# Ultralytics Actions / format (pull\_request\_target) failing

**URL:** <https://community.ultralytics.com/t/ultralytics-actions-format-pull-request-target-failing/395>\
**Category:** Support\
**Tags:** troubleshooting\
**Created:** [October 24, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.ultralytics.com/t/ultralytics-actions-format-pull-request-target-failing/395 "2024-10-24T14:36:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ufouk\_zn](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.ultralytics.com/ufouk_zn/32/618_2.png) [@ufouk\_zn](https://community.ultralytics.com/u/ufouk_zn)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.ultralytics.com/t/ultralytics-actions-format-pull-request-target-failing/395/1 "2024-10-24T14:36:49Z")

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Greetings,  
I have implemented a small modification for the .plot() function that enables me to easily determine the positioning of the class labels around the bounding box. It works nicely and I wanted to share this with the community via a PR( #17019) on Ultralytics GitHub. Everything seems to check out except “Ultralytics Actions / format (pull\_request\_target)” and when i go look at the details, this is the only line I see that is related to the issue:  
[555] shell: /bin/bash --noprofile --norc -e -o pipefail {0}

[556]/Users/runner/work/\_temp/e8eb15f5-8c28-4bd1-b1f3-95ea14e03f2c.sh: line 3: syntax error near unexpected token `(’

[557]Error: Process completed with exit code 2.

The shell script given in the error message seems to be a temporarily generated one which I cannot find or access anywhere so I am essentially at a dead end.  
This was my very first PR anywhere and I am very new with GitHub in general and it is not like I invented the wheel so I don’t mind if I can’t get to spread this but I have seen people asking about customizing label positioning so I was curious how I could share my easy fix with everyone. Any hint, advice, reference would be kindly appreciated.  
Cheers.

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**Author:** ![pderrenger](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.ultralytics.com/pderrenger/32/73_2.png) [@pderrenger](https://community.ultralytics.com/u/pderrenger)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.ultralytics.com/t/ultralytics-actions-format-pull-request-target-failing/395/2 "2024-10-24T16:28:36Z")

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Hello!

It’s fantastic to hear that you’re contributing to the Ultralytics community with your modification! 🎉

The error you’re encountering seems to be related to a syntax issue in the shell script used by GitHub Actions. This can sometimes happen due to unexpected characters or formatting in the script. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot:

1. **Check Your Code** : Ensure there are no syntax errors or unexpected characters in your code, especially around any shell commands you might have added.

2. **Re-run the Workflow** : Sometimes, simply re-running the workflow can resolve transient issues.

3. **Update Your Branch** : Make sure your branch is up-to-date with the latest changes from the `main` branch. This can sometimes resolve conflicts or issues with the CI/CD pipeline.

4. **Review the Logs** : Look for any additional context in the logs that might point to the specific line causing the issue.

For more detailed guidance, you can refer to the [GitHub Actions documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/actions).

If the issue persists, feel free to share more details here, and the community can help further. Your contribution is valuable, and it’s great to see your enthusiasm for sharing improvements! 😊

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**Author:** ![BurhanQ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.ultralytics.com/burhanq/32/7_2.png) [@BurhanQ](https://community.ultralytics.com/u/BurhanQ)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://community.ultralytics.com/t/ultralytics-actions-format-pull-request-target-failing/395/3 "2024-10-25T13:34:05Z")

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> [@ufouk\_zn](#):
>
> 17019

I suspect your branch name `u-uzun:plot()_modification` could be causing an issue since it includes `(` and `)` characters. It’s likely these characters need to be escaped, but it’s generally not common practice to include such characters on [GitHub branches](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/using-git/dealing-with-special-characters-in-branch-and-tag-names#naming-branches-and-tags) and you can [verify your branch name is compliant directly](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-check-ref-format) with `git` (although I’m guessing yours would pass as-is).

I think your best bet could be to close your PR and create a new branch. Use a new name without any special characters, maybe something like `modify-plot-method`, and merge your changes from the existing branch into the new branch and open a new pull-request.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ufouk\_zn](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.ultralytics.com/ufouk_zn/32/618_2.png) [@ufouk\_zn](https://community.ultralytics.com/u/ufouk_zn)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://community.ultralytics.com/t/ultralytics-actions-format-pull-request-target-failing/395/4 "2024-10-25T15:36:37Z")

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Hello Burhan,  
Looks like that was indeed the problem.  
Your fix solved the issue.  
Thank you for your attention to detail and help.