From 66cce8a59f7efa88d7c735fcfb91b6e91237e458 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: miroslavpojer <miroslav.pojer@absa.africa>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:25:19 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 1/5] fix: exclude sync-merge commits from being misclassified
 as direct commits

---
 release_notes_generator/data/miner.py         | 12 +++++-
 .../record/factory/default_record_factory.py  | 11 ++++-
 tests/integration/conftest.py                 |  1 +
 tests/unit/conftest.py                        | 12 +++++-
 .../data/test_miner.py                        | 35 ++++++++++++++-
 .../factory/test_default_record_factory.py    | 43 +++++++++++++++++++
 6 files changed, 108 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
index f3f236b1..a836913f 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
@@ -136,18 +136,26 @@ def _handle_compare_mode(self, repo: Repository, data: MinedData) -> None:
         data.commits = {c: data.home_repository for c in compare_commits}
         pr_numbers = self._extract_pr_numbers_from_commits(compare_commits)
         pulls: dict[PullRequest, Repository] = {}
+        pr_commit_shas: set[str] = set()
         for number in sorted(pr_numbers):
             pr = self._safe_call(repo.get_pull)(number)
             if pr is not None:
                 # Store each PR with its source repository for downstream filtering and processing.
                 # In compare mode, all PRs come from home_repository; cross-repo is handled elsewhere.
                 pulls[pr] = data.home_repository
+                # dev note: pull.get_commits() returns all commits GitHub associates with the PR,
+                #   including sync-merge commits (base branch merged back into the PR branch) whose
+                #   messages don't match _PR_NUMBER_RE. Excluding them by SHA (rather than by message
+                #   pattern) prevents them being misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
+                pr_commit_shas.update(c.sha for c in self._safe_call(pr.get_commits)() or [])
         data.pull_requests = pulls
 
-        # Only include commits that don't have a PR reference
-        # (commits identified by PR are redundant with the PR itself)
+        # Only include commits that aren't already accounted for by a PR
+        # (commits identified by PR, or belonging to a PR's commit list, are redundant with the PR itself)
         commits_without_pr: dict[GithubCommit, Repository] = {}
         for commit in compare_commits:
+            if commit.sha in pr_commit_shas:
+                continue
             subject = commit.commit.message.splitlines()[0] if commit.commit.message else ""
             has_pr_ref = bool(_PR_NUMBER_RE.search(subject))
             if not has_pr_ref:
diff --git a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
index ce8c8835..0e3ae087 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
@@ -120,13 +120,20 @@ def _create_record_for_issue(self, issue: Issue, iid: str, issue_labels: Optiona
         self._records[iid] = IssueRecord(issue=issue, skip=skip_record, issue_labels=issue_labels)
         self.__registered_issues.add(iid)
 
-    # pylint: disable=too-many-statements
+    # pylint: disable=too-many-statements,too-many-locals
     def _register_pull_and_its_commits_to_issue(
         self, pull: PullRequest, pid: str, data: MinedData, target_repository: Optional[Repository] = None
     ) -> None:
         pull_labels = [label.name for label in pull.get_labels()]
         skip_record: bool = any(item in pull_labels for item in ActionInputs.get_skip_release_notes_labels())
-        related_commits = [c for c in data.commits if c.sha == pull.merge_commit_sha]
+
+        # dev note: pull.get_commits() returns all commits GitHub associates with the PR, including
+        #   sync-merge commits (base branch merged back into the PR branch). Without this, such commits
+        #   fall through and get misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
+        pr_commit_shas: set[str] = {c.sha for c in self._safe_call(pull.get_commits)() or []}
+        if pull.merge_commit_sha:
+            pr_commit_shas.add(pull.merge_commit_sha)
+        related_commits = [c for c in data.commits if c.sha in pr_commit_shas]
         self.__registered_commits.update(c.sha for c in related_commits)
 
         pr_repo = target_repository if target_repository is not None else data.home_repository
diff --git a/tests/integration/conftest.py b/tests/integration/conftest.py
index 3b47ae6b..f27ded94 100644
--- a/tests/integration/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/integration/conftest.py
@@ -161,6 +161,7 @@ def _factory(
         pr.user = user
         pr.assignees = []
         pr.get_labels = mocker.Mock(return_value=[make_label(lbl) for lbl in (labels or [])])
+        pr.get_commits = mocker.Mock(return_value=[])
         return pr
 
     return _factory
diff --git a/tests/unit/conftest.py b/tests/unit/conftest.py
index 8ec9b3d0..647b239f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/unit/conftest.py
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ def __init__(self, full_name):
 
 def mock_safe_call_decorator(_rate_limiter):
     def wrapper(fn):
-        if fn.__name__ == "get_issues_for_pr":
+        if getattr(fn, "__name__", None) == "get_issues_for_pr":
             return mock_get_issues_for_pr
         return fn
 
