Troubleshooting Common Issues

​

Configuration Issues

​

greptile.json Not Taking Effect

​

Symptoms

• Changes to greptile.json don’t appear in reviews
• Dashboard settings still being used despite repository configuration
• Rules and instructions seem to be ignored

​

Common Causes & Solutions

# ✅ Correct - greptile.json in repository root
your-repo/
├── greptile.json
├── src/
└── package.json

# ❌ Wrong - greptile.json in subdirectory
your-repo/
├── src/
│   └── greptile.json  # This won't be found
└── package.json

// ❌ Invalid JSON - trailing comma
{
  "strictness": 2,
  "commentTypes": ["logic", "syntax"],  // Remove this comma
}

// ✅ Valid JSON
{
  "strictness": 2,
  "commentTypes": ["logic", "syntax"]
}

• Greptile reads greptile.json from the source branch of the PR
• If you add greptile.json in a PR, it only takes effect for that PR
• Merge the greptile.json to your main branch for it to apply to future PRs

1. Go to app.greptile.com/review
2. Select your repository
3. Check if your greptile.json is detected and parsed correctly

​

Debugging Steps

1. Verify file location - Ensure greptile.json is in repository root
2. Validate JSON syntax - Use a JSON validator to check for errors
3. Check branch - Confirm the file exists in the branch being reviewed
4. Test on new PR - Create a test PR to verify configuration works

​

Custom Context “Never Used”

​

Symptoms

• External context sources (Jira, Notion) not being referenced in reviews
• Pattern repositories not providing relevant context
• Custom instructions being ignored

​

Common Causes & Solutions

• Check connections - Verify Jira/Notion/Google Drive connections in dashboard
• Permissions - Ensure Greptile has access to the specific documents/projects
• Authentication - Refresh expired tokens or credentials

• Wait for indexing - New integrations need time to index content
• Check status - Look for indexing status in the dashboard
• Trigger re-index - Contact support if indexing seems stuck

// ❌ Repository doesn't exist or isn't accessible
{
  "patternRepositories": ["nonexistent/repo"]
}

// ✅ Verify repository exists and is accessible
{
  "patternRepositories": ["your-org/shared-utils"]
}

• External content must be relevant to the code changes
• Greptile filters out unrelated context automatically
• Try more specific references in PR descriptions

​

Debugging Steps

1. Test integrations - Verify connections work in dashboard
2. Check content - Ensure linked documents exist and are accessible
3. Review relevance - Make sure external content relates to code changes
4. Monitor indexing - Allow time for new content to be indexed

​

Review Issues

​

Greptile Not Running for New PRs

​

Symptoms

• New PRs don’t get automatic reviews
• No comments or summaries appear
• Webhook deliveries failing

​

Common Causes & Solutions

• Check dashboard - Ensure repository is enabled for reviews
• Verify permissions - Confirm GitHub/GitLab access hasn’t been revoked
• Re-enable if needed - Toggle repository off and on in dashboard

// ❌ Too restrictive filters
{
  "includeAuthors": ["specific-user"],  // Only reviews from this user
  "labels": ["review-needed"]           // Only PRs with this label
}

// ✅ More inclusive configuration
{
  "excludeAuthors": ["dependabot[bot]"],
  "disabledLabels": ["skip-review"]
}

• Draft PRs are not reviewed automatically by default
• Mark PR as “Ready for review” or comment @greptileai to trigger

# Check webhook deliveries in GitHub/GitLab settings
Repository Settings → Webhooks → Recent Deliveries

​

Debugging Steps

1. Verify repository status - Check if enabled in dashboard
2. Test manual trigger - Comment @greptileai on a PR
3. Check webhook logs - Look for failed webhook deliveries
4. Review filters - Ensure PR matches your trigger conditions

​

Reviews Taking Too Long

​

Symptoms

• Reviews never complete or take hours
• “Pending” status that doesn’t update
• Timeouts or partial reviews

​

Common Causes & Solutions

• Break down PRs - Split large changes into smaller, focused PRs
• Ignore unnecessary files - Use ignorePatterns to exclude generated files

{
  "ignorePatterns": "dist/**\nnode_modules/**\n*.generated.*\nbuild/**"
}

• First-time indexing - New repositories take longer to initially process
• Wait for completion - Allow extra time for large codebases
• Contact support - For repositories over 100k files

• Disable temporarily - Remove external integrations to test speed
• Check integration status - Ensure Jira/Notion connections are responsive

​

Debugging Steps

1. Check PR size - Consider breaking down large PRs
2. Monitor progress - Use statusEndpoint to track review progress
3. Test smaller PRs - Verify speed with minimal changes
4. Review configuration - Simplify rules and integrations if needed

​

Integration Problems

​

Jira/Notion Connection Issues

​

Symptoms

• Authentication failures
• “Connection expired” messages
• External context not loading

​

Common Solutions

1. Refresh tokens - Re-authenticate integrations in dashboard
2. Check permissions - Ensure access to specific projects/workspaces
3. Network connectivity - Verify Greptile can reach your instances
4. Instance configuration - For self-hosted instances, check firewall rules

​

Pattern Repository Access

​

Symptoms

• Pattern repositories not found
• Access denied errors
• Context from related repos not appearing

​

Common Solutions

// ✅ Correct repository references
{
  "patternRepositories": [
    "your-github-org/shared-library",
    "your-gitlab-group/common-utils"
  ]
}

// ❌ Common mistakes
{
  "patternRepositories": [
    "shared-library",                    // Missing org/group
    "your-org/repo-that-doesnt-exist",   // Repository doesn't exist
    "private-org/private-repo"           // No access permissions
  ]
}

1. Verify repository exists - Check that referenced repos are accessible
2. Test permissions - Ensure your GitHub/GitLab token can access the repo
3. Check naming - Use full org/repo format
4. Monitor indexing - Allow time for pattern repos to be indexed

​

Performance Optimization

​

Reducing Review Time

​

Configuration Optimizations

{
  "strictness": 3, // Focus on critical issues only
  "commentTypes": ["logic"], // Reduce comment types for speed
  "ignorePatterns": "tests/**\ndocs/**\nvendor/**\ngenerated/**" // Skip less critical directories
}

​

Process Improvements

1. Smaller PRs - Break large changes into focused PRs
2. Clear descriptions - Help Greptile understand context quickly
3. Consistent patterns - Established patterns are analyzed faster
4. Regular maintenance - Keep configuration up to date

​

Managing Review Volume

​

Noise Reduction

{
  "strictness": 2, // Balance thoroughness and noise
  "excludeAuthors": ["bot", "automation"], // Skip automated PRs
  "disabledLabels": ["trivial", "docs-only"], // Skip low-risk PRs
  "ignoreKeywords": "typo\nformatting\nspacing" // Skip minor fixes
}

​

Getting Help

​

When to Contact Support

• Persistent authentication issues
• Repositories that won’t index
• Consistent performance problems
• Enterprise integration needs

​

Information to Provide

1. Repository details - Organization and repository name
2. Configuration - Your greptile.json and dashboard settings
3. Error messages - Exact error text and screenshots
4. Timeline - When the issue started occurring
5. Examples - Specific PRs or reviews that demonstrate the problem

​

Contact Information

• Support email: [email protected]
• Include: Account details, repository information, and specific examples
• Response time: Typically within 24 hours for standard issues