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The reviews.auto_review settings group in .coderabbit.yaml file gives you fine-grained control over when CodeRabbit runs automatic reviews. By default, enabled is true and CodeRabbit reviews every PR automatically. You can disable reviews globally and re-enable them by keyword or label, apply them only to certain branches, skip draft PRs, pause after a set number of commits, and exclude PRs from specific authors.
Regardless of any auto-review configuration, you can always trigger a review manually by commenting @coderabbitai review on a pull request.

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Scope (which PRs qualify)

Configure which pull requests CodeRabbit will review by specifying branch targets, draft status, labels, and keyword-based opt-in.

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base_branches

Specify which target branches should receive automatic reviews. 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    base_branches: []   # default — only the default branch
By default, CodeRabbit reviews PRs that target the repository’s default branch (e.g. main or master). Use base_branches to add other branches. Each entry is a regex pattern: 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    base_branches:
      - "develop"
      - "release/.*"
      - "hotfix/.*"
Use ".*" to match all branches and review every PR regardless of target.
The default branch is always included. base_branches extends the set of reviewed branches; it does not replace the default branch.

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drafts

Include draft PRs in automatic reviews. 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    drafts: false   # default
By default, CodeRabbit skips draft PRs. Set drafts: true to include them. This is useful for teams that use draft PRs as part of active development and want early feedback.

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labels

Control reviews using PR labels, including negative filters. 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    labels: []   # default — no label filter
The labels array controls which PRs are reviewed based on their labels. Labels prefixed with ! are negative matches (exclusions).
ConfigurationEffect
[] (empty)All PRs are reviewed (no label filter)
["bug", "feature"]Only PRs with the bug or feature label
["!wip"]All PRs except those labeled wip
["bug", "!wip"]PRs labeled bug but not labeled wip
The labels setting also triggers reviews even when enabled: false. This lets you build fully label-driven workflows: disable automatic review globally, then use specific labels to opt PRs in.
Example — opt-in via label with auto-review disabled: 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    enabled: false
    labels: ["review-ready"]
Only PRs labeled review-ready will be reviewed.

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description_keyword

Opt-in by PR description when automatic reviews are disabled. 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    enabled: false
    description_keyword: "coderabbit:review"
When enabled is false and description_keyword is set to a non-empty string, CodeRabbit reviews any PR whose description contains that exact keyword string. PRs without the keyword are skipped. Leave description_keyword empty (the default) to rely solely on label-based opt-in or manual @coderabbitai review commands.

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Exclusions

Configure rules to skip reviews for specific PRs based on title patterns or author.

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ignore_title_keywords

Skip reviews for PRs matching specific title keywords. 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    ignore_title_keywords:
      - "WIP"
      - "DO NOT MERGE"
      - "[skip review]"
If the PR title contains any of these strings (case-insensitive), the review is skipped silently. This is the lightest-weight way to signal that a PR is not ready for review.

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ignore_usernames

Skip reviews for PRs from specific authors (bots, service accounts). 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    ignore_usernames:
      - "dependabot[bot]"
      - "renovate[bot]"
      - "github-actions[bot]"
PRs authored by any username in this list are skipped silently — no review is posted. This is the recommended way to exclude automated bots, dependency update services, and service accounts. Username matching rules:
  • Exact match, case-sensitive
  • No wildcard or regex support — each entry must be a full username
  • Whitespace around entries is trimmed automatically
  • Empty strings are ignored
Common entries by platform:
PlatformExample usernames
GitHubdependabot[bot], renovate[bot], github-actions[bot]
GitLabgitlab-ci-token, project_123_bot
Azure DevOpsService account display names
Copy usernames directly from the PR author field on your Git platform to avoid typos. A single character difference means the PR will be reviewed.
Username skipping takes precedence over all other controls — if a PR author is in ignore_usernames, the review is skipped regardless of labels, enabled, or any other setting. To force a review for a skipped author, comment @coderabbitai review on the PR.

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Incremental review

Configure how CodeRabbit handles updates and subsequent pushes to an existing PR.

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auto_incremental_review

Review updates on each new push (default enabled). 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    auto_incremental_review: true   # default
When true (the default), CodeRabbit re-reviews a PR after each new push, focusing on the commits added since the last review. This keeps feedback timely without re-analyzing unchanged code. Set to false to review only when a PR is first opened. Subsequent pushes will be ignored until you trigger the review manually.

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auto_pause_after_reviewed_commits

Pause automatic reviews after reaching a commit threshold. 
reviews:
  auto_review:
    auto_pause_after_reviewed_commits: 5   # default
CodeRabbit automatically pauses incremental reviews after this many reviewed commits since the last pause. The counter resets each time the pause is lifted. Set to 0 to disable the pause and always review, no matter how many commits accumulate. This setting is useful for active feature branches where dozens of small commits would otherwise trigger redundant reviews. After the limit is reached, use @coderabbitai review to request a fresh review on demand.
ValueBehavior
0Never auto-pause — review every push
5Pause after 5 reviewed commits (default)
NPause after N reviewed commits

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Manual review commands

When automatic incremental reviews reach their limits, you can use manual commands to control the review process:

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Complete auto_review example

reviews:
  auto_review:
    enabled: true
    auto_incremental_review: true
    auto_pause_after_reviewed_commits: 10
    drafts: false
    base_branches:
      - "develop"
      - "release/.*"
    ignore_title_keywords:
      - "WIP"
      - "[skip review]"
    labels:
      - "!do-not-review"
    ignore_usernames:
      - "dependabot[bot]"
      - "renovate[bot]"
      - "release-bot"
    description_keyword: ""
This configuration:
  • Reviews all non-draft PRs automatically on each push
  • Pauses after 10 reviewed commits
  • Also reviews PRs targeting develop or any release/* branch
  • Skips PRs titled with WIP or [skip review]
  • Skips PRs labeled do-not-review
  • Skips PRs from dependency bots and the release bot

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What’s next

Configuration reference

See the full auto_review schema with types, defaults, and constraints

Path instructions

Add per-path review rules to guide CodeRabbit on specific files or directories

Review commands

Trigger, pause, or override reviews on demand using @coderabbitai commands