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Yes. GitLab Self-Managed can use repository-specific instructions to guide GitLab Duo code reviews, including rules targeted to file patterns and configured at project, group, or instance scope. Those instructions influence the AI’s feedback; they do not enforce policy or guarantee that every rule will be followed.
What custom review instructions do—and do not do
GitLab’s custom review instructions supplement the standard review criteria rather than replacing them. They let a team describe conventions and review concerns that are specific to its repository, such as what to check in certain languages or test files.
GitLab describes the instructions as guidance for the AI reviewer, not enforced policies. Do not rely on them as the sole control for security requirements, compliance obligations, or any rule that must be applied consistently. Use deterministic checks and governance controls for mandatory requirements, and treat AI comments as review assistance. GitLab’s custom review instructions documentation explains the feature and its limits.
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Custom instructions are stored in .gitlab/duo/mr-review-instructions.yaml in the repository’s .gitlab/duo directory. The configuration uses instruction groups with a name and instruction text; groups can also include file filters. GitLab’s examples show separate guidance for languages such as Ruby and Go, test files, and general files. More than one group can apply to a file.
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GitLab also documents configuring instructions at group and instance scope through a project selected as a template. Teams can use Code Owners to protect changes to the instruction file, making ownership of the review guidance visible. Check the documentation for the GitLab release you run before applying configuration details.
Write criteria the reviewer can recognize
Make instructions concrete and tied to the files or patterns they address. For example, specify the relevant behavior or convention to check rather than asking the AI to “review carefully.” Validate each glob against the repository and test it with representative merge requests; GitLab recommends checking that patterns match the intended files.
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Choose the review mode before planning rollout
GitLab documents two distinct review experiences. Their prerequisites and execution differ, so first verify which one is enabled for your instance. Feature availability depends on GitLab version, add-ons, seats, and group settings; do not assume that every Self-Managed installation has the same entitlement or selected mode.
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| Review mode | What distinguishes it | Documented access and setup context |
|---|---|---|
| Code Review Flow | Agentic review in GitLab Duo Agent Platform; supports custom review instructions. | Documentation lists Self-Managed and Premium and Ultimate. It runs as a CI/CD job, so the project needs a suitable runner or GitLab-hosted runners, and the group must allow foundational flows and Code Review. |
| GitLab Duo Code Review | Non-agentic review; users can request a review by assigning @GitLabDuo or using the documented quick action. |
Documentation lists Premium and Ultimate and the GitLab Duo Enterprise add-on, with Self-Managed availability. Access and selected mode depend on add-on and group settings. |
These are the access and setup details in GitLab’s feature documentation; confirm the requirements that apply to your deployed release. See Code Review Flow and GitLab Duo Code Review.
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Account for deployment, connectivity, and model context
GitLab documents three Self-Managed GitLab Duo configuration patterns: the cloud-based AI Gateway as the default, self-hosted models using an organization’s AI Gateway and models, or a hybrid configuration. Documented prerequisites include activating the instance with an activation code, public-hostname DNS resolution, and outbound connectivity to required GitLab services. Offline licensing is not supported except for GitLab Duo Self-Hosted. Verify the requirements for your GitLab version and chosen model deployment in the Self-Managed configuration documentation.
Non-agentic GitLab Duo Code Review
For this mode, GitLab says the model receives the merge request title and description, file contents before changes, diffs, filenames, and custom instructions. Large requests can exceed the selected model’s context window. If the initial request fails, GitLab retries without original file contents; that can reduce prompt size but also leave the model with less context and less specific feedback. GitLab lists a 120-second AI Gateway timeout for this feature.
Rank #4
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Code Review Flow
For the agentic flow, the pre-scan gathers up to approximately 1 MiB and truncates to approximately 800 KiB if that cap is exceeded. A large change can therefore lose context. GitLab recommends keeping merge requests smaller and excluding irrelevant files where appropriate. These figures describe context handling, not review accuracy or productivity. See the Code Review Flow documentation for details.
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A practical rollout checklist
- Identify the mode and release. Confirm whether the instance uses Code Review Flow or non-agentic GitLab Duo Code Review, and check the version, add-ons or seats, and group settings that apply.
- Draft scoped guidance. Put repository instructions in
.gitlab/duo/mr-review-instructions.yaml; use named groups and file filters for criteria that differ by file type. - Validate patterns and ownership. Test glob matches against the repository and sample merge requests. Consider using Code Owners to protect the instruction file.
- Test with representative changes. Check whether the feedback is useful and sufficiently specific, especially for large merge requests or files covered by multiple groups.
- Keep mandatory controls elsewhere. Use deterministic checks and governance mechanisms for requirements that cannot be left to advisory AI feedback.
- Verify deployment prerequisites. For Self-Managed, confirm activation, required outbound connectivity, and model configuration; for Code Review Flow, also verify runner availability and that the group permits foundational flows and Code Review.
Does Code Review Flow use AGENTS.md or SKILL.md?
GitLab’s Code Review Flow documentation says the flow does not reference AGENTS.md or SKILL.md files. Use the documented custom review instructions mechanism when configuring the review guidance described here.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
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- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
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