Option to set issue creator in GitLab integration

[Fabien4941]

Hello Sentry team,

Problem statement

Currently, when issues are created in GitLab via Sentry, they are always created under the administrator's username who set up the integration. This leads to confusion in issue tracking and incorrect notifications, as the real creators of the issues are not correctly assigned.

Solution brainstorm

Provide an option to set the issue creator in the GitLab integration settings. Ideally, the issues should be created by the user who initiated the issue creation in Sentry, or at least allow for a bot user to be assigned as the creator.

Product area

Settings - Integrations

[getsantry]

Assigning to @getsentry/support for routing ⏲️

[getsantry]

Routing to @getsentry/product-owners-settings-integrations for triage ⏲️

[Dhrumil-Sentry]

Thanks for this feedback, Adding this to our backlog but we don't expect we'll work on this soon

[Fabien4941]

Dear Sentry Team,

I wanted to follow up on this issue as it continues to significantly impact our workflows.

Since we initially reported this problem, we have found no viable workaround. The suggested solution of reinstalling the integration under a different user is not feasible for us because it would sever all existing links between Sentry events and GitLab issues. This loss of historical data is unacceptable and would disrupt our issue tracking processes.

The inability to set the issue creator in the GitLab integration means that all issues created via Sentry are attributed to the administrator who set up the integration.

This misattribution leads to several problems:

• Confusion in Issue Tracking: Team members cannot identify the actual reporters of issues, leading to delays and inefficiencies in addressing them.
• Incorrect Notifications: The administrator receives all notifications for issues they did not create, while the actual creators may miss important updates.
• Inaccurate Reporting: Our metrics and analytics on issue creation and resolution are skewed due to incorrect attribution.
  Impact on Our Operations:

This issue has been ongoing for over six months and continues to hinder our team's productivity. Proper attribution of issues is crucial for efficient collaboration and accurate reporting.

We understand that the development team has other priorities, but we kindly ask if there has been any progress on this issue or if it could be reconsidered for prioritization. The resolution of this problem would greatly enhance our use of Sentry in conjunction with GitLab and benefit other users facing similar challenges.

If there are any interim solutions or if there's any way we can assist in testing potential fixes, we would be happy to help.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to any updates you can provide.

[sentaur-athena]

We are aware of this issue and will work on a fix. It is not a trivial fix though and it's not prioritized for the current sprint. I'll comment with the timelines as soon as I have one.

[Fabien4941]

Thank you for the attention you've given to our request regarding the GitLab integration issue. We genuinely appreciate your acknowledgment and are encouraged by your commitment to work on a fix.

Resolving this issue is crucial for us to maintain efficient collaboration, accurate reporting, and overall productivity. We are keen to see this enhancement implemented and would be grateful if it could be prioritized.

Please let us know if there's any way we can assist in expediting this process. We are available to provide additional information, participate in testing, or offer any support that might be helpful.

Thank you once again for your attention to this matter. We look forward to a favorable and timely response.

[sentaur-athena]

Thanks for offering help @Fabien4941 . Will let you know if we need help.

[Fabien4941]

Hello,

I wanted to follow up on this issue which continues to significantly impact our production environment.

The current situation where all GitLab issues are created through a personal administrator account is becoming increasingly problematic for several reasons... It creates confusion in our development workflow as team members cannot identify the actual issue reporters. The administrator receives all notifications for issues they didn't create.

Like you know it, we cannot switch to a different account without losing all existing Sentry-GitLab issue links.

Having issues created by the actual Sentry users or even a dedicated bot account would greatly improve our team's efficiency and issue tracking accuracy.

I understand this isn't a priority fix, but could you please provide any update on potential timeline for addressing this? We would be happy to help with testing or provide any additional information needed.

Thank you for your consideration.

[sentaur-athena]

This is in our backlog and not in our immediate list of work. My closest guess would April but could change. Will keep you updated.

[Fabien4941]

Hello Sentry team,

I’m checking in on this issue with an April target as we are in May.

I noticed the getsentry/sentry, Feature and Integrations labels added in March. Today is May 15, and we haven’t seen any update or revised ETA.

This capability remains critical for us to preserve Sentry–GitLab links and attribute issues correctly. Could you please share the current status or any planned timeline? We’re happy to help test a draft implementation or provide further details.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your feedback.

Best regards,

[sentaur-athena]

@Fabien4941 thanks for following up. April was my closest guess but we didn't get to it yet. It is on top of our backlog though so I'll have an update for you soon.

[masinette]

Related to: https://sentry.zendesk.com/agent/tickets/153511