Pair Extraordinaire Achievement Collector

Automate the creation of co-authored pull requests using GitHub Actions to unlock the Pair Extraordinaire GitHub achievement.

This repository contains a workflow that automatically:

1. Creates commits with two authors
2. Opens pull requests into main
3. Squash merges them
4. Deletes the branch
5. Repeats the process multiple times

The workflow is designed to help demonstrate co‑authored collaboration activity using GitHub automation.

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What this project does

The workflow generates a sequence of pull requests where each commit includes:

• a primary author
• a co-author using the Co-authored-by: commit trailer

GitHub recognizes these commits as collaborative contributions.

When merged, they count toward the Pair Extraordinaire achievement.

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How the workflow works

When the workflow runs, it performs the following steps:

1. Checks out the main branch with full history
2. Installs the GitHub CLI (gh)
3. Authenticates using a Personal Access Token
4. Ensures a placeholder file .envexample exists
5. Loops through multiple iterations
6. Creates a commit authored by one user
7. Adds a Co-authored-by: trailer for the second user
8. Pushes the branch
9. Creates a pull request
10. Squash merges the PR
11. Deletes the branch
12. Repeats the process

Each iteration updates .envexample to guarantee a real file change.

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Repository requirements

Before running this workflow:

• GitHub Actions must be enabled
• Your repository must have a main branch
• The token must have permission to push and merge PRs
• Branch protection rules must allow the workflow to merge

This workflow should be used in a repository you control.

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Setup

1. Add the workflow file

Create the file:

.github/workflows/pair-extraordinaire.yml

Paste the workflow contents into that file.

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2. Create a Personal Access Token

Create a GitHub Personal Access Token that allows:

• repository read/write
• pull request creation
• pull request merging

Typical permission scope:

repo

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3. Add the token as a repository secret

In your repository:

1. Open Settings
2. Navigate to Secrets and Variables
3. Click Actions
4. Create a secret named:

<!-- -->

PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN

Paste the token value.

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Usage

This workflow is triggered manually.

Steps:

1. Open the Actions tab in your repository
2. Select Automate Pair Extraordinaire Badge
3. Click Run workflow

The workflow will then automatically generate and merge the configured number of co-authored pull requests.

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Workflow configuration

Inside the workflow you will see configuration values such as:

COAUTHOR_NAME
COAUTHOR_EMAIL
PRIMARY_NAME
PRIMARY_EMAIL

These values define the two collaborators.

Example:

COAUTHOR_NAME: DongwanXu
COAUTHOR_EMAIL: dongwanxu23@gmail.com

PRIMARY_NAME: chrisbanas
PRIMARY_EMAIL: bananas595@gmail.com

Both emails must be verified emails on the respective GitHub accounts.

Otherwise GitHub will not recognize the co-author.

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How commits are structured

Each commit uses the format:

Author: DongwanXu
Co-authored-by: chrisbanas

GitHub parses the trailer:

Co-authored-by: Name <email>

This is how the contribution is attributed to both accounts.

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File changes made

Each iteration appends a line to:

.envexample

Example:

BADGE_RUN_12=1712345678

This guarantees that each PR contains a real commit.

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Loop count

The workflow runs approximately 48--49 pull request cycles.

This number can be adjusted inside the script if desired.

Example loop:

for i in $(seq 1 49)

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Rate limiting

The workflow includes a short delay between merges:

sleep 1

This helps prevent GitHub API rate limits.

If you encounter limits, increasing this delay may help.

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Branch naming

Temporary branches are created like:

badge-run-1
badge-run-2
badge-run-3

These are deleted automatically after merging.

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Security notes

Best practices:

• never store tokens directly in the workflow file
• always use repository secrets
• use minimal token permissions
• test in a personal repository first

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Public repository note

If this project is public:

• commit history will show automated PR activity
• collaborators will appear in commit authorship
• the workflow logic will be visible

Never expose your personal access token.

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Recommended testing

Before running a full batch, you may want to reduce the loop count:

seq 1 3

This allows you to verify:

• authentication works
• commits are created correctly
• PR creation works
• merging works
• branch deletion works

Once confirmed, increase the count.

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Disclaimer

Use this workflow responsibly and only in repositories you control or have permission to automate.

You are responsible for complying with GitHub's platform policies and repository rules.