@@ -567,6 +567,7 @@ def mock_pull_closed(mocker, mock_user):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -590,6 +591,7 @@ def mock_pull_closed_with_skip_label(mocker):
     label2 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label2.name = "another-skip-label"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1, label2]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -618,6 +620,7 @@ def mock_pull_closed_with_rls_notes_101(mocker, mock_user):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -646,6 +649,7 @@ def mock_pull_closed_with_rls_notes_102(mocker, mock_user):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -667,6 +671,7 @@ def mock_pull_merged_with_rls_notes_101(mocker):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -688,6 +693,7 @@ def mock_pull_merged_with_rls_notes_102(mocker):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -715,6 +721,7 @@ def mock_pull_merged(mocker, mock_user):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -742,6 +749,7 @@ def mock_pull_open(mocker, mock_user):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -757,6 +765,7 @@ def mock_pull_no_rls_notes(mocker):
     label1 = mocker.Mock(spec=MockLabel)
     label1.name = "label1"
     pull.get_labels.return_value = [label1]
+    pull.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     return pull
 
@@ -1292,6 +1301,7 @@ def make_minimal_pr(mocker: MockerFixture, number: int) -> PullRequest:
     pr.user = None
     pr.assignees = []
     pr.get_labels.return_value = []
+    pr.get_commits.return_value = []
     return pr
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py
index a7007689..d684216a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py
+++ b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py
@@ -599,7 +599,9 @@ def _make_compare_miner(mocker, mock_repo, *, from_tag="v2.6.3", to_tag="v2.6.4"
     if get_pull_side_effect is not None:
         mock_repo.get_pull.side_effect = get_pull_side_effect
     else:
-        mock_repo.get_pull.return_value = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
+        default_pr = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
+        default_pr.get_commits.return_value = []
+        mock_repo.get_pull.return_value = default_pr
 
     github_mock = mocker.Mock(spec=Github)
     github_mock.get_repo.return_value = mock_repo
@@ -628,6 +630,7 @@ def test_mine_data_compare_mode_fetches_prs_by_number(mocker, mock_repo):
     commit_mock.commit.message = "Fix service access role (#42)"
     pr_mock = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
     pr_mock.number = 42
+    pr_mock.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     miner = _make_compare_miner(mocker, mock_repo, compare_commits=[commit_mock],
                                 get_pull_side_effect=lambda n: pr_mock if n == 42 else None)
@@ -645,8 +648,10 @@ def test_mine_data_compare_mode_multiple_prs(mocker, mock_repo):
     c2.commit.message = "Fix B (#20)"
     pr10 = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
     pr10.number = 10
+    pr10.get_commits.return_value = []
     pr20 = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
     pr20.number = 20
+    pr20.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     miner = _make_compare_miner(mocker, mock_repo, compare_commits=[c1, c2],
                                 get_pull_side_effect=lambda n: pr10 if n == 10 else pr20)
@@ -700,6 +705,34 @@ def test_mine_data_compare_mode_no_pr_numbers_in_message(mocker, mock_repo):
     assert "bumpsha" in data.compare_commit_shas
 
