Repository hygiene · rule repo-no-codeowners
No CODEOWNERS file in a data repository
A Metacenta review checks this under the rule The repo declares code owners. Everything below applies whether or not you ever commission one.
What this rule checks
This rule flags a repository with no CODEOWNERS file where GitHub or GitLab reads it: the root, .github/, .gitlab/ or docs/. A file with that name anywhere else does not count, because the host ignores it and requests no review.
Why it matters
No review is requested from anyone automatically. A change to a critical model can merge without the people who depend on it ever seeing it.
How to fix it
Declare code owners so changes reach the people who depend on them. Add .github/CODEOWNERS, mapping each model directory to the team that owns it.
When it is fine to leave
A small team where everyone reviews every pull request gains little from routing. Write that down in the README, so the absence reads as a decision rather than a gap.
What we need to check it
Read-only access to the repository's file list. Ownership of dbt models is a separate rule with its own evidence. If the listing was truncated, we decline rather than report.