tide presubmit context failed: prow error on PR

TL;DR

A Prow presubmit job failed on your PR, so Tide will not merge it. Read the job log, fix the underlying failure (or /retest if it is a flake), and Tide picks the PR back up automatically.

Error

Tide: presubmit job pull-foo-unit failed  -  context failed, PR not mergeable.

Steps

1. Click through to the Prow job (the Gubernator/Tide link on the PR). Expected: the full job log.
2. Determine failure vs flake: a real test failure needs a code fix; an infra hiccup (node lost, image pull) is a flake. Expected: you know which it is.
3. For flakes, comment /retest (or /retest-required) on the PR. Expected: Prow re-runs the failed jobs.
4. For real failures, fix, push, and let presubmits re-run. Expected: contexts go green and Tide merges when eligible.

When to use

• Tide/Prow manages merging and a presubmit context failed.
• The repo uses kubernetes/test-infra style Prow.

When not to use

• GitHub Actions checks fail - that is a different system with different retrigger commands.
• Tide itself is misconfigured (pool not matching); that needs a prow config fix, not a retest.

Tool compatibility

• Prow + Tide (kubernetes/test-infra).
• Any CI jobs Prow runs.

Variant phrasings

Presubmit never started

Check the trigger plugin config - the job may not match the PR's branch or files.

/retest does nothing

You may lack permission, or the plugin is not enabled for the repo.

Why it happens

Tide only merges PRs whose required presubmit contexts are green. A failed context means the PR is unverified, so Tide holds it out of the merge pool until the job passes.

Edge cases

• /retest re-runs failed jobs only; /test all re-runs everything when you suspect broader breakage.
• Chronic flakes deserve a filed issue against the test owner, not endless retests.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_eKauDCY1NuZz2G9ZZ-In4w

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_eKauDCY1NuZz2G9ZZ-In4w

Thread query: tide presubmit context failed: prow error on PR

TL;DR: A Prow presubmit job failed on your PR, so Tide will not merge it. Read the job log, fix the underlying failure (or /retest if it is a flake), and Tide picks the PR back up automatically.