 
+def test_mine_data_compare_mode_excludes_sync_merge_commit_belonging_to_pr(mocker, mock_repo):
+    """A sync-merge commit (base branch merged back into the PR branch) has no PR-number reference in its
+    message, but it's still returned by pull.get_commits() for the PR it belongs to. It must not be
+    misclassified as a stand-alone direct commit (issue #335)."""
+    sync_merge_commit = mocker.Mock()
+    sync_merge_commit.sha = "syncmergesha"
+    sync_merge_commit.commit.message = "Merge branch 'main' into feature-x"
+
+    squash_commit = mocker.Mock()
+    squash_commit.sha = "squashsha"
+    squash_commit.commit.message = "Feature X done (#7)"
+
+    pr7 = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
+    pr7.number = 7
+    pr7.get_commits.return_value = [sync_merge_commit, squash_commit]
+
+    miner = _make_compare_miner(
+        mocker,
+        mock_repo,
+        compare_commits=[sync_merge_commit, squash_commit],
+        get_pull_side_effect=lambda n: pr7 if n == 7 else None,
+    )
+    data = miner.mine_data()
+
+    assert pr7 in data.pull_requests
+    assert data.commits == {}
+
+
 def test_mine_data_compare_mode_warns_on_total_commits_overflow(mocker, mock_repo):
     """Test that a warning is logged when the compare API returns more commits than it can retrieve (over 10,000)."""
     commit_mock = mocker.Mock()
diff --git a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py
index 7da947fa..2fe6a3f4 100644
--- a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py
+++ b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ def setup_no_issues_pulls_commits(mocker):
     mock_git_pr1.assignee = None
     mock_git_pr1.merge_commit_sha = "abc123"
     mock_git_pr1.get_labels.return_value = []
+    mock_git_pr1.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     mock_git_pr2 = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
     mock_git_pr2.id = 102
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ def setup_no_issues_pulls_commits(mocker):
     mock_git_pr2.assignee = None
     mock_git_pr2.merge_commit_sha = "def456"
     mock_git_pr2.get_labels.return_value = []
+    mock_git_pr2.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     mock_git_commit1 = mocker.Mock(spec=Commit)
     mock_git_commit1.sha = "abc123"
@@ -136,6 +138,7 @@ def setup_issues_pulls_commits(mocker, mock_repo):
     mock_git_pr1.assignee = None
     mock_git_pr1.merge_commit_sha = "abc123"
     mock_git_pr1.get_labels.return_value = []
+    mock_git_pr1.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     mock_git_pr2 = mocker.Mock(spec=PullRequest)
     mock_git_pr2.id = 102
@@ -150,6 +153,7 @@ def setup_issues_pulls_commits(mocker, mock_repo):
     mock_git_pr2.assignee = None
     mock_git_pr2.merge_commit_sha = "def456"
     mock_git_pr2.get_labels.return_value = []
+    mock_git_pr2.get_commits.return_value = []
 
     mock_git_commit1 = mocker.Mock(spec=Commit)
     mock_git_commit1.sha = "abc123"
@@ -215,6 +219,45 @@ def test_generate_with_issues_and_pulls_and_commits(mocker, mock_repo):
     assert commit1 == rec_i1.get_commit(101, "abc123")
 
 
+def test_generate_registers_sync_merge_commit_to_pr_not_as_direct_commit(mocker, mock_repo):
+    """A sync-merge commit (base branch merged back into the PR branch) is present in the base branch's
+    commit history but isn't pull.merge_commit_sha. pull.get_commits() still reports it as belonging to
+    the PR, so it must be registered to the PR/issue rather than misclassified as a direct commit
+    (issue #335)."""
+    mocker.patch(
+        "release_notes_generator.record.factory.default_record_factory.safe_call_decorator",
+        side_effect=mock_safe_call_decorator,
+    )
+    mock_github_client = mocker.Mock(spec=Github)
+    issue1, _issue2, pr1, _pr2, commit1, commit2 = setup_issues_pulls_commits(mocker, mock_repo)
+
+    sync_merge_commit = mocker.Mock(spec=Commit)
+    sync_merge_commit.sha = "syncmergesha"
+    sync_merge_commit.commit.message = "Merge branch 'main' into feature-x"
+    sync_merge_commit.author.login = "author1"
+    sync_merge_commit.repository = mock_repo
+
+    pr1.get_commits.return_value = [commit1, sync_merge_commit]
+
+    mock_rate_limit = mocker.Mock()
+    mock_rate_limit.rate.remaining = 10
+    mock_rate_limit.rate.reset.timestamp.return_value = time.time() + 3600
+    mock_github_client.get_rate_limit.return_value = mock_rate_limit
+
+    data = MinedData(mock_repo)
+    data.issues = {issue1: mock_repo}
+    data.pull_requests = {pr1: mock_repo}
+    data.commits = {commit1: mock_repo, commit2: mock_repo, sync_merge_commit: mock_repo}
+
+    records = DefaultRecordFactory(mock_github_client, mock_repo).generate(data)
+
+    # The sync-merge commit must not appear as a stand-alone direct-commit record.
+    assert "syncmergesha" not in records
+
+    rec_i1 = cast(IssueRecord, records["org/repo#1"])
+    assert sync_merge_commit == rec_i1.get_commit(101, "syncmergesha")
+
+
 def test_generate_with_issues_and_pulls_and_commits_with_skip_labels(mocker, mock_repo):
     mocker.patch(
         "release_notes_generator.record.factory.default_record_factory.ActionInputs.get_skip_release_notes_labels",

