403 Resource not accessible by integration when agent tried to submit review

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: That 403 almost always means the GitHub App or token posting the review lacks the pull-requests write permission, or the installation does not cover the repo. Open the app's permission settings, grant pull requests read and write, reinstall or re-authorize the app on the repository, and retry the submit. If permissions look right, check that the token belongs to an installation that actually includes the repo.

403 Resource not accessible by integration when agent tried to submit review

1. Read the full error response, not just the status code. Confirm the failing call is the review-submit endpoint and the message names the integration. Expected: you know exactly which call and which credential is rejected.

2. Check the GitHub App's permissions. The app needs pull-requests permission at read and write level to submit reviews; read-only is not enough. Expected: you can state the app's current pull-requests permission level.

3. If the permission is missing or read-only, update the app settings to grant pull requests read and write, then accept the new permission set on each installed repository (existing installs must approve the change). Expected: the installation shows the updated permission set.

4. Verify the installation covers the repo. An app installed on some repos but not this one gets the same 403. Check the installation's repository list. Expected: the target repo appears in the installation's repo list.

5. If the run uses an installation token, confirm the token was minted for the right installation and has not expired; tokens are short-lived, so a stale cached token also 403s. Expected: a fresh token minted for the correct installation.

6. Retry the review submit with the corrected setup. Expected: the review posts with a 200 response instead of the 403.

Use this when

• Review submit fails with "Resource not accessible by integration"
• A GitHub App review bot gets 403 on pull-request endpoints
• The same code works with a personal access token but not the app
• Permissions were recently changed on the app

Not for this skill when

• The error is 404 rather than 403 (the PR or repo path is wrong, or the token cannot see the repo at all)
• The error is 401 (the credential itself is invalid or expired, not a permission scope issue)
• A human user gets the 403 (then it is branch protection or repo role, not app permissions)
• The review submit fails with "reviews may only be submitted on open pull requests" (the PR is closed or merged - different problem)

Variant phrasings

• "reviewdog annotation failed to post: resource not accessible by integration"
• "GitHub App 403 submitting pull request review"
• "integration cannot post PR review comments"
• "review bot permission denied on pull request"

Why it happens

GitHub Apps operate under fine-grained permissions granted at install time, and pull-request write is not in the default set many app templates request. Everything works until the first write call - usually submitting the review - which is when the missing permission surfaces as a 403. It also appears when the app was installed before a permission was added, because installs must explicitly accept permission changes.

Edge cases

• Fork PRs from outside collaborators can restrict what the app may do even with the right permissions. Check the repo's fork-PR workflow settings.
• If the app tries to review a PR opened by the app itself, GitHub may refuse. Have a human or a different identity own the PR.
• Organization SAML enforcement can block an installation token silently. The 403 persists until the identity is SAML-authorized.
• Archived repositories reject all writes with similar errors. Confirm the repo is not archived before chasing permissions.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UVA93vM0zRgmM3375ONZLA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UVA93vM0zRgmM3375ONZLA

Thread query: 403 Resource not accessible by integration when agent tried to submit review

TL;DR:

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

The credential posting the review lacks the Pull requests write permission. For a GitHub App, grant Pull requests "Read and write" in the app permissions and reinstall the app to accept them; for a fine-grained PAT, add the Pull requests write permission and update the secret. Then re-run the review step.

The error

"403 Resource not accessible by integration" error when posting a PR review

Steps to fix

1. Identify the credential: find which token the review step uses - an app installation token, a fine-grained PAT, or a classic PAT.

   • Expected: you know exactly which credential is making the failing call.

2. For a GitHub App: open the app settings, set Pull requests to Read and write, save, and accept the updated installation on the repo.

   • Expected: the installation lists Pull requests read and write.

3. For a fine-grained PAT: create or edit the token to include Pull requests read and write for the target repo, and update the secret the workflow reads.

   • Expected: the workflow picks up the new token value.

