/mr-review-request

Project resolution (project-agnostic)

This command works in any GitLab repo — nothing here is tied to a specific project. Resolve the target at runtime:

1. Instance, project path, and IDs — auto-detected by glab from the current repo's git remotes; never hardcode them. glab reads origin/upstream directly. When a numeric id is needed: glab api projects/$(git remote get-url origin | sed -E 's#^[a-z]+://[^/]+/##; s#^.*@[^:]+:##; s#\.git$##' | sed 's#/#%2F#g') | jq -r '.id'
2. Fork vs single-repo — if both origin and upstream remotes exist, treat origin as your fork (push target) and upstream as the MR/issue target; otherwise operate on origin.
3. Optional extras — if .claude/gitlab-config.json exists in the current repo, load developers (assignee/reviewer shortcuts) and labels (auto-label rules) from it. If it is absent, those features degrade gracefully: ask the user for the assignee/reviewer/labels instead of resolving a shortcut.

All URLs, namespaces, and IDs in the examples below (<GITLAB_URL>, <PROJECT_PATH>, projects/<FORK_ID>, etc.) are illustrative placeholders — resolve real values per the steps above.

Requests code review from one or more developers on an existing GitLab merge request.

⚠️ Permission Required: This command will ask for user confirmation before requesting reviews.

Usage

/mr-review-request <mr-number> <developer> [developer2] [developer3]...

Arguments:

• <mr-number> - MR number (e.g., 1598 or !1598)
• <developer> - Developer shortcut or GitLab username (can specify multiple)

Developer Shortcuts: resolved from the optional .claude/gitlab-config.json → developers map in the current repo. If no config file exists, pass a real GitLab username directly. Resolve a username to an id with glab api "users?username=<name>" | jq '.[0].id'.

Examples:

/mr-review-request 1598 alice           # Request review from alice
/mr-review-request !1598 bob          # Request review from bob
/mr-review-request 1598 alice bob     # Request review from both
/mr-review-request 1598 alice bob carol   # Request from all three

What it does

1. Resolves developer shortcuts to GitLab user IDs
2. Fetches MR details to verify it exists
3. Asks user for permission to request reviews
4. Adds reviewers to MR via GitLab API
5. Confirms review requests sent

Process

1. Parse arguments: Extract MR number and developer shortcuts
2. Resolve developers: Look up GitLab user IDs from shortcuts in .claude/gitlab-config.json
3. Fetch MR: Verify MR exists and get current reviewers
4. ⚠️ ASK USER PERMISSION: Display review request preview and await confirmation
5. Add reviewers (if approved): PUT to projects/:id/merge_requests/{iid} with the existing reviewer ids from step 3 plus the new ones — the PUT replaces the list, so sending only the new ids silently removes current reviewers
6. Confirm: Display updated reviewers list

Example Output

Example 1: Request single reviewer

🔍 Fetching MR !1598...
📋 MR #1598: feat(shipments): add pickup details to API responses
   Status: Open
   Author: dana.lee
   Current reviewers: None

👤 Resolving developer shortcut: alice → alice (User ID: 7)

⚠️  Request review from alice on MR !1598? (yes/no)
> yes

✓ Requesting review...
✓ Review requested from alice

🔗 MR URL: <GITLAB_URL>/<PROJECT_PATH>/-/merge_requests/1598
👥 Reviewers: alice

Example 2: Request multiple reviewers

🔍 Fetching MR !1598...
📋 MR #1598: feat(shipments): add pickup details to API responses
   Status: Open
   Author: dana.lee
   Current reviewers: alice

👥 Resolving developer shortcuts:
   - alice → alice (User ID: 7) [already reviewing]
   - bob → bob (User ID: 8)
   - carol → carol (User ID: 9)

⚠️  Request review from bob, carol on MR !1598?
    (alice is already a reviewer)
    (yes/no)
> yes

✓ Requesting reviews...
✓ Reviews requested from: bob, carol

🔗 MR URL: <GITLAB_URL>/<PROJECT_PATH>/-/merge_requests/1598
👥 Reviewers: alice, bob, carol

Example 3: User cancels

🔍 Fetching MR !1598...
📋 MR #1598: feat(shipments): add pickup details to API responses

👥 Resolving: alice, bob

⚠️  Request review from alice, bob on MR !1598? (yes/no)
> no

✗ Review request cancelled

Reviewer vs Assignee

Reviewer (this command):

