is defined for a package manager:

• Each private registry specified for a package manager is checked for version and security updates.
• Dependabot uses the access details defined in the top-level registries section.

Supported values: REGISTRY_NAME or "*"

reviewers

Specify individual reviewers, or teams of reviewers, for all pull requests raised for a package manager. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Pull requests are created without any reviewers assigned.

When reviewers is defined:

• All pull requests for version updates are created with the chosen reviewers.
• All pull requests for security updates are created with the chosen reviewers, unless target-branch defines updates to a non-default branch.

Reviewers must have at least read access to the repository.

schedule

Required option. Define how often to check for new versions for each package manager you configure using the interval parameter. Optionally, for daily and weekly intervals, you can customize when Dependabot checks for updates. For examples, see Optimizing the creation of pull requests for Dependabot version updates.

interval

Supported values: daily, weekly, or monthly

Each package manager must define a schedule interval.

• Use daily to run on every weekday, Monday to Friday.
• Use weekly to run once a week, by default on Monday.
• Use monthly to run on the first day of each month.

By default, Dependabot randomly assigns a time to apply all the updates in the configuration file. You can use the time and timezone parameters to set a specific runtime for all intervals.

day

Supported values: monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, or sunday

Optionally, run weekly updates for a package manager on a specific day of the week.

time

Format: hh:mm

Optionally, run all updates for a package manager at a specific time of day. By default, times are interpreted as UTC.

timezone

Specify a time zone for the time value.

The time zone identifier must match a timezone in the database maintained by iana, see List of tz database time zones.

target-branch

Define a specific branch to check for version updates and to target pull requests for version updates against. For examples, see Customizing Dependabot pull requests to fit your processes.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Dependabot uses the default branch for the repository, see About the default branch.

When target-branch is defined:

• Only manifest files on the target branch are checked for version updates.
• All pull requests for version updates are opened targetting the specified branch.
• Options defined for this package-ecosystem no longer apply to security updates because security updates always use the default branch for the repository.

vendor

Supported by: bundler and gomod only.

Tell Dependabot to maintain your vendored dependencies as well as the dependencies defined by manifest files. A dependency is described as "vendored" or "cached" when you store the code within your repository, see bundle cache documentation and go mod vendor documentation.

For examples, see Controlling which dependencies are updated by Dependabot.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Maintain only dependencies recorded in the manifest and lock files identified for Bundler.
• Raise security and version update pull requests that update the version numbers recorded in the manifest and lock files.
• For Go modules, any vendored dependencies are automatically identified and maintained as if vendor was enabled.

When vendor is enabled:

• Dependabot also maintains dependencies for Bundler that are stored in the _vendor/cache_ directory in the repository.
• Pull requests will sometimes contain updates to a dependency that is stored in the repository.

Supported values: true or false

versioning-strategy

Supported by: bundler, cargo, composer, mix, npm, pip, pub

Define how Dependabot should edit manifest files. For examples, see Controlling which dependencies are updated by Dependabot.

Dependabot default behavior:

• Try to differentiate between app and library dependencies.
• For apps, always increase the minimum version requirement to match the new version. The increase strategy.
• For libraries, widen the allowed version requirements to include both the new and old versions, when possible. The widen strategy.

When versioning-strategy is defined, Dependabot uses the strategy specified.

For example, if the current version is 1.0.0 and the current constraint is ^1.0.0 the different strategies would raise the following updates:

New version 1.2.0

• increase: new constraint ^1.2.0
• increase-if-necessary: new constraint ^1.0.0
• widen: new constraint ^1.0.0

New version 2.0.0

• increase: new constraint ^2.0.0
• increase-if-necessary: new constraint ^2.0.0
• widen: new constraint >=1.0.0 <3.0.0

Versioning tags

• Represent stages in the software release lifecycle, such as alpha, beta, and stable versions.
• Allow publishers to distribute their packages more effectively.
• Indicate the stability of a version and communicate what users should expect in terms of features and stability.

Dependabot recognizes a variety of versioning tags for pre-releases, stable versions, and custom tags across different ecosystems.

The dependabot.yml file doesn't control the versioning tags that you can use, but you can define in configuration options such as ignore the supported versioning tags you want to ignore updates for.

Supported versioning tags

Versioning tag glossary

• alpha: Early version, may be unstable and have incomplete features.
• beta: More stable than alpha but may still have bugs.
• canary: Regularly updated pre-release version for testing.
• dev: Represents development versions.
• experimental: Versions with experimental features.
• latest: The latest stable release.
• legacy: Older or deprecated versions.
• next: Upcoming release version.
• nightly: Versions built nightly; often includes the latest changes.
• rc: Release candidate, close to stable release.
• release: The official release version.
• stable: The most reliable, production-ready version.

Top-level registries key

Specify authentication details that Dependabot can use to access private package registries, including registries hosted by GitLab or Bitbucket.

The value of the registries key is an associative array, each element of which consists of a key that identifies a particular registry and a value which is an associative array that specifies the settings required to access that registry. The following dependabot.yml file configures a registry identified as dockerhub in the registries section of the file and then references this in the updates section of the file.

# Minimal settings to update dependencies stored in one private registry

version: 2
registries:
  dockerhub: # Define access for a private registry
    type: docker-registry
    url: registry.hub.docker.com
    username: octocat
    password: ${{secrets.DOCKERHUB_PASSWORD}}
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    directory: "/docker-registry/dockerhub"
    registries:
      - dockerhub # Allow version updates for dependencies in this registry
    schedule:
      interval: "monthly"

# Minimal settings to update dependencies stored in one private registry

version: 2
registries:
  dockerhub: # Define access for a private registry
    type: docker-registry
    url: registry.hub.docker.com
    username: octocat
    password: ${{secrets.DOCKERHUB_PASSWORD}}
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "docker"
    directory: "/docker-registry/dockerhub"
    registries:
      - dockerhub # Allow version updates for dependencies in this registry
    schedule:
      interval: "monthly"

You use the following options to specify access settings. Registry settings must contain a type and a url, and typically either a username and password combination or a token.

For in-depth information about available options, as well as recommendations and advice when configuring private registries, see "Guidance for the configuration of private registries for Dependabot."

type and authentication details

The parameters used to provide authentication details for access to a private registry vary according to the registry type.

All sensitive data used for authentication should be stored securely and referenced from that secure location, see Configuring access to private registries for Dependabot.

url and replaces-base

The url parameter defines where to access a registry. When the optional replaces-base parameter is enabled (true), Dependabot resolves dependencies using the value of url rather than the base URL of that specific ecosystem.