From f46ca6896aec3cc1ad101d707a5813af6c57d6a7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: miroslavpojer <miroslav.pojer@absa.africa>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:02:03 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 2/5] Fixed review comments.

---
 release_notes_generator/data/miner.py                     | 8 +++++++-
 .../record/factory/default_record_factory.py              | 3 ++-
 tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py     | 5 ++++-
 .../record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py         | 6 +++++-
 4 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
index a836913f..0733fc2f 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
@@ -147,7 +147,13 @@ def _handle_compare_mode(self, repo: Repository, data: MinedData) -> None:
                 #   including sync-merge commits (base branch merged back into the PR branch) whose
                 #   messages don't match _PR_NUMBER_RE. Excluding them by SHA (rather than by message
                 #   pattern) prevents them being misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
-                pr_commit_shas.update(c.sha for c in self._safe_call(pr.get_commits)() or [])
+                #   merge_commit_sha is added separately: for a rebase-merge, get_commits() still
+                #   reports the pre-rebase SHAs, not the new SHA(s) landed on the base branch.
+                pr_commits = self._safe_call(pr.get_commits)()
+                if pr_commits is not None:
+                    pr_commit_shas.update(c.sha for c in pr_commits)
+                if pr.merge_commit_sha:
+                    pr_commit_shas.add(pr.merge_commit_sha)
         data.pull_requests = pulls
 
         # Only include commits that aren't already accounted for by a PR
diff --git a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
index 0e3ae087..1875bc70 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
@@ -130,7 +130,8 @@ def _register_pull_and_its_commits_to_issue(
         # dev note: pull.get_commits() returns all commits GitHub associates with the PR, including
         #   sync-merge commits (base branch merged back into the PR branch). Without this, such commits
         #   fall through and get misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
-        pr_commit_shas: set[str] = {c.sha for c in self._safe_call(pull.get_commits)() or []}
+        pr_commits = self._safe_call(pull.get_commits)()
+        pr_commit_shas: set[str] = {c.sha for c in pr_commits} if pr_commits is not None else set()
         if pull.merge_commit_sha:
             pr_commit_shas.add(pull.merge_commit_sha)
         related_commits = [c for c in data.commits if c.sha in pr_commit_shas]
diff --git a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py
index d684216a..71007d7c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py
+++ b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/data/test_miner.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 from github.Issue import Issue
 from github.PullRequest import PullRequest
 from github.Repository import Repository
+from pytest_mock import MockerFixture
 
 from release_notes_generator.data.miner import DataMiner
 from release_notes_generator.data.utils.bulk_sub_issue_collector import BulkSubIssueCollector
@@ -705,7 +706,9 @@ def test_mine_data_compare_mode_no_pr_numbers_in_message(mocker, mock_repo):
     assert "bumpsha" in data.compare_commit_shas
 
 
-def test_mine_data_compare_mode_excludes_sync_merge_commit_belonging_to_pr(mocker, mock_repo):
+def test_mine_data_compare_mode_excludes_sync_merge_commit_belonging_to_pr(
+    mocker: MockerFixture, mock_repo: Repository
+) -> None:
     """A sync-merge commit (base branch merged back into the PR branch) has no PR-number reference in its
     message, but it's still returned by pull.get_commits() for the PR it belongs to. It must not be
     misclassified as a stand-alone direct commit (issue #335)."""
diff --git a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py
index 2fe6a3f4..d6a23be6 100644
--- a/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py
+++ b/tests/unit/release_notes_generator/record/factory/test_default_record_factory.py
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@
 from github.Commit import Commit
 from github.Issue import Issue
 from github.PullRequest import PullRequest
+from github.Repository import Repository
 from github.Requester import Requester
+from pytest_mock import MockerFixture
 
 from release_notes_generator.model.record.commit_record import CommitRecord
 from release_notes_generator.model.record.hierarchy_issue_record import HierarchyIssueRecord
@@ -219,7 +221,9 @@ def test_generate_with_issues_and_pulls_and_commits(mocker, mock_repo):
     assert commit1 == rec_i1.get_commit(101, "abc123")
 
