GitHub Actions Workflows for Claude Code
Ready-to-use GitHub Actions workflows that integrate Claude Code into your CI/CD pipeline.
Prerequisites
- Install the Claude GitHub App on your org/repo (required for Actions to comment on PRs/issues)
- Add API Key Secret: In your repo, go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret
- Name:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Value: Your Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com
- Name:
- Copy Workflows: Place these
.ymlfiles in.github/workflows/directory - Test: Open a test PR or issue to see them run
Available Workflows
Externalized prompt, anti-hallucination protocol, and /claude-review on-demand trigger.
The review logic lives in .github/prompts/code-review.md, so you can iterate on criteria without touching the workflow YAML. The prompt enforces a verification step before every finding: Claude must confirm an issue with Read/Grep before reporting it.
Features:
- Triggers on PR open/sync/ready and
/claude-reviewcomment - Externalized prompt: edit
code-review.mdto tune criteria for your stack - Anti-hallucination protocol: no invented line numbers or unverified claims
- Structured output:
🔴 MUST FIX/🟡 SHOULD FIX/🟢 CAN SKIPtable + inline comments - Read-only
allowed_tools(no write access to repo) - OAuth token support (no API key needed if Claude GitHub App is installed)
Setup:
# Copy both files into your repo
cp examples/github-actions/claude-code-review.yml .github/workflows/
mkdir -p .github/prompts
cp examples/github-actions/prompts/code-review.md .github/prompts/
# Add secret: CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN (or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
# Install Claude GitHub App: https://github.com/apps/claudeCustomization: Edit .github/prompts/code-review.md to add your stack conventions:
## Stack Context
- TypeScript strict mode, no `any`
- React Server Components, no `useEffect` for data fetching
- All DB writes must go through the repository layer
- New API routes require integration testsBlocking merge on findings: The gate job in this workflow reads the posted review, parses the ### 🔴 Must Fix (n) count from the summary, and fails the job if n > 0. Add gate to your branch protection's required status checks to turn advisory findings into an actual merge block. Without that branch protection rule, the review still posts but nothing stops a maintainer from merging past it.
2. Code Review (Batched, claude-code-review-batched.yml)
For PRs above a file-count threshold (default 75), a single review pass either times out or spreads Claude's attention too thin across unrelated files. This workflow splits the diff into domain-scoped batches (migrations, backend-core, api-routes, frontend, tests-and-tooling), reviews each batch in a parallel matrix job, then synthesizes one final severity table.
Features:
check-sizejob counts changed files and gates the rest of the workflow on the threshold- Matrix
review-batchjob: one parallel run per domain, scoped viaappend_system_prompt synthesisjob merges all batch comments into a single deduplicated table- Same prompt file as the non-batched workflow (
.github/prompts/code-review.md), no duplicated review criteria to maintain
Setup:
cp examples/github-actions/claude-code-review-batched.yml .github/workflows/
# Edit the `matrix.domain` globs to match your actual directory layout.
# The shipped ones (prisma/migrations, src/server/services, src/components...)
# are a generic starting point, not a fit for every stack.Run this alongside claude-code-review.yml, not instead of it. Both trigger on the same PR events; the check-size job's threshold is what decides which one actually reviews, so keep BATCH_THRESHOLD consistent if you gate on file count elsewhere too.
3. Auto PR Review (claude-pr-auto-review.yml)
Enhanced version with comprehensive review criteria and smart filtering.
Creates a structured review with inline comments as soon as a PR opens or updates.
Features:
- Automatic code review on PR open/update
- 8 focus areas: Correctness, Security, Performance, Readability, Maintainability, Testing, Best Practices, Breaking Changes
- Priority-based feedback: 🔴 Critical, 🟡 Important, 🟢 Suggestion, 💡 Tip
- Smart file filtering (skips build artifacts, lock files)
- Skips draft PRs to save costs
- Summary review with risk assessment
- Error handling and fallback notifications
- Inline comments on specific lines
Usage:
# Copy the workflow file
cp examples/github-actions/claude-pr-auto-review.yml .github/workflows/
# Open a PR - Claude will automatically review itCustomization: Add project-specific context by uncommenting the append_system_prompt section:
append_system_prompt: |
Project conventions:
- Use TypeScript strict mode
- Follow functional programming patterns
- All functions must have JSDoc comments
- Test coverage must be >80%4. Security Review (claude-security-review.yml)
Runs a focused security scan and comments findings directly on the PR.
