Code review schema reference

Complete code review examples and field reference.

A code review file has 5 top-level blocks: ellipsis, optional pull_requests, reviewers, optional output, and optional budget. Set ellipsis.kind to code_review. A repository holds one file at .ellipsis/code-review.yaml on its default branch; the .ellipsis repository holds the organization file. Unknown fields fail the sync. See Code review for what a review posts and what happens when a reviewer fails.

Review one organization

1
ellipsis:
2
kind: code_review
3
name: code-review
4
5
pull_requests:
6
repositories:
7
include: [api-repo, web-repo]
8
exclude: [archived-repo]
9
base: [main]
10
draft: false
11
for:
12
users: true
13
bots: false
14
15
reviewers:
16
- name: bugs
17
claude_code:
18
prompt: Find bugs in this pull request.
19
model: claude-opus-5-5
20
21
budget:
22
session: 3

Committed to the .ellipsis repository, this reviews each push to a non-draft pull request by a human into main in api-repo or web-repo. pull_requests takes the same filters as a pull request trigger without on; a repository's own file wins over this one.

Approve when clean

1
ellipsis:
2
kind: code_review
3
name: code-review
4
5
reviewers:
6
- name: review
7
claude_code:
8
prompt: |
9
Review the pull request against the repository's contributing guide.
10
Mark a comment blocking only when the change must not merge as is.
11
In the summary, give the verdict, an overall score out of 4, and a
12
table with one row per area you checked.
13
model: claude-opus-5-5
14
15
output:
16
on_pass: approve
17
on_fail: request_changes
18
summary: true

A push with no blocking comment gets an approval that opens with the reviewer's summary; a push with one gets a request for changes carrying the comments. Without output, a pass posts nothing and a fail posts a comment.

Split reviewers by path

1
ellipsis:
2
kind: code_review
3
name: code-review
4
5
reviewers:
6
- name: migrations
7
paths: ['db/migrations/**']
8
codex:
9
prompt: Use the migration-checks skill to review each migration for locks and backfills.
10
model: gpt-6-sol
11
environment: api-environment
12
skills:
13
- path: skills/migration-checks
14
repository:
15
name: api-repo
16
permissions:
17
github:
18
permissions: read_only
19
budget:
20
session: 5
21
- name: tests
22
claude_code:
23
prompt: Check the changed code for missing test coverage and run the tests.
24
model: claude-opus-5-5
25
environment:
26
repositories:
27
- name: api-repo
28
29
budget:
30
session: 2

A push that changes db/migrations/ starts both reviewers; any other push starts only tests. The migrations reviewer runs in the api-environment environment with the skill installed, reads issues as well as contents and pull requests, and may spend $5 per run; tests inherits the $2 cap. A reviewer takes the same environment, skills, and permissions blocks as an agent session, except that permissions.github may only add read scopes.

Fields

Identifies the file.

Which pull requests to review. The same filters as a pull request trigger without on. Default every pull request by a human author.

1 to 8 reviewers. Each runs as its own session on every push with a change in its range.

What the review posts. A review passes when no reviewer returned a blocking comment and fails otherwise.

Spend limits every reviewer inherits.

See Models, the Environment schema reference, Permissions, and Budgets.

On this page

Review one organizationApprove when cleanSplit reviewers by pathFields
Schedule a demo