Follow-up to the rollout issue #501539 to permanently remove the `inline_blame` feature flag once the feature is [deemed stable](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product-development-flow/feature-flag-lifecycle/#including-a-feature-behind-feature-flag-in-the-final-release). The default-enabling MR is !239551. This issue tracks the full code/flag removal. ## ⚠️ Read before deleting anything The flag gates **two distinct code paths**. The cleanup is **not** a simple "delete the legacy blame page" task. Removing the wrong pieces will break working links and silently regress behavior. ### 1. The `/-/blame/...` redirect must survive (made unconditional, not deleted) When the flag is on, [`BlameController#show`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/app/controllers/projects/blame_controller.rb) returns early and [`show.html.haml`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/app/views/projects/blame/show.html.haml) renders a `window.location.replace(...)` redirect to the blob viewer at `project_blob_path(..., blame: 1)`, preserving `ref_type` and the URL hash (`#L<n>`). External bookmarks, GitLab-internal links (code search, file browser), and `git_blame.md` all still point at `/-/blame/<ref>/<path>`. **Keep the redirect and make it unconditional** — remove only the `Feature.enabled?(:inline_blame)` guard and the legacy `else` branch of the view. Do **not** make those URLs 404. ### 2. Frontend activation [`blob_content_viewer.vue`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/repository/components/blob_content_viewer.vue) reads `glFeatures.inlineBlame` for `isBlameAvailable` and watches `query.blame === '1'` to auto-open the blame panel. The legacy "Blame" button is hidden, and the in-gutter blame-link click is intercepted, only when `inlineBlame` is true. Simplify all reads to the always-on branch. ## Decisions required (don't delete silently) - **`#page` / `#streaming` actions:** these have **no** flag guard and still render the legacy blame table (`_page.html.haml`, `BlamePagination`, `BlameMode`, `entire_blame_path`, `blame_pages_streaming_url`). Decide explicitly whether to retire them. If retired, also handle the routes asserted in [`spec/routing/project_routing_spec.rb`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/spec/routing/project_routing_spec.rb) — don't orphan them. - **Binary blobs:** `require_non_binary_blob` currently redirects binaries with a notice. The blob viewer already excludes binaries (`!isBinaryFileType`). Decide whether the controller keeps short-circuiting binaries or defers to the viewer; keep behavior consistent. - **`.git-blame-ignore-revs` errors:** the legacy path rescues `IgnoreRevsFormatError` / `IgnoreRevsFileError` and flashes a message. **Verify the blob-viewer/GraphQL `BlameResolver` path surfaces these equivalently before removing the legacy handling** — otherwise it's a silent regression. ## Do NOT remove (independent of the flag) - **`inline_blame_popover` user callout** (`app/models/users/callout.rb` → `129`, dismissed in `blob_header_viewer_switcher.vue`). This is the onboarding popover, not the flag. Leave it in place or schedule separately. - **Analytics events / metrics:** `open_blame_viewer_on_blob_page`, `click_blame_control_on_blob_page`, `toggle_inline_blame_age_indicator_on_blob_page` and their metric YAMLs track the new experience — keep them. ## Spec impact (rewrite, don't just delete) Specs that stub `inline_blame: false` assert legacy-page behavior and must be **rewritten to assert the redirect / blob-viewer behavior**: - `spec/controllers/projects/blame_controller_spec.rb` — the `blame_response` shared example (`'when ignore_revs is nil'`) flips from "renders legacy page" to "redirects". - `spec/features/projects/blobs/blame_spec.rb` - `spec/features/projects/files/user_browses_files_spec.rb` - `spec/features/search/user_searches_for_code_spec.rb` Also remove all three `push_frontend_feature_flag(:inline_blame, ...)` call sites: `blob_controller.rb`, `tree_controller.rb`, `projects_controller.rb`. ## Documentation Add the final history entry to [`doc/user/project/repository/files/git_blame.md`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/doc/user/project/repository/files/git_blame.md): `Generally available in GitLab X.Y. Feature flag inline_blame removed.` and delete the `> [!flag]` note (per the [feature flag docs history process](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/documentation/feature_flags.html)). ## Cleanup checklist - [x] Create the cleanup MR removing all `inline_blame` references and the YAML definition (`config/feature_flags/beta/inline_blame.yml`), handling each item above. Add a `Changelog` entry (`other` if keeping the new code). - [x] Ensure the cleanup MR is in the release package; if needed run `/chatops run release check <mr-url> <milestone>`. - [x] After deploy, delete the flag from all environments: `/chatops run feature delete inline_blame --dev --pre --staging --staging-ref --production` (in `#production`). - [x] Close the feature issue #430950. - [x] Close this issue.