Release 0.6.23 · Three installation routes

Get to your first review without guessing where code runs.

ReviewSensei is free, open-source software. Inference, GitHub Actions minutes, and self-hosted runner capacity are yours to provision. Pick a route, understand the control matrix, and know what writes are enabled before you merge.

App installation alone does not run reviews. The GitHub App opens a setup pull request with the caller workflow, the uninstall workflow, and .reviewsensei.yml. You still choose a provider, runner, and which publication policies to enable.

Operational controls

Control matrix

Setup-v5 writes no repository variables. Every policy lives in .reviewsensei.yml on the default branch, and publication stays off until you enable it.

Capability	.reviewsensei.yml setting	Default	When enabled	Observation-only example
Analysis	`github.automatic_reviews`	true	Runs provider inference on eligible same-repository pull requests (skips drafts).	Set `false` and dispatch ReviewSensei review manually, or use CLI `plan` / `doctor`.
Comment publication	`github.writes`	false	Publishes validated inline comments, the review summary, and the `ReviewSensei` check run.	Run analysis with writes disabled: provider calls occur; GitHub receives no review body and no check run.
Review policy / automatic approval	`github.reviews`	auto-approve	Publishes one exact-head `COMMENT` review; eligible clean heads may receive `APPROVE`. `blocking` publishes and enforces through the `ReviewSensei` check run without approving and emits no persistent request changes review as a second gate; `advisory` imposes no ReviewSensei merge gate.	Set `blocking` for enforcement without automatic approval, or `advisory` for comment-only publication with a neutral check.
Learning	`github.learning`	disabled	`proposals` enables learning proposal generation during review runs; `pull-requests` additionally enables learning PR publication, opening or refreshing a draft learning pull request on the default branch.	Leave disabled; learnings remain ordinary repository files you manage manually.
Conversations	`github.mentions`	true	Authorized `@reviewsensei` mentions receive bounded thread replies (requires `github.writes: true`). This setting controls only conversational replies: the maintainer commands `@reviewsensei review status\|pause\|continue\|reenroll`, `@reviewsensei verify`, and `@reviewsensei dismiss\|defer\|accept-risk` run whenever `github.writes: true` and the comment body matches the caller workflow's `@reviewsensei` routing gate. Those caller checks route the run; the mutation is re-authorized inside the reusable workflow against the broker-attested actor and the session ledger before any write.	Set `false` to skip conversational replies; mention events are ignored for reply publication. This setting does not disable commands: the maintainer surface `@reviewsensei review status\|pause\|continue\|reenroll`, `@reviewsensei verify`, and `@reviewsensei dismiss\|defer\|accept-risk` stays available whenever `github.writes: true` — `@reviewsensei review status` is read-only but still routes through the command job against the broker-attested actor. See the installation guide for the full grammar.
Artifact retention	`github.artifacts`	none	`diagnostics` uploads `review.json` as a GitHub Actions artifact.	Leave `none`; validated results stay inside the job unless you add your own upload step.

Automatic approval applies only when automatic review and GitHub writes are enabled and all eligibility gates pass; the default policy is github.reviews: auto-approve.

Installation paths

Three ways to run your first review

Every path lists execution location, provider destination, credential names (never values), cost ownership, enabled writes, expected first-success output, and cleanup steps.

App-assisted GitHub reviews

Install the ReviewSensei GitHub App on selected repositories. The App opens a setup pull request; review execution stays in your GitHub Actions environment.

Execution location: Your repository's GitHub Actions runners — ubuntu-latest (cloud) or labelled self-hosted runner (self-hosted, linux, x64, ollama) for local mode.
Provider destination: http://127.0.0.1:11434/api (local, default), https://ollama.com/api (cloud, explicit opt-in), or https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 (inference.backend: openrouter).
Credential names: OLLAMA_API_KEY (cloud), OPENROUTER_API_KEY (OpenRouter), and the optional REVIEWSENSEI_PROVIDER / REVIEWSENSEI_MODEL overrides — no other variable reaches a run.
Compute / inference cost: You pay for Actions minutes (or self-hosted hardware) and your Ollama, Ollama Cloud, or OpenRouter usage.
Enabled writes (defaults): The setup pull request writes .reviewsensei.yml with every packaged default, including github.writes: false, so nothing publishes until you enable it.
First-success output: One App-authored review with inline comments on an eligible PR after you set github.writes: true in .reviewsensei.yml (automatic reviews are on by default).

Setup steps

Install the App on selected repositories.
Merge the generated setup pull request; if a retired configuration is present, review the one-time import it carried into .reviewsensei.yml, then delete the retired file.
Choose the backend in .reviewsensei.yml. Cloud mode requires OLLAMA_API_KEY; OpenRouter requires OPENROUTER_API_KEY.
Enable controls deliberately — analysis first, then publication.

