fix(entity-feedback): Add link to feedback notifications #6611

west-david · 2025-12-23T17:45:40Z

Summary

This PR fixes a UX issue in the entity-feedback-backend plugin where notifications about new feedback don't include a clickable link to navigate to the entity.

Changes

Added link field to notification payload in /responses/:entityRef(*) endpoint
Link format: /catalog/{namespace}/{kind}/{name}/feedback
Parses entityRef (format: kind:namespace/name) to construct proper Backstage entity URL

Motivation

When entity owners receive notifications about new feedback on their entities, the notification currently shows the entity name and comments but doesn't provide a way to navigate to the feedback. This PR adds a clickable link that takes users directly to the entity's feedback page.

Implementation

// Construct entity URL from entityRef (format: "kind:namespace/name")
const [kind, namespaceName] = req.params.entityRef.split(":");
const [namespace, name] = namespaceName.split("/");
const entityUrl = `/catalog/${namespace}/${kind}/${name}/feedback`;

const payload: NotificationPayload = {
  title: `New feedback for ${req.params.entityRef}`,
  description: `Comments: ${JSON.parse(comments).additionalComments}`,
  link: entityUrl,
};

Testing

Tested in a production Backstage instance with entity-feedback plugin enabled:

Submitted feedback on a test entity
Verified notification was sent to entity owner
Confirmed notification includes clickable link
Verified link navigates correctly to entity's feedback page

The notification link successfully takes users to the correct entity feedback page in the format /catalog/{namespace}/{kind}/{name}/feedback.

backstage-goalie · 2025-12-23T17:46:02Z

Changed Packages

Package Name	Package Path	Changeset Bump	Current Version
@backstage-community/plugin-entity-feedback-backend	workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback-backend	patch	`v0.16.0`
@backstage-community/plugin-entity-feedback-common	workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback-common	patch	`v0.12.0`
@backstage-community/plugin-entity-feedback	workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback	patch	`v0.14.0`

backstage-goalie · 2025-12-23T17:47:40Z

Thanks for the contribution!
All commits need to be DCO signed before they are reviewed. Please refer to the the DCO section in CONTRIBUTING.md or the DCO status for more info.

Add link field to notification payload so users can navigate directly to the entity's feedback page when they receive a notification about new feedback on their owned entities. Notifications now include a clickable link in the format: /catalog/{namespace}/{kind}/{name}/feedback Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

kuangp · 2025-12-23T18:17:52Z

workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback-backend/src/service/router.ts

+      // Construct entity URL from entityRef (format: "kind:namespace/name")
+      const [kind, namespaceName] = req.params.entityRef.split(':');
+      const [namespace, name] = namespaceName.split('/');
+      const entityUrl = `/catalog/${namespace}/${kind}/${name}/feedback`;


Thanks for suggesting this change however it is not guaranteed that this is always the entity URL - consumers are free to attach the catalog plugin and "feedback" tab to any custom route name of their choosing even though this is the default. Therefore we probably need a more configurable way to construct this url that is consistent with how the frontend plugin is setup

kuangp · 2025-12-23T18:18:50Z

workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback-backend/src/service/router.ts

+      const [kind, namespaceName] = req.params.entityRef.split(':');
+      const [namespace, name] = namespaceName.split('/');


FYI you can use parseEntityRef to parse entity refs

Address review feedback: - Use parseEntityRef utility instead of manual string parsing - Make notification link URL configurable via entityFeedback.feedbackUrlPattern - Default pattern: /catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name - Allows customization for non-standard routes Users can now configure custom URL patterns in app-config.yaml: ```yaml entityFeedback: feedbackUrlPattern: '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name/feedback' ``` This addresses the concern that the /feedback route suffix may be customized in different Backstage installations. Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

west-david · 2025-12-23T18:25:11Z

Thanks for the review! I've addressed both comments:

1. Using parseEntityRef: ✅
Replaced manual string parsing with the parseEntityRef utility from @backstage/catalog-model.

2. Configurable URL pattern: ✅
Made the notification link URL configurable via app-config to support custom routes:

const feedbackUrlPattern =
  config.getOptionalString('entityFeedback.feedbackUrlPattern') ||
  '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name';

const entityUrl = feedbackUrlPattern
  .replace(':kind', kind)
  .replace(':namespace', namespace)
  .replace(':name', name);

Default behavior: Links to /catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name (without /feedback suffix)

Custom configuration example:

entityFeedback:
  feedbackUrlPattern: '/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name/feedback'

This allows users to configure the exact pattern that matches their frontend routing setup.

