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Enhancing Software Engineering Quality: Troubleshooting the GitHub PR Review Button

Code reviews are a cornerstone of modern software development, playing a critical role in ensuring software engineering quality. They catch bugs early, foster knowledge sharing, and uphold coding standards. So, when a crucial part of the review process—like the 'Add your Review' button on GitHub—seems to vanish, it can throw a wrench into a developer's workflow. This was precisely the concern raised in a recent GitHub Community discussion.

Developer troubleshooting a missing review button on a GitHub pull request interface.
Developer troubleshooting a missing review button on a GitHub pull request interface.

The Case of the Elusive GitHub PR Review Button

On February 6, 2026, GitHub user Mukil88 initiated a discussion titled 'Review button is not shown in the PR link/ "Conversations" tab, need to switch to "Files changed" to review a PR' (Discussion #186518). The core issue was straightforward: the essential 'Add your Review' button, which initiates the code review process, was inexplicably absent from the 'Conversations' tab of a Pull Request (PR). Developers were forced to navigate to the 'Files changed' tab to find and click the button, adding an unnecessary step to an otherwise streamlined process.

Developers reviewing code changes together to ensure high software engineering quality.
Developers reviewing code changes together to ensure high software engineering quality.

GitHub's Acknowledgment and Community Solutions

The discussion quickly received an automated acknowledgment from GitHub Actions, confirming that the feedback had been submitted and would be reviewed by product teams. This highlights GitHub's commitment to user feedback, even for seemingly minor UI quirks.

However, it was a fellow community member, LokiDevX, who provided a valuable insight into the potential cause. LokiDevX suggested that this behavior might not be a bug with the repository itself, but rather a consequence of recent UI changes in GitHub's pull request interface. In the current layout, the 'Review changes' button may only appear when there are visible diffs loaded. When a user first opens the 'Conversations' tab, GitHub sometimes doesn't display the review option until the user switches to the 'Files changed' tab, where the diff view is actively loaded. Once the diffs are loaded, the review option becomes available.

Quick Fixes and Troubleshooting Steps

LokiDevX offered several practical suggestions to mitigate this issue and ensure a smooth review process, contributing to better software engineering quality:

  • Refresh and Redirect: Try refreshing the pull request page and immediately switching to the 'Files changed' tab. This often forces the diffs to load and the review button to appear.
  • Verify Permissions: Ensure you have the necessary review permissions on the repository. Without them, the button would naturally be absent.
  • Disable Extensions: Temporarily disable any browser extensions that might modify the GitHub UI. These can sometimes interfere with native functionalities.
  • Incognito Mode: Open the PR in an incognito or private browsing window to rule out caching issues or conflicts with browser data.

If the problem persists, especially if it started recently and occurs across different browsers, it might indicate a gradual UI rollout from GitHub. In such cases, providing detailed reports with browser version, operating system, and screenshots can significantly help GitHub's teams reproduce and address the issue more efficiently.

Impact on Developer Workflow and Software Engineering Quality

Even small UI inconsistencies can disrupt the rhythm of development. A missing button, though easily circumvented, adds friction to the critical code review process. For teams striving for high software engineering quality, every second counts. Streamlined tools contribute directly to improved developer performance review metrics by enabling faster, more efficient reviews and feedback loops. This community insight underscores the importance of a seamless user experience in developer tools and how community feedback helps refine these platforms for everyone's benefit.

Staying informed about platform updates and leveraging community knowledge are key strategies for navigating the evolving landscape of developer tools. This discussion serves as a prime example of how collective experience can quickly resolve common frustrations and keep development workflows running smoothly.