CodeRabbit Hello World
Overview
Minimal working example demonstrating CodeRabbit AI code review. CodeRabbit reviews PRs automatically via a GitHub/GitLab App -- no SDK or API calls needed. You configure behavior through a .coderabbit.yaml file and interact via PR comments.
Prerequisites
- CodeRabbit GitHub App installed (see
coderabbit-install-auth) - A repository with at least one branch
Instructions
Step 1: Create Minimal Configuration
# .coderabbit.yaml (repository root)
language: "en-US"
reviews:
profile: "assertive"
high_level_summary: true
auto_review:
enabled: true
drafts: false
chat:
auto_reply: true
Step 2: Add Path-Specific Instructions
# .coderabbit.yaml - add review context for better feedback
reviews:
profile: "assertive"
high_level_summary: true
auto_review:
enabled: true
drafts: false
path_instructions:
- path: "src/**/*.ts"
instructions: "Check for proper TypeScript types. Flag any use of `any`."
- path: "**/*.test.*"
instructions: "Verify edge cases are covered. Check async handling."
chat:
auto_reply: true
Step 3: Create a PR to Trigger Review
set -euo pipefail
git checkout -b feat/hello-coderabbit
# Add the configuration file
cat > .coderabbit.yaml << 'YAML'
language: "en-US"
reviews:
profile: "assertive"
high_level_summary: true
auto_review:
enabled: true
drafts: false
path_instructions:
- path: "src/**"
instructions: "Check for proper error handling and input validation."
chat:
auto_reply: true
YAML
git add .coderabbit.yaml
git commit -m "feat: add CodeRabbit AI code review configuration"
git push -u origin feat/hello-coderabbit
gh pr create --title "feat: enable CodeRabbit AI code review" \
--body "Adding .coderabbit.yaml for automated code reviews"
Step 4: Interact with CodeRabbit on the PR
Once CodeRabbit posts its review (typically 2-5 minutes), you can interact:
# In a PR comment, use these commands:
@coderabbitai summary # Get a walkthrough of all changes
@coderabbitai full review # Re-run a complete review from scratch
@coderabbitai resolve # Mark all CodeRabbit comments as resolved
@coderabbitai help # List all available commands
# Reply to any CodeRabbit comment to have a conversation about the feedback
# CodeRabbit will respond with context-aware explanations
Step 5: Try the CLI for Local Reviews (Optional)
set -euo pipefail
# Review staged changes before committing
git add -A
cr review
# Review with interactive mode for back-and-forth discussion
cr review --interactive
# Review specific files
cr review src/index.ts src/utils.ts
What CodeRabbit Posts on Your PR
- Walkthrough comment: High-level summary of all changes with a file-by-file breakdown
- Sequence diagram: Visual control flow of the changes (if enabled)
- Line-level comments: Specific suggestions on individual code lines
- Review status: Approved or changes-requested based on severity of findings
Output
.coderabbit.yamlcommitted to repository root- First AI review posted on a test PR within 2-5 minutes
- Interactive review conversation demonstrated
Error Handling
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| No review appears | App not installed on this repo | Check GitHub App > Repository access |
| YAML syntax error | Invalid configuration | Validate YAML at yamlchecker.com |
| Review on wrong branch | Missing base_branches filter | Add base_branches: [main] to config |
| Bot not responding to commands | Typo in mention | Must use exact @coderabbitai mention |
Resources
Next Steps
Proceed to coderabbit-local-dev-loop for a full development workflow with CodeRabbit.