CodeRabbit Data Handling

Overview

Manage code review data and sensitive patterns with CodeRabbit. Covers secret detection in PRs, sensitive file exclusion from AI review, review comment data retention, and configuring what code context gets sent to the AI engine.

Prerequisites

CodeRabbit installed on repository
Understanding of sensitive file patterns
Repository admin access for configuration
Secret scanning tools awareness

Instructions

Step 1: Exclude Sensitive Files from Review

# .coderabbit.yaml - Data handling configuration
reviews:
  path_filters:
    # Never send these to AI review
    - "!**/.env*"
    - "!**/credentials*"
    - "!**/secrets*"
    - "!**/*.pem"
    - "!**/*.key"
    - "!**/*.p12"
    - "!**/serviceAccountKey*"
    - "!**/terraform.tfstate*"
    - "!**/*.tfvars"

    # Exclude large generated files
    - "!**/package-lock.json"
    - "!**/pnpm-lock.yaml"
    - "!**/yarn.lock"
    - "!**/*.generated.*"
    - "!**/dist/**"
    - "!**/coverage/**"

Step 2: Secret Detection Instructions

# .coderabbit.yaml - Instruct AI to flag secrets
reviews:
  path_instructions:
    - path: "**"
      instructions: |
        CRITICAL: Flag any of these patterns as HIGH SEVERITY:
        - Hardcoded API keys, tokens, or passwords
        - AWS access keys (AKIA...)
        - Private keys or certificates
        - Database connection strings with credentials
        - JWT secrets or signing keys
        - Webhook URLs with tokens in query params

        If you find any secrets, add a comment:
        "SECURITY: Hardcoded secret detected. Move to environment variable."

    - path: "**/*.{yml,yaml}"
      instructions: |
        Check CI/CD files for:
        - Secrets logged in step names or echo statements
        - Unpinned GitHub Actions (use SHA, not tags)
        - Missing secret masking in outputs

Step 3: Review Data Scope Management

# Control what context CodeRabbit accesses
reviews:
  auto_review:
    enabled: true
    drafts: false   # Don't review draft PRs (may contain WIP secrets)
    base_branches:
      - "main"
      - "develop"
    ignore_title_keywords:
      - "WIP"
      - "DO NOT REVIEW"
      - "DRAFT"

  # Limit file types reviewed
  path_filters:
    # Only review source code, not data
    - "+src/**"
    - "+lib/**"
    - "+app/**"
    - "+tests/**"
    - "+.github/**"
    - "!**/*.csv"
    - "!**/*.json"      # Exclude data files
    - "!**/fixtures/**"  # Exclude test fixtures with sample data
    - "!**/seeds/**"     # Exclude database seeds

Step 4: Sensitive Code Pattern Detection

# .coderabbit.yaml - Custom pattern detection
reviews:
  path_instructions:
    - path: "src/db/**"
      instructions: |
        Review database code for:
        - SQL injection vulnerabilities (string concatenation in queries)
        - Unparameterized queries
        - PII logged in error messages
        - Missing data sanitization on inputs

    - path: "src/api/**"
      instructions: |
        Review API endpoints for:
        - User input not validated before processing
        - Sensitive data in response bodies (passwords, tokens)
        - Missing authentication checks
        - Overly permissive CORS configuration
        - PII in URL parameters (should be POST body instead)

    - path: "src/auth/**"
      instructions: |
        SECURITY-CRITICAL PATH. Review for:
        - Token expiry configuration
        - Password hashing (must use bcrypt/argon2, never MD5/SHA)
        - Session fixation vulnerabilities
        - CSRF protection

Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Solution
Secret in reviewed PR	Not in exclusion list	Add pattern to path_filters
Large diff reviewed	Generated code included	Exclude generated file paths
Sensitive fixture data	Test data has real PII	Exclude fixtures directory
Review on draft PR	drafts setting enabled	Set `drafts: false`

Examples

Minimal Secure Configuration

# .coderabbit.yaml - Security-focused setup
reviews:
  auto_review:
    enabled: true
    drafts: false
  path_filters:
    - "!**/.env*"
    - "!**/*.key"
    - "!**/*.pem"
    - "!**/secrets/**"
  path_instructions:
    - path: "**"
      instructions: "Flag any hardcoded secrets, API keys, or credentials."

Resources

Output

Configuration files or code changes applied to the project
Validation report confirming correct implementation
Summary of changes made and their rationale

coderabbit-data-handling