# MSRBot: Using Bots to Answer Questions from Software Repositories

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.06991 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.06991/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 16 May 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [From Human-to-Human to Human-to-Bot Conversations in Software Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.12712/) (2024)
- [Synergizing LLMs and Knowledge Graphs: A Novel Approach to Software Repository-Related Question Answering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.03815/) (2024)
- [An Approach for Auto Generation of Labeling Functions for Software Engineering Chatbots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.07094/) (2024)
- [A Tool-Augmented, GPT-4 Chatbot for Real-Time Repository Data Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.07586/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Software repositories contain a plethora of useful information that can be used to enhance software projects. Prior work has leveraged repository data to improve many aspects of the software development process, such as, help extract requirement decisions, identify potentially defective code and improve maintenance and evolution. However, in many cases, practitioners are not able to fully benefit from software repositories due to the fact that they need special expertise and dedicated effort to mine their repositories. Therefore, in this paper, we use bots to automate and ease the process of extracting useful information from software repositories. Particularly, we lay out an approach of how bots, layered on top of software repositories, can be used to answer some of the most common software development/maintenance questions facing developers. We perform a preliminary study with 12 participants to validate the effectiveness of the bot. Our findings indicate that using bots achieves very promising results in terms of answer accuracy, speed and usefulness. Our work has the potential to transform the MSR field by significantly lowering the barrier to entry, making the extraction of useful information from software repositories as easy as chatting with a bot.