How settings work
HeyDeer configuration lives in two places: review settings in HeyDeer, and files in your repository. In HeyDeer, the organization sets defaults, and each repository follows them or customizes individual options.
Organization defaults and repository settings
Set defaults in Organization settings → Review rules. To change one repository, use Repositories → (a repository) → Review rules. Nothing changes until you save.
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Following organization | The repository uses the organization’s value, including future changes. |
| Customized | The repository keeps its own value. The organization’s value is shown underneath. |
| Same as the organization now, but won’t follow its changes. | The repository’s own value matches the organization today. |
Change an option to customize it. Follow organization resets one option, and Restore all, at the bottom of the tab, resets every option. The Customized filter shows only changed options.
Where configuration lives
| Configuration | Version a review uses | Who can change it |
|---|---|---|
| Review rules | The settings saved when HeyDeer accepts the review | Workspace admins |
| Review instructions | The instructions saved when HeyDeer accepts the review | Workspace admins |
| MCP servers | The servers saved when HeyDeer accepts the review | Workspace admins who own the GitHub organization or account |
AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md | The PR head, so a pull request that edits them is reviewed with its own version | Anyone who can push to the pull request’s branch |
.agents/checks/ | The base branch, so changes apply after they merge | Anyone who can merge into the base branch |
.agents/skills/ | The PR head | Anyone who can push to the pull request’s branch |
.gitattributes | The base branch | Anyone who can merge into the base branch |
Owners of the GitHub organization are always workspace admins, and admins can change a repository’s settings only if they can access it on GitHub. See Workspace members.
Not sure where a rule should go? See Where each rule belongs.
When changes take effect
Changes apply to reviews requested after you save. Reviews already queued or running keep the settings they started with.