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Merge Request Comments

You can read and write comments in the merge request diff viewer, in the standard code editor (for files that belong to an open merge request), and in the Discussions tab of the details panel.

Viewing Comments​

How comments are displayed is configured separately for the diff viewer and the standard editor.

In the diff viewer​

Right-click the diff gutter to toggle either option:

  • Show Comments Inline — display comment threads expanded directly in the diff. When turned off, comments are collapsed to gutter icons that you click to open. This preference is global and also available as Show comments inline in diff in Settings | JetLab — GitLab.
  • Show Comments from Earlier Commits — when you have filtered the diff to a specific commit or a comparison between merge request versions, comments made against other commits or versions are hidden by default. Turn this on to show them in the current diff. Also available from the Comments in Diff Visibility menu on the diff viewer toolbar.

In the standard editor​

For a file that belongs to an open merge request, right-click the editor gutter and use the Show Comments submenu to choose how comments appear:

  • Inline — show comment threads expanded in the editor.
  • Gutter icons — show a clickable icon in the gutter (default).
  • Don't show — hide comments in the standard editor.

This preference is global and also available as Show comments in Settings | JetLab — GitLab.

Creating Comments​

To add a comment on a line, click the gutter icon in the diff viewer or use the Create Comment for Line action. Click on another line to select the range of lines to create a multi-line comment. Multi-line comments require GitLab 13.8 or later.

Submit sends the comment to GitLab immediately. Save Draft keeps it locally instead; drafts are visible only to you, and Submit All Drafts in the toolbar sends them all at once.

Reviews​

On GitLab 16.4+, you can batch multiple comments into a single review so the merge request author receives one notification instead of many.

Check Start review when creating your first comment. Subsequent comments are added to the review automatically and stay pending — visible only to you on the server — until you click Finish review, which publishes them all and can set your review status (approve, request changes).

note

On GitLab 17.2+, all comment types can be pending. On GitLab 16.4–17.1, only inline comments support this.

Resolving Discussions​

When replying to a discussion, check Resolve discussion to resolve it together with your reply. Resolved discussions are collapsed by default in the Comments tab.

Comment Actions​

A comment offers Reply, Edit and Delete for your own comments, Copy Link, Jump to Diff, and Minimize, plus:

  • React — emoji reactions require GitLab 16.1 or later.
  • Jump to Source — go to the line in the editor. Requires the repository to be associated with a local VCS root.
  • Jump to Original Diff — go to the diff at the revision where the comment was made.