Features:
- Security-focused analysis on every PR
- Identifies potential vulnerabilities
- OWASP Top 10 considerations
- Posts findings as PR comments
Configuration:
# Optional parameters in the workflow file:
exclude-directories: "docs,examples" # Skip certain directories
claudecode-timeout: "20" # Timeout in minutes
claude-model: "claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620" # Model to useUsage:
# Copy the workflow file
cp examples/github-actions/claude-security-review.yml .github/workflows/
# Every PR will be automatically scanned for security issues5. Issue Triage (claude-issue-triage.yml)
When a new issue opens, Claude proposes labels/severity and posts a tidy triage comment.
Features:
- Automatic issue classification
- Label suggestions
- Severity assessment (low, medium, high, critical)
- Duplicate detection
- Markdown triage comment
Auto-apply Labels (Optional): To automatically apply suggested labels, edit the workflow file and change:
- name: Apply labels (optional)
if: ${{ false }} # Change to true to auto-apply labelsUsage:
# Copy the workflow file
cp examples/github-actions/claude-issue-triage.yml .github/workflows/
# Open a new issue - Claude will automatically triage itMulti-Model Review Setup
Running Claude alongside other automated reviewers (Gemini, Greptile, CodeRabbit) surfaces issues that any single model misses. The pattern: each service reviews independently, then Claude synthesizes the consensus.
Why multi-model? Each model has blind spots. Points raised by 2+ independent reviewers are high-signal; unique catches from each model add coverage you'd otherwise miss.
Recommended stack ($30/month flat)
| Service | Cost | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code Review (this workflow) | Included in Anthropic plan | Deep reasoning, codebase-aware |
| Gemini Code Assist | $0 (included in Google Workspace) | Independent LLM, different training data |
| Greptile | ~$30/month flat | Cross-file context, dependency graphs |
Alternative: CodeRabbit Pro ($15/dev/month) adds interactive Q&A and sequence diagrams.
Setup
Step 1: Install Gemini Code Assist
- GitHub Marketplace → search "Gemini Code Assist"
- Install and authorize on your repo
- Gemini will automatically review new PRs (posts as
gemini-code-assist[bot]) - Optional config via
.gemini/config.yaml:yamlcode_review: comment_severity_threshold: MEDIUM max_comments_per_review: 20
Step 2: Install Greptile
- greptile.com → connect GitHub account
- Select your repo, Greptile indexes the codebase (~5 min)
- Configure in dashboard: target branches, focus paths
- Reviews post as
greptile[bot]comments on PRs - Copy
.greptile/config.json,.greptile/rules.md, and.greptile/files.jsonfrom this directory to your repo root and fill in the placeholders.rules.mdis where Greptile's cross-file RAG search earns its keep: business invariants that span multiple files (a state machine enforced in one service but not another, a scoping rule that must hold on every query against a sensitive table). Don't restate rules already covered by.github/prompts/code-review.mdor.coderabbit.yaml, split the checklist across the three so each tool owns a distinct set.
Step 3: Enable synthesis job
In claude-code-review.yml, remove false && from the synthesis job condition:
# Before (disabled):
if: |
false &&
(github.event_name == 'pull_request' ...
# After (enabled):
if: |
(github.event_name == 'pull_request' ...Step 4: Configure CodeRabbit (optional)
Copy .coderabbit.yaml from this directory to your repo root. Edit path_instructions to match your stack.
How the synthesis works
The multi-reviewer-synthesis job in claude-code-review.yml:
- Waits 5 minutes after the Claude review (external bots post within 2-3 min)
- Collects all reviews and comments via GitHub API
- Skips silently if fewer than 2 reviewers have posted
- Claude identifies consensus (same finding flagged by 2+ reviewers) vs. unique catches
- Posts a structured synthesis comment on the PR
Scaling to large PRs and repeated pushes
Two problems show up once a repo has real traffic: PRs that touch dozens of files in one go, and PRs that get pushed to five times before merge. Neither is solved by the base workflow above.
Large PRs: switch to claude-code-review-batched.yml above a file-count threshold (see workflow 2). Splitting the diff by domain keeps each batch focused instead of asking one pass to hold the whole PR in context.