Automatic approval
Let HeyDeer approve a pull request when a complete review leaves nothing for a person to decide. It’s off by default, and it works only while Post review comments on the pull request is on.
Turn on automatic approval
- Open Workspace settings → Review rules, or a repository’s Review rules.
- Under Publish results, turn on Automatic approval, and check that Post review comments on the pull request is on.
- Choose the PRs HeyDeer may approve and Remaining issues conditions below.
- Select Save workspace review rules or Save repository review rules.
Approval conditions
Both conditions must pass before HeyDeer approves a PR.
| Setting | Values | Default |
|---|---|---|
| PRs HeyDeer may approve | Low-risk PRs Low- and medium-risk PRs PRs at any risk level | Low- and medium-risk PRs |
| Remaining issues | No unresolved issues Allow Low issues | No unresolved issues |
HeyDeer rates every PR as low, medium or high risk by how hard a mistake the review missed would be to contain. High-risk PRs include data migrations, removed guarantees, changes to billing, permissions, security, core infrastructure or external contracts, and decisions that commit your team beyond the PR’s own feature. Every review states the level and why.
PRs at any risk level removes this condition. Every requirement in the next section still applies.
Allow Low issues lets HeyDeer approve while Low-severity findings or earlier concerns remain. The approval says they remain; it doesn’t mark them fixed or resolve their conversations. An earlier concern whose status or current severity is unclear still blocks approval.
What approval requires
- Findings within your feedback scope and earlier concerns meet your Remaining issues condition. Findings outside the feedback scope and accepted decisions not to act don’t block approval.
- The review is complete: every matching repository check ran, and it has no review notes.
- No question is waiting under Needs clarification. Questions about findings outside the feedback scope don’t count. To answer one, see Add missing context.
- HeyDeer rated the PR’s risk level, and the level is within your PRs HeyDeer may approve condition.
- The pull request doesn’t change guidance HeyDeer reads from it, such as AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, repository checks and skills. A person approves those changes. See What a pull request can change.
- The pull request is still at the reviewed revision and its base branch hasn’t moved. Drafts can be approved; GitHub merges them only once they’re ready for review.
HeyDeer’s approval comment is short. Its collapsed About this review section holds the Review summary, the risk level and why, and a Config link to this setting. When your settings keep a PR from approval, the comment says so and links to them. The HeyDeer Review check and the review page in HeyDeer show the same details expanded.
Approvals and GitHub branch rules
Approval and check status are separate. With Allow Low issues, an approved PR can still have a failing check while Fail the check when issues are found is on.
HeyDeer approves as the HeyDeer GitHub App. When a later review of the PR doesn’t approve it, HeyDeer dismisses its earlier approval and links to the new review. Until then, the earlier approval still counts, including while HeyDeer reviews new commits.
To require a fresh approval after every push, turn on Dismiss stale pull request approvals when new commits are pushed in your branch rules. If your branch rules restrict who can dismiss pull request reviews, include the HeyDeer GitHub App.
Your branch rules decide whether HeyDeer’s approval counts toward required approvals. If a person must approve every merge, require a code owner review or more than one approval.
To merge pull requests automatically once HeyDeer approves, see the branch rule setup in Teams without code review.