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Control which files are included or excluded from automated PR reviews using simple pattern matching.

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Overview

CodeAnt AI reviews all files in pull requests by default. Use review configuration to:
  • Focus reviews on critical code paths
  • Exclude test files or generated files
  • Optimize review time and relevance
Note: CodeAnt does not analyze files mentioned in .gitignore

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Setup

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1. Create Configuration Folder

Create a .codeant folder in your repository root (same level as your .git folder): 
your-repo/
├── .git/
├── .codeant/
│   └── configuration.json
├── src/
└── package.json

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2. Create Configuration File

Inside the .codeant folder, create a configuration.json file with your file filters.

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Configuration Format

include_files and exclude_files accept either a comma-separated string or an array of strings — pick whichever you find more readable: 
{
  "file_filters": {
    "config": {
      "include_files": ["src/*.js", "src/*.ts"],
      "exclude_files": ["*test.js", "*test.ts"]
    }
  }
}
Equivalent comma-separated form: 
{
  "file_filters": {
    "config": {
      "include_files": "src/*.js,src/*.ts",
      "exclude_files": "*test.js,*test.ts"
    }
  }
}

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How It Works

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Default Behavior

  • When both include_files and exclude_files are empty: All files are reviewed
  • When only exclude_files has patterns: All files except matches are reviewed
  • When only include_files has patterns: Only matching files are reviewed
  • When both have patterns: Only include_files is evaluated; exclude_files is ignored. A file is reviewed if it matches at least one include pattern. To exclude something, narrow the include patterns instead of relying on exclude.

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Pattern Syntax

Patterns use Python fnmatch syntax. Supported:
TokenMeaning
*Matches any sequence of characters (including /)
?Matches a single character
[seq]Matches any character in seq
[!seq]Matches any character not in seq
Not supported (these will be treated literally and silently fail to match what you expect):
  • !pattern — leading ! for negation (gitignore/minimatch convention)
  • {a,b} — brace expansion
  • ?(...), +(...), !(...) — extglob
  • Recursive ** semantics — * already matches /, so write * instead of ** for “any depth”
Because * already crosses directory boundaries, a pattern like *coverage* is the simplest way to match coverage/ at any depth. A pattern like **/coverage/** requires a / immediately before AND after coverage, so it will not match a top-level coverage/foo.py.

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Configuration Examples

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Exclude Test Files

{
  "file_filters": {
    "config": {
      "include_files": [],
      "exclude_files": ["*test.js", "*test.ts"]
    }
  }
}

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Include Only Source Code

{
  "file_filters": {
    "config": {
      "include_files": [
        "src/*.js",
        "src/*.ts",
        "src/*.jsx",
        "src/*.tsx",
        "lib/*.js",
        "lib/*.ts"
      ],
      "exclude_files": []
    }
  }
}

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Narrowing With Include Only

When you want to scope reviews to source code while skipping tests and generated files, list the include patterns explicitly. Setting exclude_files alongside a non-empty include_files has no effect today. 
{
  "file_filters": {
    "config": {
      "include_files": ["src/*.js", "src/*.ts", "src/*.jsx", "src/*.tsx"],
      "exclude_files": []
    }
  }
}

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Pattern Reference

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Basic Patterns

PatternMatches
*.jsAny path ending in .js
src/*Anything under src/ (any depth, since * crosses /)
*test*.pyAny .py file with test in its path
src/*.py.py files anywhere under src/
[Tt]est*Files starting with Test or test

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Common Exclusions

PatternPurpose
*node_modules*Dependencies
*dist*Build output
*.min.js,*.min.cssMinified files
*.generated.*Generated code
*coverage*Test coverage
*.env*Environment files
*vendor*Third-party code
*.png,*.jpg,*.gif,*.svgImages (list each — no brace expansion)
*package-lock.jsonLock files

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Common Inclusions

PatternPurpose
src/*.js,src/*.ts,src/*.jsx,src/*.tsxFrontend source
*.pyPython files
app/*.rbRuby files
*.cs,*.vb.NET files
*.java,*.ktJVM files
*.goGo files
*.rsRust files
*.swift,*.m,*.hiOS files

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Tips

  • Multi-extension matches require listing each pattern (no {a,b}): use *.js,*.ts instead of *.{js,ts}.
  • To exclude a subtree but keep an inner directory, current syntax cannot express override-style negation. Either narrow the exclude pattern to dodge the inner directory, or list explicit include_files for the directories you want.