submit: Allow configuring navigation comment marker (#903)

Allow users to customize the marker used in navigation comments
via spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker configuration option.

Resolves #877

Author: abhinav

.changes/unreleased/Added-20251018-165937.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+kind: Added
+body: >-
+  submit: Add `spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker` configuration option
+  to customize the marker in navigation comments
+time: 2025-10-18T16:59:37.900306-07:00

doc/includes/cli-reference.md

@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ or --nav-comment=multiple to post those comments only if there are multiple CRs
 * `-l`, `--label=LABEL,...`: Add labels to the change request. Pass multiple times or separate with commas.
 * `--no-web`: Alias for --web=false.
 
-**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.updateOnly](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitupdateonly), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
+**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentstylemarker), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.updateOnly](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitupdateonly), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
 
 ### gs stack restack
 
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ or --nav-comment=multiple to post those comments only if there are multiple CRs
 * `--no-web`: Alias for --web=false.
 * `--branch=NAME`: Branch to start at
 
-**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.updateOnly](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitupdateonly), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
+**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentstylemarker), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.updateOnly](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitupdateonly), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
 
 ### gs upstack restack
 
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ or --nav-comment=multiple to post those comments only if there are multiple CRs
 * `--no-web`: Alias for --web=false.
 * `--branch=NAME`: Branch to start at
 
-**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.updateOnly](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitupdateonly), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
+**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentstylemarker), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.updateOnly](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitupdateonly), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
 
 ### gs downstack edit
 
@@ -941,7 +941,7 @@ or --nav-comment=multiple to post those comments only if there are multiple CRs
 * `--body=BODY`: Body of the change request
 * `--branch=NAME`: Branch to submit
 
-**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
+**Configuration**: [spice.submit.draft](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitdraft), [spice.submit.label](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlabel), [spice.submit.listTemplatesTimeout](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitlisttemplatestimeout), [spice.submit.navigationComment](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcomment), [spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentstylemarker), [spice.submit.navigationCommentSync](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitnavigationcommentsync), [spice.submit.publish](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitpublish), [spice.submit.template](/cli/config.md#spicesubmittemplate), [spice.submit.web](/cli/config.md#spicesubmitweb)
 
 ## Commit
 

doc/src/cli/config.md

@@ -393,6 +393,29 @@ When set to `downstack`, any time a branch is submitted,
 git-spice will update the navigation comment for that branch
 and all branches below it in the stack.
 
+### spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker
+
+<!-- gs:version unreleased -->
+
+Specifies the marker to use for the current change in navigation comments.
+
+By default, git-spice uses `◀` to indicate the current change.
+This can be customized to any string.
+
+**Example:**
+
+```bash
+git config spice.submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker "<-- you are here"
+```
+
+This will render navigation comments like:
+
+```
+- #123
+    - #124 <-- you are here
+        - #125
+```
+
 ### spice.submit.publish
 
 <!-- gs:version v0.5.0 -->

internal/forge/stacknav/nav.go

@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ const (
 	_indent = "    "
 )
 
+// PrintOptions customizes the behavior of Print.
+type PrintOptions struct {
+	// Marker is the marker to use for the current change.
+	// If empty, defaults to "◀".
+	Marker string
+}
+
 // Node is a single item in the stack navigation list.
 // It usually represents a change in the Forge.
 type Node interface {
@@ -44,8 +51,15 @@ type Node interface {
 // currentIdx is the index of the current node in the nodes list.
 // It will be marked with [Printer.Marker].
 //
+// opts can be used to customize the behavior of Print.
+// If opts is nil, default options are used.
+//
 // All Write errors are ignored. Use a Writer that doesn't fail.
-func Print[N Node](w io.Writer, nodes []N, currentIdx int) {
+func Print[N Node](w io.Writer, nodes []N, currentIdx int, opts *PrintOptions) {
+	marker := _marker
+	if opts != nil && opts.Marker != "" {
+		marker = opts.Marker
+	}
 	// aboves[i] holds indexes of nodes that are above nodes[i].
 	aboves := make([][]int, len(nodes))
 	for idx, node := range nodes {
@@ -63,7 +77,7 @@ func Print[N Node](w io.Writer, nodes []N, currentIdx int) {
 
 		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, "- %v", node.Value())
 		if nodeIdx == currentIdx {
-			_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, " %v", _marker)
+			_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, " %v", marker)
 		}
 
 		_, _ = io.WriteString(w, "\n")

internal/forge/stacknav/nav_test.go

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestPrinter(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			var got strings.Builder
-			Print(&got, tt.graph, tt.current)
+			Print(&got, tt.graph, tt.current, nil)
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, got.String())
 		})
 	}

internal/handler/submit/handler.go

@@ -133,8 +133,9 @@ type Options struct {
 	Publish bool    `name:"publish" negatable:"" default:"true" config:"submit.publish" help:"Whether to create CRs for pushed branches. Defaults to true."`
 	Web     OpenWeb `short:"w" config:"submit.web" help:"Open submitted changes in a web browser. Accepts an optional argument: 'true', 'false', 'created'."`
 
