Review

Overview¶

The review tool scans the PR code changes, and generates a list of feedbacks about the PR, aiming to aid the reviewing process.
The tool can be triggered automatically every time a new PR is opened, or can be invoked manually by commenting on any PR:

/review

Note that the main purpose of the review tool is to provide the PR reviewer with useful feedbacks and insights. The PR author, in contrast, may prefer to save time and focus on the output of the improve tool, which provides actionable code suggestions.

(Read more about the different personas in the PR process and how Qodo Merge aims to assist them in our blog)

Example usage¶

Manual triggering¶

Invoke the tool manually by commenting /review on any PR:

After ~30 seconds, the tool will generate a review for the PR:

If you want to edit configurations, add the relevant ones to the command:

/review --pr_reviewer.some_config1=... --pr_reviewer.some_config2=...

Automatic triggering¶

To run the review automatically when a PR is opened, define in a configuration file:

[github_app]
pr_commands = [
    "/review",
    ...
]

[pr_reviewer]
num_code_suggestions = ...
...

The pr_commands lists commands that will be executed automatically when a PR is opened.
The [pr_reviewer] section contains the configurations for the review tool you want to edit (if any).

Configuration options¶

General options

num_code_suggestions	Number of code suggestions provided by the 'review' tool. Default is 0, meaning no code suggestions will be provided by the `review` tool.
inline_code_comments	If set to true, the tool will publish the code suggestions as comments on the code diff. Default is false. Note that you need to set `num_code_suggestions`>0 to get code suggestions
persistent_comment	If set to true, the review comment will be persistent, meaning that every new review request will edit the previous one. Default is true.
extra_instructions	Optional extra instructions to the tool. For example: "focus on the changes in the file X. Ignore change in ...".
enable_help_text	If set to true, the tool will display a help text in the comment. Default is true.

Enable\disable specific sub-sections

require_score_review	If set to true, the tool will add a section that scores the PR. Default is false.
require_tests_review	If set to true, the tool will add a section that checks if the PR contains tests. Default is true.
require_estimate_effort_to_review	If set to true, the tool will add a section that estimates the effort needed to review the PR. Default is true.
require_can_be_split_review	If set to true, the tool will add a section that checks if the PR contains several themes, and can be split into smaller PRs. Default is false.
require_security_review	If set to true, the tool will add a section that checks if the PR contains a possible security or vulnerability issue. Default is true.
require_ticket_analysis_review	If set to true, and the PR contains a GitHub or Jira ticket link, the tool will add a section that checks if the PR in fact fulfilled the ticket requirements. Default is true.

Adding PR labels

You can enable\disable the review tool to add specific labels to the PR:

enable_review_labels_security	If set to true, the tool will publish a 'possible security issue' label if it detects a security issue. Default is true.
enable_review_labels_effort	If set to true, the tool will publish a 'Review effort [1-5]: x' label. Default is true.

Auto-approval

If enabled, the review tool can approve a PR when a specific comment, /review auto_approve, is invoked.

enable_auto_approval	If set to true, the tool will approve the PR when invoked with the 'auto_approve' command. Default is false. This flag can be changed only from a configuration file.
maximal_review_effort	Maximal effort level for auto-approval. If the PR's estimated review effort is above this threshold, the auto-approval will not run. Default is 5.

Usage Tips¶

General guidelines

The review tool provides a collection of configurable feedbacks about a PR. It is recommended to review the Configuration options section, and choose the relevant options for your use case.

Some of the features that are disabled by default are quite useful, and should be considered for enabling. For example: require_score_review, and more.

On the other hand, if you find one of the enabled features to be irrelevant for your use case, disable it. No default configuration can fit all use cases.

Automation

When you first install Qodo Merge app, the default mode for the review tool is:

pr_commands = ["/review --pr_reviewer.num_code_suggestions=0", ...]

Meaning the review tool will run automatically on every PR, without providing code suggestions. Edit this field to enable/disable the tool, or to change the configurations used.

Possible labels from the review tool

The review tool can auto-generate two specific types of labels for a PR:

a possible security issue label that detects if a possible security issue exists in the PR code (enable_review_labels_security flag)
a Review effort [1-5]: x label, where x is the estimated effort to review the PR (enable_review_labels_effort flag)

Both modes are useful, and we recommended to enable them.

Extra instructions

Extra instructions are important. The review tool can be configured with extra instructions, which can be used to guide the model to a feedback tailored to the needs of your project.

Be specific, clear, and concise in the instructions. With extra instructions, you are the prompter. Specify the relevant sub-tool, and the relevant aspects of the PR that you want to emphasize.

Examples of extra instructions:

[pr_reviewer]
extra_instructions="""\
In the code feedback section, emphasize the following:
- Does the code logic cover relevant edge cases?
- Is the code logic clear and easy to understand?
- Is the code logic efficient?
...
"""

Use triple quotes to write multi-line instructions. Use bullet points to make the instructions more readable.

Auto-approval

Qodo Merge can approve a PR when a specific comment is invoked.

To ensure safety, the auto-approval feature is disabled by default. To enable auto-approval, you need to actively set in a pre-defined configuration file the following:

[pr_reviewer]
enable_auto_approval = true

(this specific flag cannot be set with a command line argument, only in the configuration file, committed to the repository)

After enabling, by commenting on a PR:

/review auto_approve

Qodo Merge will automatically approve the PR, and add a comment with the approval.

You can also enable auto-approval only if the PR meets certain requirements, such as that the estimated_review_effort label is equal or below a certain threshold, by adjusting the flag:

[pr_reviewer]
maximal_review_effort = 5