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The Dart SDK uses both GitHub pull requests and Gerrit for code reviews. This guide covers both workflows.

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GitHub Workflow

For simple changes like documentation updates, you can submit a GitHub pull request.
1

Fork and create a pull request

Fork the repository and create a pull request from your forked repo. Follow the GitHub forking guide for detailed instructions.
2

Automatic conversion to Gerrit

Your GitHub PR will be automatically converted into a Gerrit change list (CL) by a copybara-service bot. The bot will leave a comment on your PR with a link to the Gerrit CL.
3

Review and updates

Any changes made to the PR after opening will also be synced by the bot into the Gerrit review.
4

Automatic closure

The PR will be automatically closed when the CL is reviewed and landed.

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Gerrit Workflow

The primary code review workflow uses Gerrit. This is the recommended approach for most contributions.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

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Verify git-cl Configuration

There is a codereview.settings file in the repo to configure things automatically: 
cat codereview.settings
Expected output: 
# This file is used by gcl to get repository specific information.
GERRIT_HOST: True
CODE_REVIEW_SERVER: https://dart-review.googlesource.com
VIEW_VC: https://dart.googlesource.com/sdk/+
CC_LIST: [email protected]

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Creating and Uploading a Change

1

Create a branch

Create a new branch for your changes. We recommend using your username as a prefix:
cd sdk
git checkout -b uname_example
Alternatively, use git new-branch:
git new-branch <feature-name>
2

Make your changes

Write your code and commit locally:
echo "file contents" > awesome_example.txt
git add awesome_example.txt
git commit -a -m "An awesome commit, for an awesome example."
3

Upload to Gerrit

Upload the patch to Gerrit for review using git cl upload:
# Upload a CL, add reviewers from OWNERS files, and allow automatic submission
git cl upload --send-mail --r-owners --auto-submit
The command returns a URL for the review. Attach this review to your issue in https://dartbug.com.
4

Open the review

Open your CL in a browser:
git cl web
Then click on the Start Review button to send email to the reviewers from the Gerrit website.

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Updating Your Change

To update the CL after review feedback:
1

Make changes

Update your code based on review comments:
echo "better file contents" > awesome_example.txt
git commit -a -m "An awesomer commit"
2

Upload the update

Upload the new version:
git cl upload origin/main
Or with the full options:
git cl upload --send-mail --r-owners --auto-submit

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Syncing with Latest Changes

If new changes have been made to the repo, sync up before submitting your code. Option 1: Merging 
git pull origin main
git cl upload origin/main
Option 2: Rebasing (Recommended) 
git pull --rebase origin main
git cl upload origin/main
Or use git rebase-update from any branch: 
git rebase-update

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Getting Your Change Reviewed

1

Ensure you have reviewers

Ensure your change has at least two reviewers who are OWNERS on your CL:
git cl web  # opens your review on https://dart-review.googlesource.com
Check the “Reviewers” on the CL. There should be at least two.
2

Add more reviewers if needed

If there aren’t enough reviewers, use the ADD OWNERS button to add more.If you can’t get enough reviewers, or the reviewers are not responsive, you may add reviewers found in the OWNERS file at the root of the repository to escalate.
3

Code owner review

It’s part of a code owner’s responsibility to review changes in their area and help you get your patch submitted. They may:
  • Provide comments
  • Reject your CL
  • Run the presubmit tests on your behalf
  • Submit your patch

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For Committers: Submitting a Patch

If you have commit access, when the review is done and the patch is ready:
1

Submit to CQ

On https://dart-review.googlesource.com, press Submit to CQ (CQ stands for “Commit Queue”).
2

Monitor tryjobs

You can follow the progress by looking at the Tryjobs panel in your review.
3

Merge or fix

  • Once the Commit Queue is green, the patch will be merged
  • If any of the try jobs is red, you will have to fix the errors and then Submit to CQ once more
If you do not have commit access, a Dart engineer will commit on your behalf, assuming the patch is reviewed and accepted.

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Alternative: Using git cl land

You can also submit directly from the command line: 
git cl land origin/main
This command will close the issue in Gerrit and submit your code directly on main.

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Merging Contributions from Non-Committers

If the author of a patch is not a committer, they will need help landing the patch. Once a patch gets an LGTM:
  1. Find and open the review on https://dart-review.googlesource.com
  2. Follow the submission instructions above to submit the patch

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Cleaning Up

After submitting, delete your local branch to keep the repo clean: 
git checkout main
git branch -D uname_example  # delete local branch

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Additional Resources

For more detailed instructions on the git cl tools, visit the depot_tools tutorial.

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