CODEOWNERS

ELI5 - The Vibe Check

CODEOWNERS is a file that turns who's-supposed-to-review-this from a Slack message into an automatic assignment. You map file paths to people or teams once, and from then on, every pull request that touches your billing folder automatically pings the billing team for review, without anyone having to remember or ask.

Real Talk

CODEOWNERS is a plain text file, recognized by GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, that maps glob path patterns to individual users or teams, automatically requesting their review on any pull request that modifies matching files and, when combined with branch protection rules, optionally requiring their explicit approval before merge. It's the standard mechanism for path based ownership in monorepos, letting many teams share one repository while each retains review authority over its own directories.

Show Me The Code

# .github/CODEOWNERS
/apps/billing/     @team-billing
/apps/checkout/    @team-checkout
*.tf               @team-platform
package.json       @team-leads

When You'll Hear This

"CODEOWNERS auto-requested the billing team the second the PR touched that folder." / "Nobody owns that directory in CODEOWNERS, that's why reviews sit for days."