---
stage: Create
group: Source Code
info: "To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments"
type: reference
---

# Code Owners **(PREMIUM)**

> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/6916) in GitLab 11.3.
> - Code Owners for merge request approvals was [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/4418) in GitLab Premium 11.9.
> - Moved to GitLab Premium in 13.9.

Code Owners define who owns specific files or directories in a repository.

- The users you define as Code Owners are displayed in the UI when you browse directories.
- You can set your merge requests so they must be approved by Code Owners before merge.
- You can protect a branch and allow only Code Owners to approve changes to the branch.

If you don't want to use Code Owners for approvals, you can
[configure rules](merge_requests/approvals/rules.md) instead.

## Set up Code Owners

You can use Code Owners to specify users or [shared groups](members/share_project_with_groups.md)
that are responsible for specific files and directories in a repository.

To set up Code Owners:

1. Choose the location where you want to specify Code Owners:
   - In the root directory of the repository
   - In the `.gitlab/` directory
   - In the `docs/` directory

1. In that location, create a file named `CODEOWNERS`.

1. In the file, enter text that follows one of these patterns:

   ```plaintext
   # Code Owners for a file
   filename @username1 @username2

   # Code Owners for a directory
   directoryname/ @username1 @username2

   # All group members as Code Owners for a file
   filename @groupname

   # All group members as Code Owners for a directory
   directoryname/ @groupname
   ```

The Code Owners are now displayed in the UI. They apply to the current branch only.

Next steps:

- [Add Code Owners as merge request approvers](merge_requests/approvals/rules.md#code-owners-as-eligible-approvers).
- Set up [Code Owner approval on a protected branch](protected_branches.md#require-code-owner-approval-on-a-protected-branch).

## Groups as Code Owners

> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/53182) in GitLab 12.1.
> - Group and subgroup hierarchy support was [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/32432) in GitLab 13.0.

You can use members of groups and subgroups as Code Owners for a project.

For example, if you have these groups:

- **Group X** (`group-x`) with **Project A** in it.
- **Subgroup Y** (`group-x/subgroup-y`), which belongs to **Group X**, with **Project B** in it.

The eligible Code Owners:

- For **Project A** are the members of **Group X** only, because **Project A** doesn't belong to **Subgroup Y**.
- For **Project B** are the members of both **Group X** and **Subgroup Y**.

![Eligible Code Owners](img/code_owners_members_v13_4.png)

You can [invite](members/share_project_with_groups.md) **Subgroup Y** to **Project A**
so that their members also become eligible Code Owners.

![Invite subgroup members to become eligible Code Owners](img/code_owners_invite_members_v13_4.png)

If you do not invite **Subgroup Y** to **Project A**, but make them Code Owners, their approval
of the merge request becomes optional.

Inviting **Subgroup Y** to a parent group of **Project A**
[is not supported](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/288851). To set **Subgroup Y** as
Code Owners, add this group directly to the project itself.

### Add a group as a Code Owner

To set a group as a Code Owner:

In the `CODEOWNERS` file, enter text that follows one of these patterns:

```plaintext
# All group members as Code Owners for a file
file.md @group-x

# All subgroup members as Code Owners for a file
file.md @group-x/subgroup-y

# All group and subgroup members as Code Owners for a file
file.md @group-x @group-x/subgroup-y
```

## When a file matches multiple `CODEOWNERS` entries

When a file matches multiple entries in the `CODEOWNERS` file,
the users from last pattern matching the file are used.

For example, in the following `CODEOWNERS` file:

```plaintext
README.md @user1

# This line would also match the file README.md
*.md @user2
```

The Code Owner for `README.md` would be `@user2`.

If you use sections, the last user _for each section_ is used.

Only one CODEOWNERS pattern can match per file path.

### Organize Code Owners by putting them into sections

> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/12137) in GitLab Premium 13.2 behind a feature flag, enabled by default.
> - [Feature flag removed](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/42389) in GitLab 13.4.

