trask · Oct 18, 2026 · Oct 18, 2026
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ reads a canonical `PullRequestSource` and produces either `EvaluationSuccess` or
 `EvaluationFailure`. A success carries typed `DashboardFacts`, the final route,
 diagnostics, pending actions, and top-level history. A failure carries a failure
 route and error, so failure routes cannot be combined with successful results.
-Evaluation owns effective-author resolution, activity, discussions,
+Evaluation uses the shared effective-author resolver and owns activity, discussions,
 classification, lifecycle and routing decisions, reviewer projection, command
 acknowledgements, author-action links, nudge episodes, and PR-specific failure
 shaping. It has no accepted-state or state-branch side effects.
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ reviews, review requests, review threads, checks, and non-blocking failures.
 `github_cli.py` remains the transport layer; its response dictionaries do not
 cross into evaluation or domain modules.
 
+`pull_request_author.py` resolves Copilot authors to a human assignee or
+first-commit committer. Evaluation and draft publication share this policy.
+Publication uses assignees from the open-PR listing and fetches only the first
+commit when a Copilot draft has no eligible assignee. Drafts remain outside
+evaluation and routing.
+
 `dashboard_contracts.py` defines the immutable in-memory boundary. A
 `StoredDashboardResult` projects an evaluation success down to the fields that
 survive refreshes. `DashboardState` holds those projections and the initial

@@ -796,6 +796,7 @@ def list_open_prs(repo: str) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
             "number": pull["number"],
             "title": pull["title"],
             "author": pull.get("user"),
+            "assignees": pull.get("assignees") or [],
             "isDraft": pull.get("draft", False),
             "createdAt": pull.get("created_at"),
             "url": pull.get("html_url"),

@@ -13,13 +13,16 @@
 from github_cli import (
     detect_repo,
     fetch_latest_draft_transitions,
+    gh_api,
     gh_graphql,
     list_open_prs,
     normalize_repo,
     repo_state_key,
     run_gh,
 )
 from dashboard_contracts import StoredDashboardResult
+from pull_request_author import effective_author, is_copilot_author
+from pull_request_source import normalize_commits, normalize_pull_request
 from render import render_pr_tables
 from state import (
     dashboard_markdown_path,
@@ -178,6 +181,20 @@ def publishable_prs(
     ]
 
 
+def add_draft_authors(repo: str, prs: list[dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
+    for pr in prs:
+        if not pr.get("isDraft"):
+            continue
+        metadata = normalize_pull_request(pr)
+        author = effective_author(metadata)
+        if is_copilot_author(author):
+            commits = normalize_commits(
+                gh_api(f"/repos/{repo}/pulls/{metadata.number}/commits?per_page=1")
+            )
+            author = effective_author(metadata, commits)
+        pr["effectiveAuthor"] = author
+
+
 def add_draft_since(repo: str, prs: list[dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
     drafts = [pr for pr in prs if pr.get("isDraft")]
     if not drafts:
@@ -201,6 +218,7 @@ def render_dashboard_markdown(
 
     prs = list_open_prs(repo)
     if not large_repo:
+        add_draft_authors(repo, prs)
         add_draft_since(repo, prs)
     open_non_draft_pr_numbers = {p["number"] for p in prs if not p.get("isDraft")}
     results = results_from_dashboard_state(dashboard_state, open_non_draft_pr_numbers)

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+"""Resolve the human behind a Copilot-authored pull request."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Sequence
+
+from pull_request_source import Commit, PullRequestMetadata
+from utils import is_unattended_author_login, normalize_author_identity
+
+
+# GitHub reports Copilot PR authors as `app/copilot-swe-agent` or `Copilot`,
+# while REST committers can use the bare `copilot` slug.
+_COPILOT_COMMITTER_IDENTITIES = {"copilot"}
+_COPILOT_PR_AUTHOR_IDENTITIES = {"copilot-swe-agent", "copilot"}
+
+
+def is_copilot_author(login: str) -> bool:
+    return normalize_author_identity(login) in _COPILOT_PR_AUTHOR_IDENTITIES
+
+
+def _human_author_for_copilot_pr(
+    pr: PullRequestMetadata,
+    commits: Sequence[Commit],
+) -> str:
+    for assignee in pr.assignees:
+        login = assignee.login
+        if (
+            login
+            and not is_copilot_author(login)
+            and not is_unattended_author_login(login)
+        ):
+            return login
+
+    if not commits:
+        return ""
+    committer = commits[0].committer
+    login = committer.login
+    if (
+        not login
+        or normalize_author_identity(login) in _COPILOT_COMMITTER_IDENTITIES
+        or is_unattended_author_login(login)
+        or committer.is_bot
+        or committer.is_copilot_reviewer
+    ):
+        return ""
+    return login
+
+
+def effective_author(
+    pr: PullRequestMetadata,
+    commits: Sequence[Commit] = (),
+) -> str:
+    author = pr.author.login
+    if is_copilot_author(author):
+        human_author = _human_author_for_copilot_pr(pr, commits)
+        if human_author:
+            return human_author
+    return author
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
     resolve_discussions,
 )
 from github_cli import TransientGhError
+from pull_request_author import effective_author
 from pull_request_source import (
     Actor,
     IssueComment,
@@ -87,15 +88,6 @@
 )
 
