Customize CodeRabbit

CodeRabbit offers various customization options to tailor the reviews to your specific requirements. Customizations can be made using one of the below options :

1. Customization via CodeRabbit YAML File (Recommended)
2. Customization via CodeRabbit UI

Customization defined in the YAML file overrides the settings in the UI.

1. Customize CodeRabbit using a YAML File

You can add a .coderabbit.yaml configuration file to your repositories. Below is a sample YAML file that can be used as a starting point and change as needed:

version 2: Current

language: "jp"
early_access: false
reviews:
    request_changes_workflow: false
    high_level_summary: true
    poem: true
    review_status: true
    collapse_walkthrough: false
    path_filters:
        - "!**/.xml"
    path_instructions:
        - path: "**/*.js"
          instructions: "Review the JavaScript code for conformity with the Google JavaScript style guide, highlighting any deviations."
        - path: "tests/**/*"
          instructions: |
              "Assess the unit test code employing the Mocha testing framework. Confirm that:
              - The tests adhere to Mocha's established best practices.
              - Test descriptions are sufficiently detailed to clarify the purpose of each test."
    auto_review:
        enabled: true
        ignore_title_keywords:
            - "WIP"
            - "DO NOT MERGE"
        drafts: false
        base_branches:
            - "develop"
            - "feat/*"
chat:
    auto_reply: true

Note: .coderabbit.yaml file should be placed at the root directory of the repository.

Yaml settings:

1. language: Set the language for reviews using the ISO language code. For example, "fr" stands for French (default:en).

2. early_access: Enroll in the early access program to take advantage of forthcoming features before their general release (default:false).

3. reviews: Configurations for the code reviews.

   • request_changes_workflow: Enable Request Changes review workflow for CodeRabbit reviews. (default: false).
   • high_level_summary: CodeRabbit generates a high level summary of the changes (default:true).
   • poem: Indicates whether a creative poem should be included in the review (default:true).
   • review_status: Indicates the status of the review (default:true).
   • collapse_walkthrough: Collapses the walkthrough comment (default:false).
   • path_filters: Specifies file patterns to exclude or include for a review, such as !dist/** and src/**.tsx, using glob notation.
   • path_instructions: Provides specific additional guidelines for code review based on file paths. In the given example, JavaScript files are singled out for checks against the Google JavaScript style guide. File path accepts glob pattern
   • auto_review: Manages settings for automated code reviews, such as:
     • enabled: Automated code review (default: true).
     • ignore_title_keywords: Review will be ignored if a pull request title contains one of the list of keywords (e.g., "WIP", "DO NOT MERGE").
     • labels: Review will be triggered if a pull request contains one of the list of labels.
     • drafts: Determines whether draft pull requests are reviewed (default: true).
     • base_branches: A list of base branches where the reviews will occur apart from the default branch. Accepts regex pattern.

4. chat: Defines the behavior of CodeRabbit's bot in conversations.

   • auto_reply: The bot automatically replies without the need of the user tagging it ( default: true ).

Refer: CodeRabbit Configuration Schema.

version 1: deprecated (Please use version version 2)

settings:
    # Enables automatic reviewing of draft pull requests.
    enable_draft_pr_reviews: true
    # Specifies additional base/target branches to be reviewed. Accept regex pattern.
    additional_branches_to_be_reviewed:
        - "master"
        - "yaml/test"
    # Disables generation of release notes.
    disable_high_level_summary: false
    # Specific review instructions for certain file paths. File paths accept glob pattern
    path_based_instructions:
        - path: "**/*.js"
          instructions: "Review the javascript code against the google javascript style guide and point out any mismatches"
        - path: "tests/**/*"
          instructions:
              "Review the following unit test code written using the Mocha test library. Ensure that:
              - The code adheres to best practices associated with Mocha.
              - Descriptive test names are used to clearly convey the intent of each test."
    # Comma separated list of keywords in the title that should be ignored.
    ignored_pr_titles: "WIP"
    # ISO Code for the review language.
    review_language: "en"
    # Disables review and other status comments.
    disable_review_status: false
    # Add walkthrough comment in a collapsible section.
    collapse_walkthrough_comment: true
    # Disable automatic code reviews for this repository.
    disable_review: false

This configuration file consists of the following settings:

1. enable_draft_pr_reviews: Set to false to disable draft pull request(PR) reviews.
2. additional_branches_to_be_reviewed: Define additional branches to be reviewed besides the default branch.
3. disable_high_level_summary: If set to true, disables high-level summary generation.
4. path_based_instructions: Allows you to specify instructions based on file paths. In this example, instructions for Python and JavaScript files are provided, encouraging adherence to the Google style guide.
5. ignored_pr_titles: Specifies ignored PR titles, in this case, "WIP" (Work in Progress).
6. review_language: Sets the review language to French ("fr").
7. disable_poem: If set to false, enables the "poem" feature.
8. early_access_program: Determines whether to enable the early access program (set to false in this case).
9. exclude_file_patterns: Specifies patterns for excluding certain files from review, such as !dist/** and !**.md.
10. limit_reviews_by_label: Limits reviews by label, targeting "first_bug" label reviews.
11. disable_review: Totally disables automatic code reviews for the repository.
12. disable_review_status: This is the comment posted for each incremental review status. This removes the review status comment. Reviews will still take place. However, optional comments added to the review status will not be posted.
13. collapse_walkthrough_comment: Specifies whether to collapse walkthrough comments on the review.

Refer: CodeRabbit configuration schema.

2. Customize CodeRabbit through the UI

Reviews can also be customized through the UI under repository settings:

Review Customization

Path based instructions : Provide additional review guidelines based on the file paths using glob patterns.

For further guidance please refer this section Prompt Customization

Language Selection: Select the natural language in which you want the review feedback. CodeRabbit supports most of the widely used languages. The default language is English.

Disable High Level Summary: This allows disabling high level summary added with the pull request description.

Review Filters 

Disable Reviews: Disables automatic code reviews for the repository. Reviews can be initiated on-demand using CodeRabbit commands.

Enable Draft Pull request Reviews: Select whether CodeRabbit should review the draft pull requests.

Configure reviews using pull request labels: Select specific pull request labels for which reviews should occur.

File Pattern: Include or exclude specific file patterns from the review.

Please note that code reviews commence with new pull requests or incremental commits to existing pull requests once the CodeRabbit app is installed. Should you have any questions or require assistance, our support team is here to help.