---
type: reference
---

# Code Owners **(STARTER)**

> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/6916)
in [GitLab Starter](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) 11.3.
> - [Support for group namespaces](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/53182) added in GitLab Starter 12.1.
> - Code Owners for Merge Request approvals was [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/4418) in [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) 11.9.

## Introduction

When contributing to a project, it can often be difficult
to find out who should review or approve merge requests.
Additionally, if you have a question over a specific file or
code block, it may be difficult to know who to find the answer from.

GitLab Code Owners is a feature to define who owns specific
files or paths in a repository, allowing other users to understand
who is responsible for each file or path.

## Why is this useful?

Code Owners allows for a version controlled single source of
truth file outlining the exact GitLab users or groups that
own certain files or paths in a repository. Code Owners can be
utilized in the merge request approval process which can streamline
the process of finding the right reviewers and approvers for a given
merge request.

In larger organizations or popular open source projects, Code Owners
can also be useful to understand who to contact if you have
a question that may not be related to code review or a merge request
approval.

## How to set up Code Owners

You can use a `CODEOWNERS` file to specify users or
[shared groups](members/share_project_with_groups.md)
that are responsible for certain files in a repository.

You can choose and add the `CODEOWNERS` file in three places:

- To the root directory of the repository
- Inside the `.gitlab/` directory
- Inside the `docs/` directory

The `CODEOWNERS` file is scoped to a branch, which means that with the
introduction of new files, the person adding the new content can
specify themselves as a code owner, all before the new changes
get merged to the default branch.

When a file matches multiple entries in the `CODEOWNERS` file,
the users from last pattern matching the file are displayed on the
blob page of the given file. For example, you have the following
`CODEOWNERS` file:

```plaintext
README.md @user1

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

The user that would show for `README.md` would be `@user2`.

## Approvals by Code Owners

Once you've set Code Owners to a project, you can configure it to
be used for merge request approvals:

- As [merge request eligible approvers](merge_requests/merge_request_approvals.md#code-owners-as-eligible-approvers).
- As required approvers for [protected branches](protected_branches.md#protected-branches-approval-by-code-owners-premium). **(PREMIUM)**

NOTE: **Note**:
Developer or higher [permissions](../permissions.md) are required in order to
approve a merge request.

Once set, Code Owners are displayed in merge requests widgets:

![MR widget - Code Owners](img/code_owners_mr_widget_v12_4.png)

While the `CODEOWNERS` file can be used in addition to Merge Request [Approval Rules](merge_requests/merge_request_approvals.md#approval-rules)
it can also be used as the sole driver of merge request approvals
(without using [Approval Rules](merge_requests/merge_request_approvals.md#approval-rules)).
To do so, create the file in one of the three locations specified above and
set the code owners as required approvers for [protected branches](protected_branches.md#protected-branches-approval-by-code-owners-premium).
Use [the syntax of Code Owners files](code_owners.md#the-syntax-of-code-owners-files)
to specify the actual owners and granular permissions.

Using Code Owners in conjunction with [Protected Branches Approvals](protected_branches.md#protected-branches-approval-by-code-owners-premium)
will prevent any user who is not specified in the `CODEOWNERS` file from pushing changes
for the specified files/paths, even if their role is included in the **Allowed to push** column.
This allows for a more inclusive push strategy, as administrators don't have to restrict developers
from pushing directly to the protected branch, but can restrict pushing to certain
files where a review by Code Owners is required.

## The syntax of Code Owners files

Files can be specified using the same kind of patterns you would use
in the `.gitignore` file followed by the `@username` or email of one
or more users or by the `@name` of one or more groups that should
be owners of the file. Groups must be added as [members of the project](members/index.md),
or they will be ignored.

Starting in [GitLab 13.0](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/32432), you can now specify
groups or subgroups from the project's group hierarchy as potential code owners.

For example, consider the following hierarchy for a given project:

```plaintext
group >> sub-group >> sub-subgroup >> myproject >> file.md
```

Any of the following groups would be eligible to be specified as code owners:

- `@group`
- `@group/sub-group`
- `@group/sub-group/sub-subgroup`

In addition, any groups that have been invited to the project using the **Members** tool will also be recognized as eligible code owners.

The order in which the paths are defined is significant: the last
pattern that matches a given path will be used to find the code
owners.

Starting a line with a `#` indicates a comment. This needs to be
escaped using `\#` to address files for which the name starts with a
`#`.

Example `CODEOWNERS` file:

```plaintext
# This is an example of a code owners file
# lines starting with a `#` will be ignored.

# app/ @commented-rule

# We can specify a default match using wildcards:
* @default-codeowner

# We can also specify "multiple tab or space" separated codeowners:
* @multiple @code @owners

# Rules defined later in the file take precedence over the rules
# defined before.
# This will match all files for which the file name ends 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

# Multiple codeowners can be specified, 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

# Both usernames or email addresses can be used to match
# users. Everything else will be ignored. For example this will
# specify `@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

# Group names can be used to match groups and nested groups to specify
# them as owners for a file
README @group @group/with-nested/subgroup

# Ending a path in a `/` will specify the code owners for every file
# nested in that directory, on any level
/docs/ @all-docs

# Ending a path in `/*` will specify code owners for every file in
# that directory, but not nested deeper. This will match
# `docs/index.md` but not `docs/projects/index.md`
/docs/* @root-docs

# This will make a `lib` directory nested anywhere in the repository
# match
lib/ @lib-owner

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

# If the path contains spaces, these need to be escaped like this:
path\ with\ spaces/ @space-owner
```