Nil pointer error when manually running "atlantis plan" on Github with ATLANTIS_GH_ALLOW_MERGEABLE_BYPASS_APPLY and no required checks / Atlantis 0.24.2

[dnozay]

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Overview of the Issue

I first thought this was similar to #3196 but this is in the github client instead.

runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
runtime/panic.go:260 (0x44e11c)
runtime/signal_unix.go:837 (0x44e0ec)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/github_client.go:438 (0xd91157)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/github_client.go:507 (0xd91717)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/instrumented_client.go:206 (0xd98beb)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/proxy.go:80 (0xd9a984)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/pull_status_fetcher.go:32 (0xd9b255)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/plan_command_runner.go:174 (0xfb15f7)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/plan_command_runner.go:290 (0xfb2c8b)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/command_runner.go:298 (0xf97f43)
runtime/asm_amd64.s:1598 (0x46b2e0)

please note it's still in the same logical ballpark if you look at the bottom of the stack

github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/pull_status_fetcher.go:32 (0xd9b255)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/plan_command_runner.go:174 (0xfb15f7)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/plan_command_runner.go:290 (0xfb2c8b)
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/command_runner.go:298 (0xf97f43)

Reproduction Steps

1. create a PR on a github repo that does not have atlantis enabled.
2. comment atlantis plan and watch nothing happen (as expected)
3. enable the github app integration
4. comment atlantis plan again
5. atlantis server actually adds 👀 to the review
6. next comment is the stacktrace.

Atlantis never got any other event for this particular PR because the github app wasn't installed in the repo before.

Logs

stacktrace from the logs

runtime.gopanic
        runtime/panic.go:890
runtime.panicmem
        runtime/panic.go:260
runtime.sigpanic
        runtime/signal_unix.go:837
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs.(*GithubClient).GetCombinedStatusMinusApply
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/github_client.go:438
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs.(*GithubClient).PullIsMergeable
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/github_client.go:507
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs.(*InstrumentedClient).PullIsMergeable
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/instrumented_client.go:206
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs.(*ClientProxy).PullIsMergeable
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/proxy.go:80
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs.(*pullReqStatusFetcher).FetchPullStatus
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/vcs/pull_status_fetcher.go:32
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events.(*PlanCommandRunner).run
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/plan_command_runner.go:174
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events.(*PlanCommandRunner).Run
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/plan_command_runner.go:290
github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events.(*DefaultCommandRunner).RunCommentCommand
        github.com/runatlantis/atlantis/server/events/command_runner.go:298

Environment details

• Atlantis version: 0.24.2
• Deployment method: AWS EKS / helm

Atlantis server-side config file:

apiVersion: v1
data:
  repository-configuration: |
    {
      "repos": [
          {
            "id": "/.*/",
            "branch": "/.*/",
            "apply_requirements": ["approved", "mergeable", "undiverged"],
            "allowed_overrides": ["workflow"],
            "allow_custom_workflows": true,
            "repo_config_file": "atlantis.yaml"
          }
      ]
    }
kind: ConfigMap
... [redacted] ...

    - name: ATLANTIS_GH_ALLOW_MERGEABLE_BYPASS_APPLY
      value: "true"

Repo atlantis.yaml file:

N/A, there isn't one yet.

Additional Context

see also #3196

[dnozay]

atlantis/server/events/vcs/github_client.go

Lines 436 to 449 in 5998e9e

	for _, r := range suite.CheckRuns {
	//check to see if the check is required
	if isRequiredCheck(*r.Name, required.RequiredStatusChecks.Contexts) {
	if *c.Conclusion == "success" {
	continue
	} else {
	return false, nil
	}
	} else {
	//ignore checks that arent required
	continue
	}
	}

• branch protection rules -> no required checks
• one check was actually run ( some security scanning check )

🤔 required or required.RequiredStatusChecks is nil ?

[dnozay]

The code was added in #2436 but there isn't a lot of test coverage for the new behavior.