CodeRabbit Branch and Environment Policy

Overview

Model environments as policy inputs, not separate deployments. Feature-branch YAML supplies config; auto-review controls target eligibility.

Prerequisites

• Identify the CodeRabbit organization, Git provider, repository, plan, and accountable owner.
• Read references/official-docs.md and re-check any time-sensitive contract before execution.
• Use synthetic or read-only evidence until the approval boundary is satisfied.
• Preserve the repository's independent CI, security, and human-review requirements.

Current Contract

• Repository YAML is read from the feature branch.
• The default target is always included when auto-review is enabled.
• base_branches adds target branches with regex patterns.
• Central, repo, organization, and global authorities have precedence.

Authentication

Treat Git-provider sessions, CodeRabbit web sessions, CLI credentials, and CodeRabbit API keys as separate credentials. Use only an already-approved session or secret-manager reference, never print a secret, and do not place credentials in .coderabbit.yaml, source files, logs, or deliverables.

Instructions

1. Inventory branch patterns, risk, merge rules, and config authorities.

2. Define targets, drafts, labels, ignored authors, and path guidance.

3. Validate regexes and resolved feature-branch config on synthetic PRs.

4. Promote only after default, release, exclusion, and rollback cases pass.

Tool Discipline

• Use Glob to locate candidate configuration and evidence files without widening scope.
• Use Grep to find relevant fields, commands, identifiers, and stale claims.
• Use Read to inspect the smallest required files and authoritative evidence.
• Use Write only for a new approved local draft or evidence artifact.
• Use Edit only for a bounded approved change whose rollback is known.
• Do not use these file tools as a substitute for authenticated CodeRabbit or provider operations.

Approval Boundaries

Require owner approval before auto-review scope, global override, or release enforcement changes. Keep analysis and drafts local until approval is explicit, and record who approved the action and its scope.

Output

A branch matrix, precedence map, patch, synthetic evidence, and rollback commit. Include source dates, unknowns, and the exact boundary between observed fact and recommendation.

Error Handling

Condition	Response
Current contract is unclear or docs disagree	Stop mutation, cite both sources, and request owner resolution.
Required access or approval is missing	Produce a draft and evidence plan only.
Validation or pilot behavior differs from expectation	Restore the prior state and retain the failed evidence.
Output contains secrets or private code	Stop, quarantine the artifact, redact it, and notify the data owner.

Examples

Example 1

Add release/.* and test a release-target PR.

Example 2

Correct base-branch configuration guidance.

Validation

• Confirm every claim against the dated sources in references/official-docs.md.
• Verify the requested scope, owner, approval, happy path, failure path, and rollback.
• Re-read the effective configuration or provider state after any approved change.
• Report unsupported fields, undocumented endpoints, and unverified assumptions as failures.

Resources

• Official documentation and contract notes
• Re-check the dated contract before any live operation.
• Treat unresolved or changed vendor behavior as a stop condition.