Dependabot multi-directory configuration public beta now available

This public beta enables developers to use a directories key to list multiple directories for the same ecosystem configuration in the dependabot.yml file.

Previously, developers with multiple package manifests for the same ecosystem (e.g. npm, pip, gradle) across multiple directories had to create separate dependabot.yml configurations for each of those directories. This could lead to many duplicated configurations, and high maintenance costs if a developer wished to make a change that spanned multiple directories.

A new dependabot.yml key, directories, is now available in public beta. The directories key accepts a list of strings representing directories, and can be used instead of directory.

Below is an example dependabot.yml multi-directory configuration setup, including how you can use the directories key:

version: 2
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "bundler"
    directories:
      - "/frontend"
      - "/backend"
      - "/admin"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"

This example configuration applies to both security and version updates.

Wildcards and globbing support (i.e. using * to represent a pattern of directories) is coming soon in our next public beta releases, with an expected public beta launch within the next few months. Stay tuned for more!

If a developer still wishes to explicitly enumerate configurations for the same ecosystem using directory, they can still choose to do so; the directory key still accepts single-directory entries. For more information on the directory key, check out the dependabot.yml configuration options for the directory key documentation.