 
-# Copilot appears under two slugs: `gh pr view`'s `author` field reports
-# `app/copilot-swe-agent`, while the Pulls/commits endpoint's `committer.login`
-# field can report the bare `copilot` slug. Either slug can name Copilot as the
-# author, so the author set carries both while the committer set carries only
-# the bare slug. These sets hold the identities `normalize_author_identity`
-# returns, without the `app/` prefix or the `[bot]` suffix. Do not treat either
-# slug as the human author behind a Copilot-authored PR.
-_COPILOT_COMMITTER_IDENTITIES = {"copilot"}
-_COPILOT_PR_AUTHOR_IDENTITIES = {"copilot-swe-agent", "copilot"}
 _MAINTENANCE_APP_IDENTITIES = {"dependabot", "otelbot", "renovate"}
 
 
@@ -145,45 +137,6 @@ def __post_init__(self) -> None:
             raise ValueError("pull request number must be positive")
 
 
-def _human_author_for_copilot_pr(source: PullRequestSource) -> str:
-    assignees = [
-        assignee.login
-        for assignee in source.pull_request.assignees
-    ]
-    for login in assignees:
-        identity = normalize_author_identity(login)
-        if (
-            login
-            and identity not in _COPILOT_PR_AUTHOR_IDENTITIES
-            and not is_unattended_author_login(login)
-        ):
-            return login
-
-    commits = source.commits
-    if not commits:
-        return ""
-    committer = commits[0].committer
-    login = committer.login
-    if (
-        not login
-        or normalize_author_identity(login) in _COPILOT_COMMITTER_IDENTITIES
-        or is_unattended_author_login(login)
-        or committer.is_bot
-        or committer.is_copilot_reviewer
-    ):
-        return ""
-    return login
-
-
-def _effective_author(source: PullRequestSource) -> str:
-    author = source.pull_request.author.login
-    if normalize_author_identity(author) in _COPILOT_PR_AUTHOR_IDENTITIES:
-        human_author = _human_author_for_copilot_pr(source)
-        if human_author:
-            return human_author
-    return author
-
-
 def _compute_facts(
     source: PullRequestSource,
     author: str,
@@ -482,7 +435,7 @@ async def evaluate_pull_request(
                 pr_title=pr.title,
                 pr_url=pr.url,
             )
-        author = _effective_author(pr_source)
+        author = effective_author(pr_source.pull_request, pr_source.commits)
         activity = build_activity_timeline(
             ActivityInput(pr_source, author, config.approver_logins)
         )

@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ def render_draft_pr_section(
     lines.append("| PR | Author | Draft age |")
     lines.append("|---|---|:---:|")
     for pr in drafts:
-        author = actor_login(pr.get("author") or {})
+        author = pr.get("effectiveAuthor") or actor_login(pr.get("author") or {})
         draft_age = activity_age(
             parse_ts(pr.get("draftSince") or pr.get("createdAt") or "")
         )

@@ -571,6 +571,7 @@ def test_list_open_prs_uses_paginated_rest_api(self, gh_api) -> None:
                 "number": number,
                 "title": f"PR {number}",
                 "user": {"login": "author"},
+                "assignees": [{"login": "human-author"}] if number == 501 else None,
                 "draft": number == 501,
                 "created_at": "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z",
                 "updated_at": "2026-07-17T00:00:00Z",
@@ -594,6 +595,7 @@ def test_list_open_prs_uses_paginated_rest_api(self, gh_api) -> None:
                 "number": 501,
                 "title": "PR 501",
                 "author": {"login": "author"},
+                "assignees": [{"login": "human-author"}],
                 "isDraft": True,
                 "createdAt": "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z",
                 "url": "https://example.test/pull/501",
@@ -602,6 +604,7 @@ def test_list_open_prs_uses_paginated_rest_api(self, gh_api) -> None:
             prs[-1],
         )
         self.assertEqual([], prs[0]["labels"])
+        self.assertEqual([], prs[0]["assignees"])
         gh_api.assert_called_once_with(
             "/repos/open-telemetry/example/pulls?state=open&per_page=100",
             paginate=True,