CodeRabbit reviews work best when properly connected to your development workflow. This guide shows you how to set up platform access, issue tracking, and configuration that actually improves your team’s review process.

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Set up platform access

CodeRabbit integrates differently with each Git platform, using each platform’s recommended authentication methods.

GitHub

GitHub App integrationAutomatic CodeRabbitAI bot creation through GitHub’s app installation process. No manual setup required.

GitLab

Project tokens or service accountsProject access tokens create automatic bot users, or use GitLab service accounts (17.6+) for organization-wide access.

Bitbucket

User account with app passwordsCreate a dedicated user account and configure app passwords for authentication. No formal service accounts available.
No manual bot account creation requiredCodeRabbit operates as a GitHub App, automatically creating the CodeRabbitAI bot user when you connect your organization.Setup process:
  1. Install the CodeRabbit app from GitHub Marketplace
  2. Grant repository permissions during installation
  3. CodeRabbitAI bot user is created automatically with appropriate access
App permissions are managed through GitHub’s organization settings under “Third-party access.”
For detailed platform-specific instructions, see Integrate with Git platforms.

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Connect issue tracking

CodeRabbit analyzes whether pull request changes address specific ticketed issues. This works automatically with GitHub and GitLab issues, but requires setup for external systems. Built-in integration (no setup required):
  • GitHub Issues
  • GitLab Issues
External systems requiring integration:
  • Jira — Connect your Jira instance for issue analysis
  • Linear — Link Linear issues to pull request context
For external issue systems, see Integrate issue tracking.

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Set up team reports

CodeRabbit’s reporting feature keeps teams updated on repository changes. Set up these baseline reports using templates in the CodeRabbit web interface:
  • Daily standup report — Grouped by contributor, shows recent activity
  • Regular release notes — Grouped by repository, summarizes changes
Access reporting templates at app.coderabbit.ai under the Reports section. For detailed reporting setup, see Generate reports.

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Configure review behavior

CodeRabbit gives you two configuration methods. Use both for the most effective setup.

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Web interface for rapid setup

The CodeRabbit web interface lets you:
  • Set organization-wide code review preferences
  • Configure repository-specific settings
  • Get familiar with available configuration options
Use Organization Settings and Repositories pages to establish baseline configuration quickly.

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YAML files for version control

Add a .coderabbit.yaml file to repositories for version-controlled configuration. Why use YAML configuration:
  • Version control — Track changes, view history, revert configurations
  • Pull request integration — Include setting changes in code reviews
  • Transparency — All contributors see repository CodeRabbit settings
  • Precedence — Repository YAML settings override web interface settings
Repository-level .coderabbit.yaml settings take precedence over organization settings from the web interface. For configuration file details, see Add a configuration file.

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Speed up reviews with path filters

If your repository contains data or content that doesn’t need code review context, use path filters to exclude it. Example: !dist/** tells CodeRabbit to ignore everything in the dist directory during review preparation. Benefits:
  • Faster review preparation
  • Reduced contextual noise
  • More focused analysis
Configure path filters through the web interface or in your .coderabbit.yaml file.

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Keep default settings

CodeRabbit’s defaults are chosen for most organizations and situations. We recommend keeping these enabled unless specific requirements dictate otherwise: Cache — Keeps CodeRabbit’s temporary repository memory between reviews, improving review speed. Tools — CodeRabbit uses all available open-source linters and analyzers by default, providing broad and flexible review coverage. Knowledge base — Features like learnings and issue tracking require data retention. Opt out only if your organization has strict data-retention policies. Configure these features through the web interface or .coderabbit.yaml file.

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Improve CI/CD integration

CodeRabbit analyzes continuous integration and deployment logs to provide better remediation advice. Configure your CI/CD tools to output specific error information. Include in failure output:
  • File names associated with failures
  • Line numbers where failures occurred
  • Detailed explanations including error codes or diffs
Example: This pull request shows expanding CI error context by including a diff for code-formatter check failures. Better error context leads to more actionable CodeRabbit remediation suggestions during code reviews.

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Next steps