fix(server): retain GitLab approval system notes

apps/server/src/pullRequest/GitLabPullRequestCli.test.ts

@@ -913,6 +913,64 @@ layer("GitLabPullRequestCli.layer", (it) => {
     }),
   );
 
+  it.effect("reads approval history after a full page of unrelated system notes", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      mockedExecute.mockReturnValueOnce(
+        Effect.succeed(
+          output(
+            // @effect-diagnostics-next-line preferSchemaOverJson:off
+            JSON.stringify(
+              Array.from({ length: 100 }, (_, index) => ({
+                id: index + 1,
+                system: true,
+                body: "assigned to @reviewer",
+                created_at: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z",
+              })),
+            ),
+          ),
+        ),
+      );
+      mockedExecute.mockReturnValueOnce(
+        Effect.succeed(
+          output(
+            // @effect-diagnostics-next-line preferSchemaOverJson:off
+            JSON.stringify([
+              {
+                id: 101,
+                system: true,
+                body: "approved this merge request",
+                author: { username: "reviewer" },
+                created_at: "2026-07-02T00:00:00Z",
+              },
+              {
+                id: 102,
+                system: true,
+                body: "unapproved this merge request",
+                author: { username: "reviewer" },
+                created_at: "2026-07-03T00:00:00Z",
+              },
+            ]),
+          ),
+        ),
+      );
+
+      const cli = yield* GitLabPullRequestCli.GitLabPullRequestCli;
+      const { comments, truncated } = yield* cli.listNotes({
+        cwd: "/w",
+        repository: "acme/web",
+        number: 7,
+      });
+
+      expect(comments).toMatchObject([
+        { id: "101", kind: "review", reviewState: "APPROVED" },
+        { id: "102", kind: "review", reviewState: "DISMISSED" },
+      ]);
+      expect(argsOfCall(1).join(" ")).toContain("page=2");
+      assert.strictEqual(mockedExecute.mock.calls.length, 2);
+      assert.isFalse(truncated);
+    }),
+  );
+
   it.effect("stops the note walk at its bound and says the conversation was cut short", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       // GitLab that never answers short: the walk has to end itself.

apps/server/src/pullRequest/gitLabMergeRequestJson.test.ts

@@ -247,6 +247,71 @@ describe("decodeViewerJson", () => {
 });
 
 describe("decodeNotesJson", () => {
+  it("retains approval and withdrawal notes without classifying authored comments as verdicts", () => {
+    const notes = expectSuccess(
+      decodeNotesJson(
+        JSON.stringify([
+          {
+            id: 1,
+            body: "approved this merge request",
+            author: { username: "reviewer" },
+            system: true,
+            created_at: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z",
+          },
+          {
+            id: 2,
+            body: "unapproved this merge request",
+            author: { username: "reviewer" },
+            system: true,
+            created_at: "2026-07-02T00:00:00Z",
+          },
+          {
+            id: 3,
+            body: "approved this merge request",
+            author: { username: "author" },
+            system: false,
+            created_at: "2026-07-03T00:00:00Z",
+          },
+          {
+            id: 4,
+            body: "assigned to @reviewer",
+            system: true,
+            created_at: "2026-07-04T00:00:00Z",
+          },
+          {
+            id: 5,
+            body: "approved this merge request with a custom message",
+            system: true,
+            created_at: "2026-07-05T00:00:00Z",
+          },
+        ]),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    expect(notes.rawCount).toBe(5);
+    expect(notes.comments).toMatchObject([
+      {
+        id: "1",
+        kind: "review",
+        body: "approved this merge request",
+        author: { login: "reviewer" },
+        createdAt: "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z",
+        reviewState: "APPROVED",
+        path: null,
+      },
+      {
+        id: "2",
+        kind: "review",
+        body: "unapproved this merge request",
+        author: { login: "reviewer" },
+        createdAt: "2026-07-02T00:00:00Z",
+        reviewState: "DISMISSED",
+        path: null,
+      },
+      { id: "3", kind: "issue-comment", reviewState: null },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("keeps comments and drops GitLab's own activity notes", () => {
     const notes = expectSuccess(
       decodeNotesJson(

apps/server/src/pullRequest/gitLabMergeRequestJson.ts

@@ -515,13 +515,6 @@ export function decodeProjectMergeCapabilitiesJson(
   });
 }
 
-/**
- * Comments only. System notes are GitLab's own activity feed entries, and a `DiffNote` is the
- * root of a line-level discussion, which is what the review-comment kind means.
- *
- * The raw note count comes back alongside, because dropping notes hides whether the page was
- * full: a caller cannot tell "no more notes" from "a page of activity entries" without it.
- */
 /** The three revisions a positioned comment is written against. */
 export interface GitLabDiffRefs {
   readonly baseSha: string;
@@ -594,6 +587,21 @@ export function decodeDiffRefsJson(
   );
 }
 