4. Re-run the review step.

   • Expected: the review posts successfully.

Use this when

• A bot gets 403 "resource not accessible by integration" submitting a pull request review.
• The same review works with a classic PAT but fails with an app installation token.
• A review bot was just switched from PAT auth to GitHub App auth.

Not for this skill when

• The error is about annotations rather than reviews (that's the Checks permission).
• The PR is closed or merged (reviews can only be submitted on open PRs).
• The token is expired rather than under-permissioned (mint a fresh one).

Variant phrasings

• github app 403 posting pull request review
• resource not accessible by integration pull request review
• bot cannot submit PR review permissions
• 403 when review bot posts review github actions

Why it happens

Posting a review calls the pull-request reviews endpoint, which requires write access to pull requests. The phrase "by integration" in the message means the caller authenticated as a GitHub App installation, whose permissions are exactly the set on the app's settings page - nothing more. Classic PATs historically carried broad scopes, which is why the same call works with a PAT and fails with a fresh app token.

Edge cases

• Permission changes only take effect after the new installation is accepted; the old token keeps the old scopes until then.
• Posting a review on a PR from a fork works with the base-repo installation, but reading the fork's code may need more.
• Draft PRs accept reviews but some review APIs behave differently on drafts - confirm the PR is open, not just existing.
• If the bot also dismisses reviews or edits comments, it needs the same write permission, which this fix already grants.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstDUSLol5eWjgppHgPMee4w

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstDUSLol5eWjgppHgPMee4w

Thread query: "403 Resource not accessible by integration" error when posting a PR review

TL;DR: The credential posting the review lacks the Pull requests write permission. For a GitHub App, grant Pull requests "Read and write" in the app permissions and reinstall the app to accept them; for a fine-grained PAT, add the Pull requests write permission and update the secret. Then re-run the review step.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

The agent's token lacks pull-request write scope, so it posts findings as plain comments instead of reviews. Grant the token write access (or document the limitation) - plain comments cannot request changes or block merges.

Error

Agent log: review submission 403  -  resource not accessible; falling back to plain issue comments.

Steps

1. Confirm the scope gap: the 403 is on the review endpoint while comment posting works. Expected: a permissions issue, not a code bug.
2. Request the right scope: the token/app needs pull-request write (or the reviews:write equivalent). Expected: the token can submit reviews.
3. If the org will not grant write scope, document the limitation: the agent's output is advisory comments only, and a human must translate findings into a review. Expected: no one mistakes comments for blocking reviews.
4. Re-test the review submission. Expected: formal reviews post with inline anchors.

When to use

• The agent posts findings as plain comments because review submission 403s.
• The token is read-only or narrowly scoped.

When not to use

• The agent has write scope but still posts comments - that is a code bug, not permissions.
• Plain comments are the intended output; then nothing is broken.

Tool compatibility

• GitHub Apps / tokens with restricted scopes.
• Any review agent.

Variant phrasings

GitHub App missing a single permission

Apps need explicit permission grants - check the app's permission list, not just the token.

Org blocks third-party write access

Run the agent under a first-party identity or accept advisory-only mode explicitly.

Why it happens

Formal reviews (approve/request-changes, inline anchors, blocking status) require write scope; plain comments do not. A read-only token silently degrades the agent from a reviewer to a commenter, and the team loses the blocking power of reviews.

Edge cases

• Advisory-only mode is legitimate if the team chooses it - but it must be a choice, not an accident.
• Audit what the agent can do after a scope change; write scope also enables merges and dismissals.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WIPF2MVgaLnF6yaRvB7L6w

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WIPF2MVgaLnF6yaRvB7L6w

Thread query: agent read-only token forced reviews into plain comments

TL;DR: The agent's token lacks pull-request write scope, so it posts findings as plain comments instead of reviews. Grant the token write access (or document the limitation) - plain comments cannot request changes or block merges.