CODEOWNERS

aid: codeowners
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/codeowners/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
name: CODEOWNERS
tags:
- Access Control
- Automation
- Code Review
- Governance
- Repository File
- Standards
type: Index
accessModel:
  pricing: unknown
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Unknown
  confidence: low
  source: []
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/codeowners.png
access: 3rd-Party
kind: standard
created: '2025-01-01'
modified: '2026-04-26'
position: Consumer
description: CODEOWNERS is the file format originally introduced by GitHub and later adopted by GitLab, Bitbucket Cloud, Gitea,
  and Azure Repos that lets a repository declare which individuals or teams are responsible for a path or pattern within the
  codebase. Platforms use it to auto-request reviews on pull/merge requests, enforce required approvals via branch protection
  or push rules, and route pings on issues. The file is plain text with one rule per line - a glob pattern followed by one
  or more owner handles (`@username` or `@org/team`) or email addresses. Comments start with `#` and the last matching pattern
  wins.
x-status: De facto convention (GitHub-originated)
x-canonical-host: GitHub Docs
x-supported-platforms:
- name: GitHub
  docs: https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/customizing-your-repository/about-code-owners
  locations:
  - .github/CODEOWNERS
  - CODEOWNERS
  - docs/CODEOWNERS
- name: GitLab
  docs: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/codeowners/reference/
  locations:
  - .gitlab/CODEOWNERS
  - CODEOWNERS
  - docs/CODEOWNERS
  extras: Section headers, optional approvals, required approval counts
- name: Bitbucket Cloud
  docs: https://support.atlassian.com/bitbucket-cloud/docs/code-owners/
  locations:
  - CODEOWNERS
- name: Gitea
  docs: https://docs.gitea.com/usage/code-owners
  locations:
  - .gitea/CODEOWNERS
  - CODEOWNERS
  - docs/CODEOWNERS
- name: Azure Repos
  docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/branch-policies
x-syntax-rules:
- One pattern per line
- Pattern is a fnmatch-style glob (e.g. *.js, /docs/, src/api/**/*.ts)
- 'Owners follow the pattern, separated by whitespace: @user, @org/team, or email'
- Comments start with
- Blank lines are ignored
- Last matching pattern wins
- Invalid lines are silently skipped
- File size limit is 3 MB on GitHub
x-pattern-precedence: Last matching pattern in the file wins
x-owner-types:
- GitHub username (@username)
- GitHub team (@org/team-name)
- Email address (some platforms)
x-best-practices:
- Place CODEOWNERS in .github/ to keep it adjacent to other GitHub metadata
- Use teams instead of individuals for resilience
- Order rules from broad to specific so specific overrides win
- Combine with branch protection 'Require review from Code Owners'
- Validate with a CI step (e.g., codeowners-validator)
- Document each section with a comment header
x-validators:
- name: mszostok/codeowners-validator
  url: https://github.com/mszostok/codeowners-validator
- name: hmarr/actions/codeowners-validator
  url: https://github.com/hmarr/codeowners
- name: codeowners-discover
  url: https://github.com/beaugunderson/codeowners
x-related-files:
- .github/CODEOWNERS
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- CONTRIBUTING.md
- SECURITY.md
- branch protection rules (server-side)
apis: []
common:
- type: Specification
  url: https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/customizing-your-repository/about-code-owners
- type: Reference
  url: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/codeowners/reference/
- type: Documentation
  url: https://support.atlassian.com/bitbucket-cloud/docs/code-owners/
- type: Documentation
  url: https://docs.gitea.com/usage/code-owners
- type: Documentation
  url: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/branch-policies
- type: Sample
  url: https://github.com/dotnet/samples/blob/main/.github/CODEOWNERS
- type: Tools
  url: https://github.com/mszostok/codeowners-validator
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com
specificationVersion: '0.19'