Scopes

Use scopes to control which Slack conversations can access which repositories, connections, and spend limits in CodeRabbit Agent for Slack.

Scopes control which repositories, connections, and spend limits CodeRabbit Agent for Slack can use in each conversation. Every workspace has a Base Scope that applies everywhere by default. Scopes let you override or extend those defaults for specific channels or DMs. When you create or edit a Slack scope, you can also search and select active user groups directly from the connected Slack workspace.

If channel or user-group search fails because Slack workspace authorization is missing, expired, or invalid, the picker shows a Reconnect Slack action so you can restore access and search again. Other Slack errors still appear as ordinary errors. For workspace-level reconnection steps, see Connections.

Start with the Base Scope

The Base Scope is created during the Quickstart setup flow. It sets the default repositories, connections, and spend controls. Scopes build on top of it by adding repositories, swapping connections, or setting tighter limits. If a conversation does not match any scope, the Base Scope governs it entirely.

One scope per conversation

For any given conversation, CodeRabbit Agent resolves:

1. The Base Scope, which always applies
2. At most one matching scope, when the current channel or DM pattern matches one

That means the Base Scope is the workspace-wide baseline and a scope is the targeted override or extension for that specific Slack surface.

If more than one scope matches the same conversation, CodeRabbit Agent treats the match as ambiguous and blocks the request rather than guessing. Ensure scope patterns do not overlap.

Scope types

Scope type	Use it for	What it controls
Base Scope	Workspace-wide defaults	Default repositories, connections, and spend limit
Scope	Targeted access for specific channels or DM workflows	Channel- or DM-specific repositories, connections, and spend rules

Inheritance rules

Scopes build on top of the Base Scope.

Behavior	How it works
Repositories	A scope inherits the Base Scope repositories, then adds any extra repositories selected in that scope
Non-MCP connections	A scope keeps the Base Scope service choice unless the same service is explicitly replaced. Only one connection per non-MCP service type is allowed per scope. Duplicates are blocked
MCP connections	MCP connections are additive, so scope-level MCP access combines with Base Scope MCP access. Duplicate MCP server selections are also blocked
Spend limit	A scope can inherit the Base Scope baseline or set a narrower or different policy

In practice, the effective repository set is usually the union of Base Scope repositories and scope repositories.

Spend controls

Spend controls are configured at the scope level.

Scope type	Blank value behavior	Explicit unlimited behavior
Base Scope	Defaults to a baseline when left blank	Set No limit explicitly
Scope	Inherits or remains unset when left blank	Set No limit explicitly

Use scope spend limits when a team, channel, or workflow should be more tightly controlled than the workspace default.

Spend enforcement uses the same agent minutes metric shown in Usage. Each run records how long the Agent spent working, and longer runs consume more of a paid workspace’s spend allowance than shorter runs.

Workspaces can have separate spend limits for user-started runs and for automation or trigger runs. Those limits act as billing-period guardrails for the matching scope. Free trials use the included Agent Minutes grant instead of scope spend limits, so trial access pauses only when the included minutes are exhausted or the trial expires.

Scope admins

Scopes can be managed by assigned scope admins, but the Base Scope remains reserved for global admins.

That lets workspace admins delegate day-to-day scope tuning without giving every scope owner control over the entire CodeRabbit Agent workspace.

Roll out safely

For most teams, the safest rollout path is:

1. Keep the Base Scope relatively conservative
2. Add scopes only where a team needs different repositories, tools, or limits
3. Expand gradually as usage patterns become clearer

What’s next

Connections

Learn how workspace-level connections are created once and then selected per scope.

Admin roles and security

See who can create scopes, who can edit them, and who can see activity across the workspace.

Working in Slack

Understand how the current scope changes what CodeRabbit Agent can do in a real conversation.