CodeRabbit Reference Architecture

Overview

Configure CodeRabbit AI code review for team workflows. Covers repository configuration, custom review instructions, path-based rules, and integration with CI pipelines for automated review enforcement.

Prerequisites

• CodeRabbit GitHub/GitLab app installed

• Repository admin access for configuration

• Understanding of team coding standards

• CI pipeline for review status checks

Architecture Diagram

┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ Developer │────▶│ Pull │────▶│ CodeRabbit │ │ Push/PR │ │ Request │ │ AI Review │ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────┬───────┘ │ ┌────────────────────────────┤ │ │ ▼ ▼ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ Line-level │ │ Summary │ │ Comments │ │ Review │ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬───────┘ │ │ ▼ ▼ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ Developer │ │ CI Status │ │ Response │ │ Check │ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘

Instructions

Step 1: Create Repository Configuration

.coderabbit.yaml - Root configuration

language: "en-US" early_access: false

reviews: profile: "assertive" # Options: chill, assertive, proactive request_changes_workflow: true high_level_summary: true poem: false review_status: true collapse_walkthrough: false path_instructions: - path: "src/api/" instructions: | Review for REST API best practices: - Validate all inputs with zod schemas - Return proper HTTP status codes - Include error response bodies per RFC 7807 # 7807 = configured value - Check for SQL injection in query parameters - path: "src/components/" instructions: | Review React components for: - Proper use of hooks (no conditional hooks) - Memoization where appropriate - Accessibility (aria labels, keyboard navigation) - Component size (flag if >200 lines) # HTTP 200 OK - path: "**/.test." instructions: | Review tests for: - Meaningful test descriptions - Edge cases covered - No implementation details tested - Proper async handling

auto_review: enabled: true drafts: false base_branches: - "main" - "develop" ignore_title_keywords: - "WIP" - "DO NOT MERGE"

chat: auto_reply: true

Step 2: Configure Path-Based Review Rules

.coderabbit.yaml continued

reviews: path_filters: # Skip auto-generated files - "!/*.generated.ts" - "!/generated/" - "!package-lock.json" - "!pnpm-lock.yaml" - "!/*.min.js" - "!dist/**"

# Always review security-sensitive paths
- "+src/auth/**"
- "+src/middleware/**"
- "+**/migrations/**"

tools: eslint: enabled: true biome: enabled: true shellcheck: enabled: true markdownlint: enabled: true

Step 3: Custom Review Instructions for Team Standards

.coderabbit.yaml - Team-specific instructions

reviews: path_instructions: - path: "**" instructions: | Team coding standards: 1. All exported functions must have JSDoc comments 2. Use named exports, never default exports 3. Prefer const assertions for literal types 4. Error handling: never catch and ignore silently 5. Logging: use structured logger, never console.log in production

- path: "src/db/**"
  instructions: |
    Database layer rules:
    - All queries must use parameterized statements
    - Include index hints for complex queries
    - Transactions required for multi-table mutations
    - Migration files must be reversible

- path: ".github/workflows/**"
  instructions: |
    CI/CD pipeline rules:
    - Pin all action versions to SHA, not tags
    - Never use secrets in step names or logs
    - Include timeout-minutes on all jobs
    - Use OIDC for cloud provider auth

Step 4: Integrate with CI Pipeline

.github/workflows/pr-checks.yml

name: PR Checks

on: pull_request: types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]

jobs: wait-for-coderabbit: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Wait for CodeRabbit review uses: actions/github-script@v7 with: script: | // Check if CodeRabbit has reviewed const reviews = await github.rest.pulls.listReviews({ owner: context.repo.owner, repo: context.repo.repo, pull_number: context.issue.number, });

        const coderabbitReview = reviews.data.find(
          r => r.user.login === 'coderabbitai[bot]'
        );

        if (!coderabbitReview) {
          core.info('Waiting for CodeRabbit review...');
        }

Error Handling

Issue Cause Solution

Review not triggered PR to non-configured branch Add branch to base_branches

Too many comments Profile too aggressive Switch to chill profile

Ignoring config changes YAML syntax error Validate YAML before committing

Reviewing generated files Missing path filter Add ! exclusion patterns

Examples

Minimal Configuration

.coderabbit.yaml - Quick start

reviews: profile: "assertive" auto_review: enabled: true drafts: false

Resources

• CodeRabbit Configuration

• CodeRabbit Path Instructions

• CodeRabbit Tools

Output

• Configuration files or code changes applied to the project

• Validation report confirming correct implementation

• Summary of changes made and their rationale