Patch files? Normal tools change files. If I `sed -i` in my project I just change the files in my project. Then I (separately) can add and commit them. Same for (for example) linting tools. This bot-PR workflow is outside of that normal.

A PR is easy to automate, hook into, an preserves ownership of the commit.

Yes it bypasses YOUR workflow, but a PR works for everyone who uses GitHub.

If you want something else that works for everyone who uses GitHub it's an issue, or an email with a patch file. Why a patch file. DO you want to own the change the bot suggested? There are a lot of orgs where the ownership matters more than the linting.

You could just make the change yourself, sure, and then run it through your normal workflow... then your the author and commuter of the change...

I stepped into the wrong workflow synagogue it seems.

You mean on some individual person's laptop when that person remembers to run it?

Like most things.

But the whole point is not to have to do that. What you're asking for is basically just `npm upgrade` or `cargo upgrade` or whatever? The point of Renovate, Dependabot etc. is exactly the automated/scheduled running of those package manager updates.

Sigh. The answer to why they are this way is that it’s the whole point that they are this way.

Well yes? You're complaining that a motorbike has an engine when you're perfectly capable of and would rather power it with your own two legs.

What a great comparison.