CodeRabbit Core Workflow A: Automated PR Review

Overview

The primary CodeRabbit workflow: a developer opens a PR, CodeRabbit automatically analyzes the diff, posts a walkthrough summary and line-level comments, and the developer addresses feedback. This skill covers configuration, review profiles, path instructions, and the full review lifecycle.

Prerequisites

CodeRabbit GitHub App installed (see coderabbit-install-auth)
.coderabbit.yaml in repository root
At least one PR-capable branch

Instructions

Step 1: Configure the Review Pipeline

# .coderabbit.yaml - Production-ready configuration
language: "en-US"
early_access: false

reviews:
  profile: "assertive"              # chill = less feedback, assertive = more thorough
  request_changes_workflow: true    # CodeRabbit marks review as "changes requested" for issues
  high_level_summary: true          # Post a walkthrough comment summarizing all changes
  high_level_summary_in_walkthrough: true
  review_status: true               # Show review progress status
  collapse_walkthrough: false       # Keep walkthrough expanded
  sequence_diagrams: true           # Generate control flow diagrams
  poem: false                       # Disable poems in review summary

  auto_review:
    enabled: true
    drafts: false                   # Skip draft PRs
    base_branches:
      - main
      - develop
    ignore_title_keywords:
      - "WIP"
      - "DO NOT MERGE"
      - "chore: bump"

  path_filters:
    - "!**/*.lock"
    - "!**/*.snap"
    - "!**/generated/**"
    - "!dist/**"
    - "!**/*.min.js"
    - "!vendor/**"

  path_instructions:
    - path: "src/api/**"
      instructions: |
        Review for: input validation, proper HTTP status codes, auth middleware usage,
        error response format per RFC 7807. Flag missing error handling.
    - path: "src/db/**"
      instructions: |
        Review for: parameterized queries (no string concatenation), transaction boundaries,
        proper connection cleanup, index usage. Flag N+1 query patterns.
    - path: "**/*.test.*"
      instructions: |
        Review for: assertion completeness, edge case coverage, proper async handling.
        Do NOT comment on test naming conventions or import order.
    - path: ".github/workflows/**"
      instructions: |
        Review for: pinned action versions (use SHA not tag), no secrets in logs,
        timeout-minutes on all jobs, OIDC for cloud auth.

chat:
  auto_reply: true

# Finishing touches configuration
reviews:
  finishing_touches:
    docstrings:
      enabled: true       # Allow @coderabbitai generate-docstrings command

Step 2: Understand the Review Lifecycle

Developer opens/updates PR
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ CodeRabbit analyzes diff        │
│ (typically 2-5 min, up to 15   │
│  min for 1000+ line PRs)       │
└─────────┬───────────────────────┘
          │
          ├──▶ Walkthrough comment (summary + sequence diagram)
          │
          ├──▶ Line-level comments (bugs, suggestions, improvements)
          │
          └──▶ Review state (approved / changes_requested)
                    │
                    ▼
         Developer addresses feedback
                    │
          ┌─────────┴──────────┐
          │                    │
    Reply to comment     Push new commits
    (conversation)       (incremental re-review)
          │                    │
          ▼                    ▼
    CodeRabbit responds  CodeRabbit reviews
    with explanation     only changed files

Step 3: Interact with Reviews

# In any PR comment:
@coderabbitai full review          # Re-review all files from scratch
@coderabbitai summary              # Regenerate walkthrough summary
@coderabbitai resolve              # Mark all CodeRabbit comments as resolved
@coderabbitai generate-docstrings  # Auto-generate docstrings for functions
@coderabbitai configuration        # Show current active config as YAML
@coderabbitai help                 # List all commands

# Reply to any CodeRabbit inline comment to discuss the feedback.
# CodeRabbit maintains conversation context and will explain its reasoning.

# In PR description, add instructions for this specific review:
# "Focus on security implications of the auth changes"

Step 4: Configure Finishing Touch Recipes

# .coderabbit.yaml - Custom finishing touch recipes (open beta)
finishing_touches:
  recipes:
    - name: "fix-imports"
      description: "Sort and organize imports"
      instructions: |
        Sort all imports alphabetically. Group: external packages first,
        then internal modules, then relative imports. Remove unused imports.

    - name: "tighten-types"
      description: "Replace any with specific types"
      instructions: |
        Replace all `any` types with proper TypeScript types.
        Use `unknown` for truly unknown values. Add type guards where needed.

# Trigger recipes in a PR comment:
@coderabbitai run fix-imports
@coderabbitai run tighten-types

# Or check the boxes in the Finishing Touches section of the walkthrough

Output

Automated review on every PR targeting configured branches
Walkthrough summary with sequence diagrams
Line-level feedback categorized by severity
Interactive conversation on review comments
Finishing touch recipes for automated code improvements

Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Solution
Review takes 15+ minutes	PR has 1000+ changed lines	Split into smaller PRs
No review posted	PR targets non-configured branch	Add branch to `base_branches`
Reviews on generated files	Missing path_filters	Add `!/generated/` to path_filters
Too many nitpick comments	Profile set to assertive	Switch to `chill` for experienced teams
Config changes not applied	YAML syntax error	Run `@coderabbitai configuration` to verify
Review on draft PR	`drafts: true` in config	Set `drafts: false` to skip drafts

Resources

Next Steps

For configuration tuning and noise reduction, see coderabbit-core-workflow-b.

coderabbit-core-workflow-a