# Install the ReviewSensei GitHub App
https://github.com/apps/reviewsensei

# .reviewsensei.yml, merged with the setup pull request
schema: 1
inference:
  backend: cloud-ollama        # or local-ollama (default), openrouter
github:
  automatic_reviews: true      # analyze eligible pull requests
  writes: true                 # publish findings and the check run
  reviews: auto-approve        # or blocking / advisory
  mentions: true               # authorized @reviewsensei conversation

Cleanup / disable / uninstall

Run the generated Remove ReviewSensei setup workflow. Uninstall the App from GitHub settings to stop new setup deliveries, and delete .reviewsensei.yml if you no longer want ReviewSensei policy in the repository.

Manual Actions setup

Copy the supported example workflow without installing the GitHub App. You own the workflow, runner labels, secrets, and every control in .reviewsensei.yml.

Execution location: GitHub Actions on your runner. Local mode requires self-hosted runner labelled ollama.
Provider destination: Local: http://127.0.0.1:11434/api. Cloud: https://ollama.com/api. OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1.
Credential names: OLLAMA_API_KEY (cloud), OPENROUTER_API_KEY (OpenRouter), OPENAI_API_KEY (OpenAI-compatible), and the optional REVIEWSENSEI_PROVIDER / REVIEWSENSEI_MODEL overrides — the caller reads no repository variables.
Compute / inference cost: Actions minutes or self-hosted capacity plus provider inference.
Enabled writes: github.writes in .reviewsensei.yml; defaults to false, so nothing publishes until you enable it.
First-success output: A review on the PR once github.writes: true, and a review.json artifact when github.artifacts: diagnostics.

# examples/github-actions/review-sensei-review.yml — pinned to the operator-managed v5 tag
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize, ready_for_review]
jobs:
  review:
    uses: malsabbagh/review-sensei/.github/workflows/review-sensei-run.yml@v5
    secrets:
      OLLAMA_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.OLLAMA_API_KEY }}
      OPENROUTER_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}

# .reviewsensei.yml — the full control surface
schema: 1
github:
  automatic_reviews: true
  writes: true
  reviews: auto-approve

pip install review-sensei==0.6.23
review-sensei doctor --json

Cleanup / disable / uninstall

Delete or disable the workflow file and remove repository variables and secrets.

Local CLI

Install the published Python package or npm launcher, prepare a bounded diff, run offline diagnostics, then generate a review artifact.

Execution location: Your workstation. Python 3.11+ or Node.js 22+. External git required for prepare-diff.
Provider destination: Local Ollama at http://127.0.0.1:11434/api by default; --provider or REVIEWSENSEI_PROVIDER selects another canonical backend.
Credential names: OLLAMA_API_KEY (cloud), OPENROUTER_API_KEY (OpenRouter), OPENAI_API_KEY (OpenAI-compatible), REVIEWSENSEI_PROVIDER, REVIEWSENSEI_MODEL.
Compute / inference cost: Your machine plus model inference. doctor and plan perform zero provider calls.
Enabled writes: None from CLI alone.
First-success output: review-sensei doctor --json reports every check with its status and exits 0 when the configured checks pass (2 when one needs operator action — see docs/diagnostics.md); a full review writes readable text by default (--format markdown or --format json to change it) and exits 0, 1, or 2.

pip install review-sensei==0.6.23
review-sensei doctor --json

npx --yes @reviewsensei/cli@0.6.23 --version
npx --yes @reviewsensei/cli@0.6.23 prepare-diff \
  --repository . --base-ref main --head-ref feature --output pr.patch

review-sensei prepare-diff --repository . --base-ref main --head-ref feature --output pr.patch
review-sensei plan --diff pr.patch --repository owner/repo --pull-request 42 \
  --base-sha <base> --head-sha <head> --json

review-sensei --diff pr.patch --repository owner/repo --pull-request 42 --format json --output review.json

Cleanup / disable / uninstall

pip uninstall review-sensei and delete local artifacts.

JavaScript is disabled. Expand each path below.

App-assisted GitHub reviews

Install the App, merge the setup PR, then review .reviewsensei.yml — writes stay false until you enable them.

Manual Actions setup

Copy example workflow; pip install review-sensei==0.6.23.

Local CLI

npx --yes @reviewsensei/cli@0.6.23 or pip install.

Security, providers, and canonical docs

Security

Trust boundaries and data handling.

Security overview →

Providers

Ollama local/cloud, OpenRouter, and CLI-only OpenAI-compatible presets.

Provider matrix →

Examples

Portable GitHub Actions workflow.

Workflow examples →

Release info

Release 0.6.23 release notes.

Releases →

Installation guide

Full install and workflow details.

Canonical install docs →

Data handling

What leaves your repository.

Data handling →