• ✅ Should review and approve the code
• ✅ Gives feedback and suggestions
• ✅ Can be multiple people
• ✅ Not responsible for merging (author merges)

Assignee (/mr-assign):

• ✅ Responsible for taking action
• ✅ Usually person who will merge
• ✅ Or person who needs to fix issues
• ✅ Single person (or small team)

When to use:

• Use /mr-review-request when you want code review
• Use /mr-assign when you want someone to take ownership/merge

GitLab API

Endpoint: PUT /api/v4/projects/{id}/merge_requests/{iid}

Parameters:

{
  "reviewer_ids": [7, 8, 9]
}

Example API call:

# Get user IDs
glab api "users?username=alice" | jq -r '.[0].id'   # Returns: 7
glab api "users?username=bob" | jq -r '.[0].id'   # Returns: 8

# Request reviews (single reviewer)
glab api --method PUT projects/:id/merge_requests/1598 \
  -f reviewer_ids=7

# Request reviews (multiple reviewers)
glab api --method PUT projects/:id/merge_requests/1598 \
  -f "reviewer_ids=[7,8,9]"

⚠️ Important:

• ✅ Use -f flag (lowercase) for field data
• ✅ Single reviewer: reviewer_ids=7 (no brackets)
• ✅ Multiple reviewers: reviewer_ids=[7,8,9] (JSON array format)
• ✅ Replaces existing reviewers (doesn't append) — always include the current ids
• ✅ Outside the repo you are in, prefix with GITLAB_REPO=<namespace/repo> — :id otherwise resolves to the current directory's project
• ❌ Don't use -F (uppercase) - causes encoding issues
• ❌ Don't use reviewer_ids[]=7 syntax - doesn't work with glab api
• ❌ Don't use reviewer_id (singular) - it won't work

Developer Management

Available Developers

Developers are defined in .claude/gitlab-config.json:

{
  "developers": {
    "alice": {
      "username": "alice",
      "gitlab_user_id": 7
    },
    "bob": {
      "username": "bob",
      "gitlab_user_id": 8
    },
    "carol": {
      "username": "carol",
      "gitlab_user_id": 9
    }
  }
}

Finding GitLab User IDs

# Search for a user
glab api "users?search=name" | jq -r '.[] | {id, username, name}'

# Get specific user ID
glab api "users?username=alice" | jq -r '.[0].id'

Permissions

Requires user permission because:

• Sends notifications to reviewers
• Changes MR state
• Affects team workflow

Why ask first:

• Requesting reviews requires approval
• Adding reviewers triggers notifications

Notifications

What happens when you request review:

1. ✅ Reviewer receives email notification
2. ✅ Reviewer sees MR in their "Review requests" list
3. ✅ MR shows "Review requested" status
4. ✅ Reviewer can approve, comment, or request changes

Troubleshooting

"Developer not found"

• Check spelling of shortcut
• Verify developer exists in .claude/gitlab-config.json
• Use exact GitLab username if shortcut not defined

"MR not found"

• Verify MR number is correct
• Check you have access to the project
• Ensure MR is in <PROJECT_PATH> project

"Permission denied"

• Your GitLab token needs api scope
• You must have Developer role or higher
• Check token in ~/.config/glab-cli/config.yml

"User does not have access to project"

• Reviewer must be a member of <PROJECT_PATH> project
• Ask project maintainer to add them
• Verify username is correct

"No reviewers added"

• Check that user IDs are valid
• Verify the -f "reviewer_ids=[<id>,…]" format (not -F, not reviewer_ids[])
• Try using user ID directly instead of username

Related Commands

• /mr-create --reviewer <dev> - Create MR with reviewer
• /mr-assign <mr> <dev> - Assign MR to developer

Best Practices

Request reviews from:

• ✅ Code owners for the affected files
• ✅ Team lead or senior developers
• ✅ Subject matter experts
• ✅ At least 2 people for important changes

Don't request reviews from:

• ❌ People unfamiliar with the code
• ❌ Too many people (max 2-3)
• ❌ The MR author (yourself)

Workflow:

1. Push your changes
2. Create MR with /mr-create
3. Request reviews with /mr-review-request 1598 alice bob
4. Address feedback
5. Get approvals
6. Merge

Created: 2025-12-27 Last updated: 2025-12-27 Config file: .claude/gitlab-config.json