Weblate and Git VCS: Synchronization Loop Prevention during Automated Commits

How Weblate Identifies Its Own Commits

Weblate distinguishes its automated commits from external contributions by examining the commit author (email/name) or by looking for a configurable marker in the commit message (e.g., [skip ci] or [skip weblate]). When a pull operation retrieves commits, Weblate skips any that match the designated author or contain the marker, treating them as already‑mirrored changes.

Confirmed Facts from Weblate’s Administration

• The component‑level VCS settings include an Automatic commit toggle and a Push on commit toggle.
• Administrators can define a dedicated service account (e.g., weblate-bot@example.com) for Weblate’s Git operations.
• Git repositories can ignore commits from a specific author or containing a marker via a pre‑receive or post‑receive hook.

Steps to Prevent Recursive Triggers in CI/CD Pipelines

1. Create a service account used exclusively by Weblate for pushes (configured under Component → VCS → Push user).
2. Optionally disable Push on commit if you prefer manual pushes; otherwise keep it enabled and rely on the hook to filter.
3. Add a pre‑receive hook on the remote Git repository that exits silently when:
   • The commit author matches the Weblate service account, or
   • The commit message contains your chosen skip marker (e.g., [skip weblate]).
4. Ensure any CI/CD pipelines that interact with the same repository either:
   • Run under a different account, or
   • Add the same skip marker to their commit messages.
5. Verify the configuration:
1. Make a test translation in Weblate, commit it, and observe whether a push occurs.
2. Check the hook logs (or repository reflog) to confirm that the push from Weblate’s account is ignored by the hook.
3. After a period, manually push from Weblate and confirm the change appears upstream without triggering another Weblate pull.

Missing Diagnostic Detail

If your CI/CD pipelines already use a specific skip marker or run under a distinct service account, please confirm that detail; it determines whether you need to add the marker to Weblate’s commits or adjust the hook’s author filter.