You can organize Code Owners by putting them into named sections.

You can use sections for shared directories, so that multiple
teams can be reviewers.

To add a section to the `CODEOWNERS` file, enter a section name in brackets,
followed by the files or directories, and users, groups, or subgroups:

```plaintext
[README Owners]
README.md @user1 @user2
internal/README.md @user2
```

Each Code Owner in the merge request widget is listed under a label.
The following image shows a **Groups** and **Documentation** section:

![MR widget - Sectional Code Owners](img/sectional_code_owners_v13.2.png)

### Sections with duplicate names

If multiple sections have the same name, they are combined.
Also, section headings are not case-sensitive. For example:

```plaintext
[Documentation]
ee/docs/    @docs
docs/       @docs

[Database]
README.md  @database
model/db/   @database

[DOCUMENTATION]
README.md  @docs
```

This code results in three entries under the **Documentation** section header, and two
entries under **Database**. The entries defined under the sections **Documentation** and
**DOCUMENTATION** are combined, using the case of the first section.

### Make a Code Owners section optional

> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/232995) in GitLab Premium 13.8 behind a feature flag, enabled by default.
> - [Feature flag removed](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/53227) in GitLab 13.9.

You can make a section optional, so that approval from the Code Owners in that section is optional.

Put a caret `^` character before the Code Owners section name. For example:

```plaintext
[Documentation]
*.md @root

[Ruby]
*.rb @root

^[Go]
*.go @root
```

The optional Code Owners section displays in merge requests under the **Approval Rules** area:

![MR widget - Optional Code Owners sections](img/optional_code_owners_sections_v13_8.png)

If a section is duplicated in the file, and one of them is marked as optional and the other isn't, the section is required.

Optional sections in the `CODEOWNERS` file are treated as optional only
when changes are submitted by using merge requests. If a change is submitted directly
to the protected branch, approval from Code Owners is still required, even if the
section is marked as optional. [An issue exists](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/297638)
to allow direct pushes to the protected branch for sections marked as optional.

## Example `CODEOWNERS` file

```plaintext
# This is an example of a CODEOWNERS file.
# Lines that start with `#` are ignored.

# app/ @commented-rule

# Specify a default Code Owner by using a wildcard:
* @default-codeowner

# Specify multiple Code Owners by using a tab or space:
* @multiple @code @owners

# Rules defined later in the file take precedence over the rules
# defined before.
# For example, for all files with a filename ending in `.rb`:
*.rb @ruby-owner

# Files with a `#` can still be accessed by escaping the pound sign:
\#file_with_pound.rb @owner-file-with-pound

# Specify multiple Code Owners separated by spaces or tabs.
# In the following case the CODEOWNERS file from the root of the repo
# has 3 Code Owners (@multiple @code @owners):
CODEOWNERS @multiple @code @owners

# You can use both usernames or email addresses to match
# users. Everything else is ignored. For example, this code
# specifies the `@legal` and a user with email `janedoe@gitlab.com` as the
# owner for the LICENSE file:
LICENSE @legal this_does_not_match janedoe@gitlab.com

# Use group names to match groups, and nested groups to specify
# them as owners for a file:
README @group @group/with-nested/subgroup

# End a path in a `/` to specify the Code Owners for every file
# nested in that directory, on any level:
/docs/ @all-docs

# End a path in `/*` to specify Code Owners for every file in
# a directory, but not nested deeper. This code matches
# `docs/index.md` but not `docs/projects/index.md`:
/docs/* @root-docs

# This code makes matches a `lib` directory nested anywhere in the repository:
lib/ @lib-owner

# This code match only a `config` directory in the root of the repository:
/config/ @config-owner

# If the path contains spaces, escape them like this:
path\ with\ spaces/ @space-owner

# Code Owners section:
[Documentation]
ee/docs    @docs
docs       @docs

[Database]
README.md  @database
model/db   @database

# This section is combined with the previously defined [Documentation] section:
[DOCUMENTATION]
README.md  @docs
```