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Comments and threads

DETAILS: Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate Offering: SaaS, self-managed

GitLab encourages communication through comments, threads, and Code Suggestions.

Two types of comments are available:

  • A standard comment.
  • A comment in a thread, which can be resolved.

In a comment, you can enter Markdown and use quick actions.

You can suggest code changes in your commit diff comment, which the user can accept through the user interface.

Places you can add comments

You can create comments in places like:

  • Commit diffs
  • Commits
  • Designs
  • Epics
  • Issues
  • Merge requests
  • Snippets
  • Tasks
  • OKRs

Each object can have as many as 5,000 comments.

Mentions

You can mention a user or a group (including subgroups) in your GitLab instance with @username or @groupname. All mentioned users are notified with to-do items and emails. Users can change this setting for themselves in the notification settings.

You can quickly see which comments involve you, because mentions for yourself (the user who is signed in) are highlighted in a different color.

Mentioning all members

FLAG: On self-managed GitLab, by default this flag is not enabled. To make it available, an administrator can enable the feature flag named disable_all_mention. On GitLab.com, this flag is enabled.

When this feature flag is enabled, typing @all in comments and descriptions results in plain text instead of a mention. When you disable this feature, existing @all mentions in the Markdown texts are not affected and remain as links. Only future @all mentions appear as plain text.

Avoid mentioning @all in comments and descriptions. When you do it, you don't only mention the participants of the project, issue, or merge request, but to all members of that project's parent group. All these users receive an email notification and a to-do item. It might be interpreted as spam.

Notifications and mentions can be disabled in a group's settings.

Mention a group in an issue or merge request

When you mention a group in a comment, every member of the group gets a to-do item added to their To-do list.

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. For merge requests, select Code > Merge requests, and find your merge request.
  3. For issues, select Plan > Issues, and find your issue.
  4. In a comment, type @ followed by the user, group, or subgroup namespace. For example, @alex, @alex-team, or @alex-team/marketing.
  5. Select Comment.

A to-do item is created for all the group and subgroup members.

For more information on mentioning subgroups see Mention subgroups.

Add a comment to a merge request diff

You can add comments to a merge request diff. These comments persist, even when you:

  • Force-push after a rebase.
  • Amend a commit.

To add a commit diff comment:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Code > Merge requests, and find your merge request.
  3. Select the Commits tab, then select the commit message.
  4. By the line you want to comment on, hover over the line number and select Comment ({comment}). You can select multiple lines by dragging the Comment ({comment}) icon.
  5. Enter your comment and select Start a review or Add comment now.

The comment is displayed on the merge request's Overview tab.

The comment is not displayed on your project's Code > Commits page.

NOTE: When your comment contains a reference to a commit included in the merge request, it's converted to a link in the context of the merge request. For example, 28719b171a056960dfdc0012b625d0b47b123196 becomes 28719b17 that links to https://gitlab.example.com/example-group/example-project/-/merge_requests/12345/diffs?commit_id=28719b171a056960dfdc0012b625d0b47b123196.

Reply to a comment by sending email

If you have "reply by email" configured, you can reply to comments by sending an email.

  • When you reply to a standard comment, it creates another standard comment.
  • When you reply to a threaded comment, it creates a reply in the thread.
  • When you send an email to an issue email address, it creates a standard comment.

You can use Markdown and quick actions in your email replies.

Edit a comment

You can edit your own comment at any time. Anyone with at least the Maintainer role can also edit a comment made by someone else.

To edit a comment:

  1. On the comment, select Edit comment ({pencil}).
  2. Make your edits.
  3. Select Save changes.

Editing a comment to add a mention

By default, when you mention a user, GitLab creates a to-do item for them, and sends them a notification email.

If you edit an existing comment to add a user mention that wasn't there before, GitLab:

  • Creates a to-do item for the mentioned user.
  • Does not send a notification email.

Prevent comments by locking the discussion

You can prevent public comments in an issue or merge request. When you do, only project members can add and edit comments.

Prerequisites:

  • In merge requests, you must have at least the Developer role.
  • In issues, you must have at least the Reporter role.

To lock an issue or merge request:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. For merge requests, select Code > Merge requests, and find your merge request.
  3. For issues, select Plan > Issues, and find your issue.
  4. In the upper-right corner, select Merge request actions or Issue actions ({ellipsis_v}), then select Lock discussion.

