What does config:recommended actually include?

It is Renovate's official starter preset: sensible defaults for scheduling, rate limiting, and lockfile maintenance. Most repositories extend it and layer additional rules on top rather than replacing it.

What is the difference between rangeStrategy values?

"auto" lets Renovate decide per-package, "pin" locks to exact versions, "bump" raises the existing range, "replace" widens or narrows the range as needed, and "widen" only ever expands it.

Is it safe to automerge patch updates?

Patch releases are supposed to be backward-compatible bug fixes, so many teams automerge them once CI passes. Minor updates carry more risk since they can add features; automerge only if your test suite is trustworthy.

How do I write a custom schedule string?

Renovate uses the "later" library syntax, for example "before 3am on Monday" or "every weekend". Select "Custom" in the schedule dropdown and type your own string in that format.

Where does renovate.json go in my repository?

Place it at the repository root. Renovate also accepts renovate.json5, .renovaterc, or a renovate key inside package.json, but renovate.json is the most common location.

Do I need the $schema field?

No, but it enables autocomplete and validation in editors like VS Code, so this generator includes it by default.

Renovate Config Generator

Toggle base preset, schedule, package rules, and ignore options to build a ready-to-use renovate.json.

Base Preset (extends)

config:recommended config:best-practices :semanticCommits group:monorepos

Schedule

Timezone (optional)

Range Strategy

Package Rules

Group all minor and patch updates into one PR Automerge minor updates Automerge patch updates

Ignore Rules

Ignore dependencies (one per line) Ignore paths (one per line)

Extras

Enable dependency dashboard issue PR labels (comma separated)

renovate.json

Quick-start

Save this file as renovate.json in your repository root, then install the Renovate app or run the self-hosted CLI to pick it up.

Copied!

Summary

The Renovate Config Generator builds a renovate.json file for the Mend Renovate dependency bot without hand-editing JSON. Pick a base preset, set an update schedule, choose whether to group and automerge minor and patch updates, set a range strategy, and list any dependencies or paths to ignore. The output updates live and is ready to copy into your repository root.

How it works

Choose one or more base presets to extend, such as config:recommended.
Pick when Renovate should run using the schedule dropdown, or enter a custom schedule string.
Set the range strategy that controls how version ranges are updated.
Toggle grouping and automerge for minor and patch updates.
Add any dependencies or paths Renovate should ignore.
Copy or download the generated renovate.json into your repository root.

Use cases

Set up Renovate on a new repository without reading the full docs.
Reduce PR noise by grouping minor and patch updates into one pull request.
Automerge low-risk patch updates while keeping major updates manual.
Restrict Renovate to a maintenance window with a schedule string.
Exclude a pinned dependency or vendored directory from updates.
Compare range strategy options before committing to one for a project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-09 · Reviewed by Nham Vu