CodeRabbit Common Errors

Overview

Quick-reference troubleshooting guide for the most common CodeRabbit issues. CodeRabbit is a GitHub/GitLab App that reviews PRs automatically -- most problems are configuration issues, permission gaps, or YAML syntax errors rather than API failures.

Prerequisites

• CodeRabbit GitHub App installed on repository
• Access to GitHub repository settings
• .coderabbit.yaml in repository root

Instructions

Step 1: Identify Your Issue Category

Error 1: No Review Posted on PR

Symptoms: PR is open, targeting main, but no CodeRabbit review appears after 15+ minutes.

Diagnosis:

set -euo pipefail
# Check if CodeRabbit App is installed on this repo
gh api repos/OWNER/REPO/installation --jq '.app_slug' 2>/dev/null || echo "NOT INSTALLED"

# Check if the PR author has a CodeRabbit seat
# Go to app.coderabbit.ai > Organization > Seats

Causes & Solutions:

1. App not installed: Visit https://github.com/apps/coderabbitai and install on the repo
2. Repo not selected: In GitHub > Installed Apps > CodeRabbit, add the specific repository
3. No seat assigned: The PR author needs a CodeRabbit seat (app.coderabbit.ai > Subscription)
4. Private repo without org plan: Free tier only works on public repos

Error 2: Reviews Only on Some Branches

Symptoms: Reviews appear on PRs to main but not develop or feature branches.

Cause: base_branches filter in configuration only includes specific branches.

Fix:

# .coderabbit.yaml
reviews:
  auto_review:
    enabled: true
    base_branches:
      - main
      - develop
      - "release/*"     # Glob patterns work
      - "hotfix/*"
      # Remove base_branches entirely to review PRs to ALL branches

Error 3: Reviews Skip Certain PRs

Symptoms: Some PRs get reviewed, others are silently skipped.

Diagnosis checklist:

# Check these .coderabbit.yaml settings:
reviews:
  auto_review:
    drafts: false           # Draft PRs are skipped (expected behavior)
    ignore_title_keywords:  # PRs with these keywords in title are skipped
      - "WIP"
      - "DO NOT MERGE"
      - "chore: bump"      # This skips dependency update PRs

# Also check: Is the PR author a bot?
# Bot PRs (dependabot, renovate) may not trigger reviews
# unless bot accounts have CodeRabbit seats

Error 4: Reviews Include Generated/Unwanted Files

Symptoms: CodeRabbit comments on lock files, generated code, or build output.

Fix:

# .coderabbit.yaml - Add path filters
reviews:
  path_filters:
    - "!**/*.lock"
    - "!**/package-lock.json"
    - "!**/pnpm-lock.yaml"
    - "!**/*.snap"
    - "!**/generated/**"
    - "!dist/**"
    - "!**/*.min.js"
    - "!vendor/**"
    - "!**/*.generated.*"

Error 5: Too Many Comments / Review Noise

Symptoms: CodeRabbit posts 10-20+ comments per PR, most are nitpicks.

Fix:

# .coderabbit.yaml - Reduce comment volume
reviews:
  profile: "chill"           # Fewer comments, only significant issues
  # Options: chill (fewest) → assertive (balanced) → nitpicky (most)

  # Give context to prevent misguided comments
  path_instructions:
    - path: "src/legacy/**"
      instructions: |
        This is legacy code. Only flag security issues and bugs.
        Do NOT suggest refactoring or style changes.
    - path: "scripts/**"
      instructions: |
        One-off scripts. Do not enforce production standards.
        Only flag: security issues, destructive ops without confirmation.

Error 6: Configuration Changes Not Taking Effect

Symptoms: You updated .coderabbit.yaml but reviews behave the same way.

Diagnosis:

# In a PR comment, run:
@coderabbitai configuration

# CodeRabbit will reply with the active configuration as YAML.
# Compare with your .coderabbit.yaml to find discrepancies.

# Common causes:
# 1. YAML syntax error - entire config is ignored silently
# 2. Config not on the base branch - CodeRabbit reads config from the PR's base branch
# 3. Organization-level config overriding repo config
# 4. Wrong field name (e.g., "review_instructions" instead of "path_instructions")

YAML validation:

set -euo pipefail
# Validate YAML syntax
python3 -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('.coderabbit.yaml'))" && echo "YAML OK" || echo "YAML INVALID"

# Or use an online validator: https://www.yamllint.com/

Error 7: Bot Not Responding to PR Comments

Symptoms: You post @coderabbitai full review but nothing happens.

Causes & Solutions:

1. Typo in mention: Must be exactly @coderabbitai (one word, lowercase)
2. Comment in wrong location: Commands work in PR comments, not commit comments
3. Chat disabled: Ensure .coderabbit.yaml has chat: auto_reply: true
4. Rate limited: Too many commands in quick succession; wait a few minutes

# .coderabbit.yaml - Ensure chat is enabled
chat:
  auto_reply: true    # Required for @coderabbitai commands to work

Error 8: Review Takes Too Long (15+ Minutes)

Symptoms: PR opened but CodeRabbit review not posted after 15 minutes.

Causes:

If it is been 20+ minutes on a small PR:

1. Check CodeRabbit status: https://status.coderabbit.ai
2. Try: @coderabbitai full review (force re-review)
3. Check GitHub App installation hasn't been suspended
4. Contact support via CodeRabbit Discord or email

Step 2: Verify Fix

After applying a fix, create or update a PR and confirm CodeRabbit behaves as expected:

set -euo pipefail
# Force a re-review on an existing PR
gh pr comment PR_NUMBER --body "@coderabbitai full review"

# Or check the active config
gh pr comment PR_NUMBER --body "@coderabbitai configuration"

Output

• Issue identified from symptom-based diagnosis
• Configuration fix applied to .coderabbit.yaml
• Fix verified via re-review or configuration check

Error Handling

Examples

When reviews stop, verify the app installation and active configuration on a small test PR, make the smallest configuration correction, then request a re-review to confirm the result. If a check or policy behaves unexpectedly, retain the evidence and use the reviewed rollback rather than disabling unrelated repository protections.

Resources

• CodeRabbit Configuration Reference
• CodeRabbit FAQ
• CodeRabbit Status Page
• CodeRabbit Discord

Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see coderabbit-debug-bundle.