Modes

crab’d runs in one mode per event. Three are built in, though you can add your own (see Custom modes). Every mode receives any text you write after the mention, so a comment can always steer the run.

mention

Triggered by a comment containing your trigger phrase (default /crabd).

crab’d answers the request. If it edits files in the checked-out repo, it commits them to a branch and notes the branch in its reply.

/crabd why is the retry logic firing twice here?
/crabd add a unit test for the empty-input case

review

Triggered by a pull request being opened, reopened, or marked ready for review, not on every push to the PR. To re-review after changes, comment /crabd review.

crab’d reads the diff and posts a review: a summary, inline findings anchored to file and line, and a plain-language verdict (Good to merge (LGTM), Nits found, or Please address the findings before merging, mapping to approve / comment / request-changes).

/crabd Please review. Focus on the migration and error handling.

To keep crab’d from formally approving or blocking PRs, set review.comment_only: true. It then always posts a plain comment while still showing the verdict in the summary:

.crabd.yml

review:
  comment_only: true

implement

Triggered by an issue being assigned or labeled, or by a comment like /crabd implement.

crab’d plans the change, edits the repo, commits to a branch, and opens a pull request whose title and body it writes.

Steering with post-mention text

Whatever follows the mention (and any mode keyword) is threaded into the run as an explicit instruction. This works for every mode:

Comment	Mode	Instruction passed to the agent
/crabd explain this function	mention	explain this function
/crabd review focus on tests	review	focus on tests
/crabd implement use the new API	implement	use the new API

Enabling and disabling modes

Turn any mode off in .crabd.yml:

.crabd.yml

modes:
  implement:
    enabled: false

A disabled mode never triggers, even if its keyword appears in a mention.