 
-def test_generate_registers_sync_merge_commit_to_pr_not_as_direct_commit(mocker, mock_repo):
+def test_generate_registers_sync_merge_commit_to_pr_not_as_direct_commit(
+    mocker: MockerFixture, mock_repo: Repository
+) -> None:
     """A sync-merge commit (base branch merged back into the PR branch) is present in the base branch's
     commit history but isn't pull.merge_commit_sha. pull.get_commits() still reports it as belonging to
     the PR, so it must be registered to the PR/issue rather than misclassified as a direct commit

From 965ee6987017975d92ef3fa691225fd39c746c72 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: miroslavpojer <miroslav.pojer@absa.africa>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:28:11 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 3/5] fix: ensure proper handling of pagination errors in
 commit retrieval and update type for 'since' attribute

---
 release_notes_generator/data/miner.py         | 68 +++++++++++++------
 release_notes_generator/model/mined_data.py   |  3 +-
 .../record/factory/default_record_factory.py  |  4 +-
 3 files changed, 52 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-)

diff --git a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
index 0733fc2f..66fff294 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ class DataMiner:
 
     def __init__(self, github_instance: Github, rate_limiter: GithubRateLimiter):
         self.github_instance = github_instance
+        # dev note: PyGithub paginated results are lazy - the HTTP requests happen while iterating,
+        #   not on the initial call. Call sites that need a list must materialize it (e.g. via
+        #   `self._safe_call(lambda: list(x.get_foo()))()`) inside the safe-call, otherwise pagination
+        #   errors are raised outside of it and go uncaught.
         self._safe_call = safe_call_decorator(rate_limiter)
 
     def mine_data(self) -> MinedData:
@@ -74,9 +78,9 @@ def mine_data(self) -> MinedData:
         if data.release is not None:
             prefer_published = ActionInputs.get_published_at()
             if prefer_published and getattr(data.release, "published_at", None) is not None:
-                data.since = data.release.published_at  # type: ignore[assignment]
+                data.since = data.release.published_at
             elif getattr(data.release, "created_at", None) is not None:
-                data.since = data.release.created_at  # type: ignore[assignment]
+                data.since = data.release.created_at
             else:
                 data.since = None
 
@@ -118,7 +122,15 @@ def _handle_compare_mode(self, repo: Repository, data: MinedData) -> None:
                 to_tag,
             )
             sys.exit(1)
-        compare_commits: list[GithubCommit] = list(comparison.commits)
+        compare_commits_result = self._safe_call(lambda: list(comparison.commits))()
+        if compare_commits_result is None:
+            logger.error(
+                "Compare API failed while retrieving commits for '%s'...'%s'. Ending!",
+                from_tag,
+                to_tag,
+            )
+            sys.exit(1)
+        compare_commits: list[GithubCommit] = compare_commits_result
         total_commits = getattr(comparison, "total_commits", None)
         if isinstance(total_commits, int) and total_commits > len(compare_commits):
             logger.warning(
@@ -149,7 +161,7 @@ def _handle_compare_mode(self, repo: Repository, data: MinedData) -> None:
                 #   pattern) prevents them being misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
                 #   merge_commit_sha is added separately: for a rebase-merge, get_commits() still
                 #   reports the pre-rebase SHAs, not the new SHA(s) landed on the base branch.
-                pr_commits = self._safe_call(pr.get_commits)()
+                pr_commits = self._safe_call(lambda p=pr: list(p.get_commits()))()
                 if pr_commits is not None:
                     pr_commit_shas.update(c.sha for c in pr_commits)
                 if pr.merge_commit_sha:
@@ -216,14 +228,18 @@ def _handle_since_time_mode(self, repo: Repository, data: MinedData) -> None:
         self._get_issues(data)
 
