- Home
- Code review software
- reviewdog
reviewdog
What it is
reviewdog connects code analysis tools with code hosting services so findings on changed lines can appear in review comments. It can also run locally to filter linter output against a diff. Supported input formats include errorformat, Reviewdog Diagnostic Format, unified diff, Checkstyle XML, and SARIF 2.1.0 JSON. Reporters send results to destinations such as GitHub Checks and pull request reviews, GitLab merge request discussions, Gerrit change review, and Bitbucket Code Insights. The project describes integration with linter tools regardless of programming language, along with CI use through GitHub Actions, Travis CI, CircleCI, GitLab CI, Bitbucket Pipelines, and Jenkins. Code suggestions are supported with RDFormat or diff input, depending on the reporter. Installation options include Homebrew, Scoop on Windows, a shell installer, and `go install`. reviewdog is MIT-licensed free software; optional contributions include $1 a month, $5, paid once, and $50 a month. Some reporters use platform credentials. The GitHub PR Checks reporter may rely on an app server whose continuous availability is not guaranteed; GitHub Actions or the GitHub PR review reporter are alternatives.
For and against
For
- Filters local linter output against diffs
- Supports multiple code hosting destinations
- Documents integrations with several CI systems
- MIT-licensed free software
Against
- Some reporters require platform credentials
- GitHub PR Checks may depend on an app server
- Forked pull requests can fall back to limited annotations
The verdict
reviewdog offers several ways to route analysis findings into code review workflows, as well as local diff filtering. The GitHub PR Checks server caveat and reporter-specific credential requirements are worth considering when choosing a setup.
Who it suits
reviewdog suits developers and teams who want code-analysis findings surfaced in code reviews or filtered locally against a diff. It supports several code hosts and CI systems, with self-hosted use listed among its platforms.
Plans and prices
reviewdog
MIT-licensed software · CLI and GitHub Actions installation
Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
Backer
Recurring contribution to support the project
Read 11 Oct 2026 · opencollective.com
Onetime backer
One-time contribution to support the project
Read 11 Oct 2026 · opencollective.com
Sponsor
Recurring contribution to support the project
Read 11 Oct 2026 · opencollective.com
On the record
- Alternative setup
- The README says users can avoid depending on the reviewdog server by running under GitHub Actions or using the GitHub PR review reporter.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- App setup
- The reviewdog app page directs users to install the GitHub app and obtain a REVIEWDOG_TOKEN for a repository.reviewdog.app · read 10 Oct 2026
- CI integrations
- The README documents integrations with GitHub Actions, Travis CI, CircleCI, GitLab CI, Bitbucket Pipelines, Jenkins, and local workflows.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Code hosting integrations
- Reporters include GitHub Checks and pull request reviews, GitLab merge request discussions, and Bitbucket Code Insights reports.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Code suggestions
- Code suggestions are supported for RDFormat or diff input, with reporter support varying by destination.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Contribution model
- The Open Collective page describes reviewdog as an open-source collective and identifies Open Source Collective as its fiscal host.opencollective.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Forked pull requests
- For forked pull requests where GITHUB_TOKEN lacks write access to Check or Review APIs, reviewdog falls back to GitHub Actions annotations, which have a per-run limit.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Hosted server dependency
- The GitHub PR Checks reporter can use the reviewdog GitHub App server, and the README says its availability is not guaranteed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Hosted service dependency
- The GitHub PR Checks reporter can use a reviewdog app server, and the README cautions that it cannot guarantee that server runs continuously.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Input formats
- It accepts compiler or linter output via stdin and supports errorformat, RDFormat, unified diff, checkstyle XML, and SARIF 2.1.0 JSON.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Installation
- Installation options include a shell installer, Homebrew, Scoop on Windows, Go install, and a GitHub Action setup step.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Language support
- The README describes integrating with any linter tools regardless of programming language and lists public actions for many language and file checks.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The project is provided under the MIT License, which includes an as-is warranty disclaimer.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Local use
- It can run locally to filter linter output by diff.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Maintainer and support
- The repository names haya14busa as author and invites users to support the project through GitHub Sponsors or Open Collective.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Maintainer support
- The README invites contributors to create reviewdog actions and offers to put their repositories under the reviewdog organization and co-maintain them.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- reviewdog integrates code analysis tools with code hosting services to post review comments when findings are in the patch diff.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Report destinations
- Reporters include GitHub Checks and pull request reviews, GitLab merge request discussions and commits, Gerrit change review, and Bitbucket Code Insights.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