Tests have been updated to reflect the new default pattern.

kuangp · 2025-12-23T18:56:25Z

workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback-backend/src/service/router.ts

+      // Allow customization of the feedback URL pattern via config
+      // Default: /catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name
+      const feedbackUrlPattern =
+        config.getOptionalString('entityFeedback.feedbackUrlPattern') ||


We should also define and document the new config - see https://backstage.io/docs/conf/defining for more info and the playlist plugin for an example: https://github.com/backstage/community-plugins/blob/main/workspaces/playlist/plugins/playlist/config.d.ts, https://github.com/backstage/community-plugins/blob/main/workspaces/playlist/plugins/playlist/package.json#L85 see comment below

actually another option which may be more robust is to send this info from the frontend plugin since the routing can be derived there automatically:

if you can emulate what's done here to derive the route of the entity: https://github.com/backstage/backstage/blob/fea3e3972daf42fc75c107568a693eeb14a4d672/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityRefLink/EntityRefLink.tsx#L84-L88, then pass it along in the request to the backend here:

community-plugins/workspaces/entity-feedback/plugins/entity-feedback/src/components/FeedbackResponseDialog/FeedbackResponseDialog.tsx

Line 132 in 4d58c3f

await feedbackApi.recordResponse(stringifyEntityRef(entity), {

, it would be available in this express route for it to be included in the notification payload

The benefit of the above is that it will always consistently construct the appropriate entity url (including custom ones) without any additional configuration from the consumer

…cations Changes the implementation to derive entity URLs from the frontend routing configuration instead of using backend configuration. This ensures notification links always match the actual routes configured in the app. **Frontend changes:** - Use entityRouteRef and entityRouteParams (same as EntityRefLink) to derive URL - Pass entity URL in feedback request **Backend changes:** - Accept link from request instead of constructing it - Remove config-based URL pattern logic - Add database migration for link field - Update tests to include link field This approach is more robust as it uses a single source of truth (frontend router) and requires no additional configuration. Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

kuangp

Looks great! Thanks !

west-david requested review from a team and kuangp as code owners December 23, 2025 17:45

west-david requested review from BethGriggs and removed request for a team December 23, 2025 17:45

backstage-service added the workspace/entity-feedback label Dec 23, 2025

west-david added 2 commits December 23, 2025 12:48

Add changeset for notification link fix

92b7cd7

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

west-david force-pushed the fix/entity-feedback-notification-links branch from 074a3aa to 92b7cd7 Compare December 23, 2025 17:49

test: Update tests to expect link field in notification payload

8673378

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

kuangp requested changes Dec 23, 2025

View reviewed changes

kuangp reviewed Dec 23, 2025

View reviewed changes

west-david added 6 commits December 23, 2025 18:30

style: Fix prettier formatting in FeedbackResponseDialog

bb144b6

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

chore: Update API report for FeedbackResponse link field

c7a27cf

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

test: Update DatabaseHandler test to expect link field in responses

fd04afb

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

test: Add entityRouteRef to FeedbackResponseDialog test

51b5aea

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

test: Update FeedbackResponseDialog test to expect link field

178f1ab

Signed-off-by: David <[email protected]>

west-david requested a review from kuangp December 24, 2025 01:13

kuangp approved these changes Dec 24, 2025

View reviewed changes

kuangp merged commit c92a717 into backstage:main Dec 24, 2025
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fix(entity-feedback): Add link to feedback notifications #6611

fix(entity-feedback): Add link to feedback notifications #6611

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		const [kind, namespaceName] = req.params.entityRef.split(':');
		const [namespace, name] = namespaceName.split('/');

fix(entity-feedback): Add link to feedback notifications #6611

fix(entity-feedback): Add link to feedback notifications #6611

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west-david commented Dec 23, 2025

Summary

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Implementation

Testing

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