Review¶

Generates structured, configurable feedback on a pull request to accelerate reviews.

Trigger it from the command line or by commenting on a PR.

mergemate-review --pr_url https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/42 review

When you're already in a PR thread, just drop:

/review

MergeMate responds in ~30 seconds with a breakdown of findings, security concerns, review effort, and any sections you've enabled.

To tweak behaviour on the fly, append config overrides:

/review --pr_reviewer.extra_instructions="focus on auth logic" --pr_reviewer.num_max_findings=5

Automating review¶

Add /review to your pr_commands list and it fires every time a PR opens:

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

[pr_reviewer]
extra_instructions = "Flag any hardcoded credentials."

Option	Default	Notes
`persistent_comment`	`true`	Edits the same comment on re-runs instead of creating new ones.
`final_update_message`	`true`	Posts a short notice linking to the updated review.
`extra_instructions`	`""`	Guidance for the AI, e.g. "ignore .md files, focus on concurrency."
`enable_help_text`	`false`	Appends help text to the review comment.
`num_max_findings`	`3`	Caps the number of findings returned.

Option	Default	What it controls
`require_score_review`	`false`	Scores the PR numerically.
`require_tests_review`	`true`	Checks whether tests accompany the changes.
`require_estimate_effort_to_review`	`true`	Estimates reviewer effort on a 1–5 scale.
`require_estimate_contribution_time_cost`	`false`	Estimates how long a senior dev would need to author the same changes.
`require_can_be_split_review`	`false`	Flags PRs that could be split into smaller units.
`require_security_review`	`true`	Scans for potential security issues.
`require_todo_scan`	`false`	Lists leftover `TODO` comments in the diff.
`require_ticket_analysis_review`	`true`	Checks if linked tickets are actually fulfilled by the PR.

Option	Default	Notes
`enable_review_labels_security`	`true`	Applies a `possible security issue` label when the tool flags a risk.
`enable_review_labels_effort`	`true`	Applies a `Review effort x/5` label.

Start with defaults, then tune. Enable require_score_review and require_can_be_split_review if your team values those signals.
Extra instructions are your superpower. Tell the model exactly what your team cares about. Use triple-quoted strings for multi-line guidance.
Use labels as guardrails. CI can block merges based on labels like possible security issue. Remove a label deliberately if it's a false positive — MergeMate logs the override.
Review in context. If you ask for ticket analysis, include a GitHub or Jira link in the PR description so the tool can cross-reference.