-	NavComment     NavCommentWhen `name:"nav-comment" config:"submit.navigationComment" enum:"true,false,multiple" default:"true" help:"Whether to add a navigation comment to the change request. Must be one of: true, false, multiple."`
-	NavCommentSync NavCommentSync `name:"nav-comment-sync" config:"submit.navigationCommentSync" enum:"branch,downstack" default:"branch" hidden:"" help:"Which navigation comment to sync. Must be one of: branch, downstack."`
+	NavComment       NavCommentWhen `name:"nav-comment" config:"submit.navigationComment" enum:"true,false,multiple" default:"true" help:"Whether to add a navigation comment to the change request. Must be one of: true, false, multiple."`
+	NavCommentSync   NavCommentSync `name:"nav-comment-sync" config:"submit.navigationCommentSync" enum:"branch,downstack" default:"branch" hidden:"" help:"Which navigation comment to sync. Must be one of: branch, downstack."`
+	NavCommentMarker string         `name:"nav-comment-marker" config:"submit.navigationCommentStyle.marker" hidden:"" help:"Marker to use for the current change in navigation comments. Defaults to '◀'."`
 
 	Force      bool  `help:"Force push, bypassing safety checks"`
 	NoVerify   bool  `help:"Bypass pre-push hooks when pushing to the remote." released:"v0.15.0"`
@@ -268,6 +269,7 @@ func (h *Handler) SubmitBatch(ctx context.Context, req *BatchRequest) error {
 		h.Store, h.Service, h.Log,
 		opts.NavComment,
 		opts.NavCommentSync,
+		opts.NavCommentMarker,
 		branchesToComment,
 		h.RemoteRepository,
 	)
@@ -312,6 +314,7 @@ func (h *Handler) Submit(ctx context.Context, req *Request) error {
 		h.Store, h.Service, h.Log,
 		opts.NavComment,
 		opts.NavCommentSync,
+		opts.NavCommentMarker,
 		[]string{req.Branch},
 		h.RemoteRepository,
 	)

internal/handler/submit/nav_comment.go

@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ func updateNavigationComments(
 	log *silog.Logger,
 	navComment NavCommentWhen,
 	navCommentSync NavCommentSync,
+	navCommentMarker string,
 	submittedBranches []string,
 	getRemoteRepo func(context.Context) (forge.Repository, error),
 ) error {
@@ -339,7 +340,7 @@ func updateNavigationComments(
 		}
 
 		info := infos[idx]
-		commentBody := generateStackNavigationComment(nodes, idx)
+		commentBody := generateStackNavigationComment(nodes, idx, navCommentMarker)
 		if info.Meta.NavigationCommentID() == nil {
 			postc <- &postComment{
 				Branch: info.Branch,
@@ -404,12 +405,17 @@ var _navCommentRegexes = []*regexp.Regexp{
 func generateStackNavigationComment(
 	nodes []*stackedChange,
 	current int,
+	marker string,
 ) string {
 	var sb strings.Builder
 	sb.WriteString(_commentHeader)
 	sb.WriteString("\n\n")
 
-	stacknav.Print(&sb, nodes, current)
+	var opts *stacknav.PrintOptions
+	if marker != "" {
+		opts = &stacknav.PrintOptions{Marker: marker}
+	}
+	stacknav.Print(&sb, nodes, current, opts)
 
 	sb.WriteString("\n")
 	sb.WriteString(_commentFooter)

internal/handler/submit/nav_comment_test.go

@@ -417,6 +417,7 @@ func TestUpdateNavigationComments(t *testing.T) {
 				log,
 				tt.when,
 				tt.sync,
+				"",
 				tt.submit,
 				func(context.Context) (forge.Repository, error) {
 					return mockRemoteRepo, nil
@@ -547,7 +548,7 @@ func TestGenerateStackNavigationComment(t *testing.T) {
 				tt.want + "\n" +
 				_commentFooter + "\n" +
 				_commentMarker + "\n"
-			got := generateStackNavigationComment(tt.graph, tt.current)
+			got := generateStackNavigationComment(tt.graph, tt.current, "")
 			assert.Equal(t, want, got)
 
 			// Sanity check: All generated comments must match
@@ -559,6 +560,24 @@ func TestGenerateStackNavigationComment(t *testing.T) {
 			})
 		})
 	}
+
+	t.Run("CustomMarker", func(t *testing.T) {
+		graph := []*stackedChange{
+			{Change: _changeID("123"), Base: -1},
+			{Change: _changeID("124"), Base: 0},
+		}
+		graph[0].Aboves = []int{1}
+
+		got := generateStackNavigationComment(graph, 1, "<-- you are here")
+		want := _commentHeader + "\n\n" +
+			joinLines(
+				"- #123",
+				"    - #124 <-- you are here",
+			) + "\n" +
+			_commentFooter + "\n" +
+			_commentMarker + "\n"
+		assert.Equal(t, want, got)
+	})
 }
 
 func TestNavigationCommentWhen_StringMarshal(t *testing.T) {