A system note is added to the page details.

If an issue or merge request is closed with a locked discussion, then you cannot reopen it until the discussion is unlocked.

Add an internal note

  • Introduced in GitLab 13.9 with a flag named confidential_notes. Disabled by default.
  • Changed in GitLab 14.10: you can only mark comments in issues and epics as confidential. Previously, it was also possible for comments in merge requests and snippets.
  • Renamed from "confidential comments" to "internal notes" in GitLab 15.0.
  • Enabled on GitLab.com and self-managed in GitLab 15.0.
  • Feature flag confidential_notes removed in GitLab 15.2.
  • Changed permissions in GitLab 15.6 to at least the Reporter role. In GitLab 15.5 and earlier, issue or epic authors and assignees could also read and create internal notes.
  • Internal comments introduced for merge requests in GitLab 16.9.

When you add an internal note to a public issue, epic, or merge request, only project members with least the Reporter role can view the note. Internal notes cannot be converted to regular comments, and all replies to internal notes are also internal. Internal notes are shown in a different color than public comments, and display an Internal note badge:

Internal notes

Prerequisites:

  • You must have at least the Reporter role for the project.

To add an internal note:

  1. On the issue, epic, or merge request, in the Comment text box, type a comment.
  2. Below the comment, select the Make this an internal note checkbox.
  3. Select Add internal note.

You can also mark an entire issue as confidential, or create confidential merge requests.

Show only comments

In discussions with many comments, filter the discussion to show only comments or history of changes (system notes). System notes include changes to the description, mentions in other GitLab objects, or changes to labels, assignees, and the milestone. GitLab saves your preference, and applies it to every issue, merge request, or epic you view.

  1. On a merge request, issue, or epic, select the Overview tab.
  2. On the right side of the page, from the Sort or filter dropdown list, select a filter:
    • Show all activity: Display all user comments and system notes.
    • Show comments only: Display only user comments.
    • Show history only: Display only activity notes.

Change activity sort order

Reverse the default order and interact with the activity feed sorted by most recent items at the top. GitLab saves your preference in local storage and applies it to every issue, merge request, or epic you view.

To change the activity sort order:

  1. Open the Overview tab in a merge request, issue, or epic.
  2. On the right side of the page, from the Sort or filter dropdown list, select the sort order Newest first or Oldest first (default).

View description change history

DETAILS: Tier: Premium, Ultimate Offering: SaaS, self-managed

You can see changes to the description listed in the history.

To compare the changes, select Compare with previous version.

Assign an issue to the commenting user

You can assign an issue to a user who made a comment.

  1. In the comment, select the More Actions ({ellipsis_v}) menu.
  2. Select Assign to commenting user: Assign to commenting user
  3. To unassign the commenter, select the button again.

Create a thread by replying to a standard comment

When you reply to a standard comment, you create a thread.

Prerequisites:

  • You must have at least the Guest role.
  • You must be in an issue, merge request, or epic. Threads in commits and snippets are not supported.

To create a thread by replying to a comment:

  1. In the upper-right corner of the comment, select Reply to comment ({reply}).

    The reply section is displayed.

  2. Enter your reply.

  3. Select Reply or Add comment now (depending on where in the UI you are replying).

The top comment is converted to a thread.

Create a thread without replying to a comment

You can create a thread without replying to a standard comment.

Prerequisites:

  • You must have at least the Guest role.
  • You must be in an issue, merge request, commit, or snippet.

To create a thread:

  1. Enter a comment.
  2. Below the comment, to the right of Comment, select the down arrow ({chevron-down}).
  3. From the list, select Start thread.
  4. Select Start thread again.

Create a thread

A threaded comment is created.

Resolve a thread

You can resolve a thread when you want to finish a conversation.

Prerequisites:

  • You must be in an issue or merge request.
  • You must have at least the Developer role or be the author of the issue or merge request.

To resolve a thread:

  1. Go to the thread.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • In the upper-right corner of the original comment, select Resolve thread ({check-circle}).
    • Below the last reply, in the Reply field, select Resolve thread.
    • Below the last reply, in the Reply field, enter text, select the Resolve thread checkbox, and select Add comment now.