Archival notice: I’m archiving ReviewGate because I don’t find it valuable enough to keep working on. I’ll be focusing on something else. — Rasul

ReviewGate

Know when agent-written code is ready to merge.

Website · Docs · Releases

ReviewGate is an open-source GitHub Action that reviews pull requests with an AI model and gives each one a clear 0–5 score.

It runs in your GitHub Actions workflow with your own OpenRouter key. There is no ReviewGate account, hosted service, or code storage.

flowchart LR
    A[Agent opens PR] --> B[ReviewGate reviews the diff]
    B --> C[Score + inline findings]
    C --> D{5 / 5?}
    D -- No --> E[Human or agent fixes issues]
    E --> B
    D -- Yes --> F[Ready to merge]

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What you get

• A visible 0–5 merge-readiness score.
• One summary comment that updates instead of multiplying.
• Inline findings with concrete repair instructions.
• Structured JSON that coding agents can read.
• Custom AI review prompts for your repository.

ReviewGate reviews code. It never edits code or merges a pull request for you.

Install in 3 steps

1. Add your OpenRouter key

Create an OpenRouter API key, then add it as a GitHub Actions secret named OPENROUTER_API_KEY:

gh secret set OPENROUTER_API_KEY

Paste the key when GitHub CLI asks for it. Never put the key in a workflow, config file, commit, or AI prompt.

2. Add the workflow

Save this as .github/workflows/reviewgate.yml:

name: ReviewGate

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]

jobs:
  review:
    if: >-
      ${{
        github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository &&
        github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
      }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 20
    permissions:
      actions: read
      attestations: read
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
      issues: write
      checks: write
      statuses: read
    concurrency:
      group: reviewgate-${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
      cancel-in-progress: true
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@34e114876b0b11c390a56381ad16ebd13914f8d5
        with:
          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
          fetch-depth: 0
          persist-credentials: false

      - uses: LVTD-LLC/reviewgate@v0
        with:
          openrouter_api_key: ${{ secrets.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}

The fork guard is important: GitHub does not expose repository secrets to fork or Dependabot pull requests. Do not switch this workflow to pull_request_target.

3. Open or update a pull request

ReviewGate posts a summary, inline findings, and a check. A 5/5 passes; a lower score means there are validated issues to address.

Let your AI agent set it up

Copy this prompt into your coding agent:

Set up ReviewGate in this repository for GitHub pull request reviews.

Use https://reviewgate.lvtd.dev/docs and https://github.com/LVTD-LLC/reviewgate as the current setup contract. Inspect the repository first and preserve unrelated changes. Ask me which exact OpenRouter model ID to use; suggest deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash, ReviewGate's balanced default. Add the fork-safe GitHub Actions workflow and an appropriate .reviewgate.yml. Explain how I should add OPENROUTER_API_KEY without asking me to paste it. Validate the setup and report changed files, commands, and manual steps. Do not run a paid model review or change secrets without my approval.

The website also has a one-click Copy setup prompt button: reviewgate.lvtd.dev.

Configure the AI review

You can start without a config file. ReviewGate uses its built-in general and adversarial review angles.

Add .reviewgate.yml when you want to change what the AI looks for:

min_severity: P2
deep: true
verify_blockers: true
review_angles:
  - id: correctness
    name: Correctness
    prompt: Check behavior, error handling, and regression risk.
  - id: product_rules
    name: Product rules
    prompt_file: review-prompts/product-rules.md

Setting	Default	What it changes
min_severity	P4	Lowest severity posted as an inline comment.
deep	false	Adds bounded, temporary repository context to the diff.
verify_blockers	false	Uses one extra model call to check blocker candidates.
review_angles	General + adversarial	Replaces the built-in list with your review instructions.

Write a useful AI prompt

Each review angle needs exactly one instruction source:

• prompt for one short instruction.
• prompt_file for a longer Markdown or text prompt.
• skill for a repository-local SKILL.md.

For a longer prompt, create a file such as review-prompts/product-rules.md:

# Product rules review

Review only the changed behavior.

- Check the diff against PRODUCT.md and documented public contracts.
- Trace error and empty states that users can reach.
- Require repository evidence for every blocking finding.
- Do not report style preferences as defects.

Keep prompts specific: name the risks, contracts, and evidence the reviewer should inspect. When review_angles is present, it replaces the defaults, so include every angle you still want.

To choose a different OpenRouter model, set an exact model ID in the workflow:

- uses: LVTD-LLC/reviewgate@v0
  with:
    openrouter_api_key: ${{ secrets.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}
    model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4

See the configuration guide for prompt files, skills, timeouts, blocker verification, and every Action input.

Ask for another review

Maintainers can add the optional rereview job and comment exactly:

@reviewgate review

Use the complete GitHub Actions setup to enable safe, current-head rereviews.

Use it from the terminal

Install the CLI on macOS or Linux:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LVTD-LLC/reviewgate/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

Or with Homebrew:

brew install LVTD-LLC/tap/reviewgate

Useful commands:

reviewgate check --pr 123
reviewgate review --pr 123 --wait
reviewgate upgrade

Read the CLI guide for local reviews and agent repair loops.

Learn more

• Quickstart
• GitHub Actions setup
• Configuration
• Scores and findings
• Structured artifacts
• Security model
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing and repository internals

License

Apache-2.0. See LICENSE.