         # Fetch closed PRs and commits, then reduce them by the latest release since time
-        pull_requests = list(
-            self._safe_call(repo.get_pulls)(state=PullRequestRecord.PR_STATE_CLOSED, base=repo.default_branch)
+        pull_requests = (
+            self._safe_call(
+                lambda: list(repo.get_pulls(state=PullRequestRecord.PR_STATE_CLOSED, base=repo.default_branch))
+            )()
+            or []
         )
         data.pull_requests = {pr: data.home_repository for pr in pull_requests}
         if data.since:
-            commits = list(self._safe_call(repo.get_commits)(since=data.since))
+            since = data.since
+            commits = self._safe_call(lambda: list(repo.get_commits(since=since)))() or []
         else:
-            commits = list(self._safe_call(repo.get_commits)())
+            commits = self._safe_call(lambda: list(repo.get_commits()))() or []
         data.commits = {c: data.home_repository for c in commits}
 
     def mine_missing_sub_issues(self, data: MinedData) -> tuple[dict[Issue, Repository], dict[str, list[PullRequest]]]:
@@ -470,7 +486,9 @@ def get_latest_release(self, repository: Repository) -> Optional[GitRelease]:
 
         else:
             logger.info("Getting latest release by semantic ordering (could not be the last one by time).")
-            gh_releases: list = list(self._safe_call(repository.get_releases)())
+            # dev note: the list() materialization is done inside the safe-call so that pagination errors
+            #   (raised while iterating the paginated result, not at call time) are also caught.
+            gh_releases: list = self._safe_call(lambda: list(repository.get_releases()))() or []
             rls = self.__get_latest_semantic_release(gh_releases)
 
             if rls is None:
@@ -499,8 +517,13 @@ def _get_issues(self, data: MinedData) -> None:
         assert data.home_repository is not None, "Repository must not be None"
         logger.info("Fetching issues from repository...")
 
+        # dev note: the list() materialization is done inside the safe-call so that pagination errors
+        #   (raised while iterating the paginated result, not at call time) are also caught.
         if data.release is None:
-            issues = list(self._safe_call(data.home_repository.get_issues)(state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL))
+            issues = (
+                self._safe_call(lambda: list(data.home_repository.get_issues(state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL)))()
+                or []
+            )
             data.issues = {i: data.home_repository for i in issues}
 
             logger.info("Fetched %d issues", len(data.issues.items()))
@@ -511,20 +534,23 @@ def _get_issues(self, data: MinedData) -> None:
         # Ensure data.since is only set if a valid datetime is available
         data.since = None
         if prefer_published and getattr(data.release, "published_at", None) is not None:
-            data.since = data.release.published_at  # type: ignore[assignment]
+            data.since = data.release.published_at
         elif getattr(data.release, "created_at", None) is not None:
-            data.since = data.release.created_at  # type: ignore[assignment]
+            data.since = data.release.created_at
 
-        issues_since = self._safe_call(data.home_repository.get_issues)(
-            state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL,
-            since=data.since,
-        )
-        open_issues = self._safe_call(data.home_repository.get_issues)(
-            state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_OPEN,
-        )
+        since = data.since
+
+        def _fetch_issues_since() -> list[Issue]:
+            return list(
+                data.home_repository.get_issues(
+                    state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL, since=since  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+                )
+            )
 
-        issues_since = list(issues_since or [])
-        open_issues = list(open_issues or [])
+        issues_since = self._safe_call(_fetch_issues_since)() or []
+        open_issues = (
+            self._safe_call(lambda: list(data.home_repository.get_issues(state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_OPEN)))() or []
+        )
 
         by_number = {}
         for issue in issues_since:
diff --git a/release_notes_generator/model/mined_data.py b/release_notes_generator/model/mined_data.py
index 49a9eede..6b994b77 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/model/mined_data.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/model/mined_data.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import logging
 
 from dataclasses import dataclass
+from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Optional
 
 from github.GitRelease import GitRelease
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ def __init__(self, repository: Repository):
         self._repositories: dict[str, Repository] = {repository.full_name: repository}
 
         self.release: Optional[GitRelease] = None
-        self.since = None
+        self.since: Optional[datetime] = None
         # self.since = datetime(1970, 1, 1)  # Default to epoch start
 
         self.issues: dict[Issue, Repository] = {}
diff --git a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
index 1875bc70..aab08e50 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
@@ -130,7 +130,9 @@ def _register_pull_and_its_commits_to_issue(
         # dev note: pull.get_commits() returns all commits GitHub associates with the PR, including
         #   sync-merge commits (base branch merged back into the PR branch). Without this, such commits
         #   fall through and get misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
-        pr_commits = self._safe_call(pull.get_commits)()
+        #   The list() materialization is done inside the safe-call so that pagination errors (raised
+        #   while iterating the paginated result, not at call time) are also caught and handled.
+        pr_commits = self._safe_call(lambda: list(pull.get_commits()))()
         pr_commit_shas: set[str] = {c.sha for c in pr_commits} if pr_commits is not None else set()
         if pull.merge_commit_sha:
             pr_commit_shas.add(pull.merge_commit_sha)

From 5627697ee26aaefa6c0c4b1159ff8d4c21e4c916 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: miroslavpojer <miroslav.pojer@absa.africa>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:34:53 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 4/5] fix: remove developer notes regarding pagination error
 handling in release and issue fetching

---
 release_notes_generator/data/miner.py                         | 4 ----
 .../record/factory/default_record_factory.py                  | 2 --
 2 files changed, 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
index 66fff294..5db6f150 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
@@ -486,8 +486,6 @@ def get_latest_release(self, repository: Repository) -> Optional[GitRelease]:
 
         else:
             logger.info("Getting latest release by semantic ordering (could not be the last one by time).")
-            # dev note: the list() materialization is done inside the safe-call so that pagination errors
-            #   (raised while iterating the paginated result, not at call time) are also caught.
             gh_releases: list = self._safe_call(lambda: list(repository.get_releases()))() or []
             rls = self.__get_latest_semantic_release(gh_releases)
 
@@ -517,8 +515,6 @@ def _get_issues(self, data: MinedData) -> None:
         assert data.home_repository is not None, "Repository must not be None"
         logger.info("Fetching issues from repository...")
 
-        # dev note: the list() materialization is done inside the safe-call so that pagination errors
-        #   (raised while iterating the paginated result, not at call time) are also caught.
         if data.release is None:
             issues = (
                 self._safe_call(lambda: list(data.home_repository.get_issues(state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL)))()
diff --git a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
index aab08e50..1231a431 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/record/factory/default_record_factory.py
@@ -130,8 +130,6 @@ def _register_pull_and_its_commits_to_issue(
         # dev note: pull.get_commits() returns all commits GitHub associates with the PR, including
         #   sync-merge commits (base branch merged back into the PR branch). Without this, such commits
         #   fall through and get misclassified as stand-alone "direct commits".
-        #   The list() materialization is done inside the safe-call so that pagination errors (raised
-        #   while iterating the paginated result, not at call time) are also caught and handled.
         pr_commits = self._safe_call(lambda: list(pull.get_commits()))()
         pr_commit_shas: set[str] = {c.sha for c in pr_commits} if pr_commits is not None else set()
         if pull.merge_commit_sha:

From 04d0d27c887e0c01ac40bcd5681cf540d32a7845 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: miroslavpojer <miroslav.pojer@absa.africa>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:02:21 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 5/5] fix: streamline issue retrieval logic in DataMiner class

---
 release_notes_generator/data/miner.py | 21 +++++++++------------
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
index 5db6f150..8dccd4c6 100644
--- a/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
+++ b/release_notes_generator/data/miner.py
@@ -534,20 +534,17 @@ def _get_issues(self, data: MinedData) -> None:
         elif getattr(data.release, "created_at", None) is not None:
             data.since = data.release.created_at
 
-        since = data.since
-
-        def _fetch_issues_since() -> list[Issue]:
-            return list(
-                data.home_repository.get_issues(
-                    state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL, since=since  # type: ignore[arg-type]
-                )
-            )
-
-        issues_since = self._safe_call(_fetch_issues_since)() or []
-        open_issues = (
-            self._safe_call(lambda: list(data.home_repository.get_issues(state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_OPEN)))() or []
+        issues_since = self._safe_call(data.home_repository.get_issues)(
+            state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_ALL,
+            since=data.since,
+        )
+        open_issues = self._safe_call(data.home_repository.get_issues)(
+            state=IssueRecord.ISSUE_STATE_OPEN,
         )
 
+        issues_since = list(issues_since or [])
+        open_issues = list(open_issues or [])
+
         by_number = {}
         for issue in issues_since:
             num = getattr(issue, "number", None)