+function systemNoteReviewState(body: string): "APPROVED" | "DISMISSED" | null {
+  switch (body.trim()) {
+    case "approved this merge request":
+      return "APPROVED";
+    case "unapproved this merge request":
+      return "DISMISSED";
+    default:
+      return null;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Comments and approval history. Other system activity stays excluded. The raw count includes
+ * every note so a page containing only skipped activity does not end pagination early.
+ */
 export function decodeNotesJson(
   raw: string,
 ): Result.Result<
@@ -609,19 +617,23 @@ export function decodeNotesJson(
     const note = decodeNoteEntry(entry);
     if (Exit.isFailure(note)) continue;
     const value = note.value;
-    if (value.system === true) continue;
     const body = value.body ?? "";
+    const reviewState = value.system === true ? systemNoteReviewState(body) : null;
+    if (value.system === true && reviewState === null) continue;
     if (body.trim().length === 0) continue;
     const isDiffNote = value.type?.trim() === "DiffNote";
     comments.push({
       id: String(value.id),
-      kind: isDiffNote ? "review-comment" : "issue-comment",
+      kind: reviewState !== null ? "review" : isDiffNote ? "review-comment" : "issue-comment",
       author: toActor(value.author),
       body,
       createdAt: value.created_at,
       url: null,
-      path: trimmed(value.position?.new_path) ?? trimmed(value.position?.old_path),
-      reviewState: null,
+      path:
+        reviewState !== null
+          ? null
+          : (trimmed(value.position?.new_path) ?? trimmed(value.position?.old_path)),
+      reviewState,
     });
   }
   return Result.succeed({ comments, rawCount: decoded.success.length });

apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/PullRequestSummaryTab.tsx

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ import {
 import { PullRequestMarkdown } from "./PullRequestMarkdown";
 import { PullRequestMarkdownEditor } from "./PullRequestMarkdownEditor";
 import { PullRequestReactionBar } from "./PullRequestReactions";
+import { canReactPullRequestComment } from "./pullRequestReactions.logic";
 import { PullRequestConversationGhost } from "./PullRequestGhosts";
 import { pullRequestLabelColor } from "./pullRequestList.logic";
 import { sectionCollapseAnchorScrollTop } from "./pullRequestSummaryScroll.logic";
@@ -893,7 +894,7 @@ export function PullRequestSummaryTab({
                           <PullRequestReactionBar
                             className="mt-2"
                             reactions={comment.reactions ?? []}
-                            canReact={detail.capabilities.reactions === true}
+                            canReact={canReactPullRequestComment(detail, comment)}
                             subjectId={comment.id}
                             environmentId={environmentId}
                             reference={reference}
@@ -922,7 +923,7 @@ export function PullRequestSummaryTab({
                   const reactionBar = (
                     <PullRequestReactionBar
                       reactions={comment.reactions ?? []}
-                      canReact={detail.capabilities.reactions === true}
+                      canReact={canReactPullRequestComment(detail, comment)}
                       subjectId={comment.id}
                       environmentId={environmentId}
                       reference={reference}

apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/PullRequestTimelineTab.tsx

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import { canEditPullRequestComment } from "./pullRequestEditing.logic";
 import { PullRequestMarkdown } from "./PullRequestMarkdown";
 import { PullRequestMarkdownEditor } from "./PullRequestMarkdownEditor";
 import { PullRequestReactionBar } from "./PullRequestReactions";
+import { canReactPullRequestComment } from "./pullRequestReactions.logic";
 import {
   PullRequestActorAvatar,
   PullRequestDiffStat,
@@ -619,7 +620,13 @@ export function PullRequestTimelineTab({
                   stale={isPullRequestVerdictStale(event.at, newestCommitAt)}
                   cwd={detail.workspaceRoot}
                   onOpen={openOnHost}
-                  reactions={reactions}
+                  reactions={{
+                    ...reactions,
+                    canReact:
+                      event.kind === "review"
+                        ? canReactPullRequestComment(detail, { kind: event.kind })
+                        : reactions.canReact,
+                  }}
                 />
               );
             }

apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/pullRequestReactions.logic.test.ts

@@ -1,14 +1,57 @@
-import type { PullRequestReaction, PullRequestReactionContent } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import type {
+  PullRequestComment,
+  PullRequestDetail,
+  PullRequestReaction,
+  PullRequestReactionContent,
+} from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
 
 import {
   applyPendingPullRequestReactions,
+  canReactPullRequestComment,
   PULL_REQUEST_REACTION_ORDER,
   pullRequestReactionEmoji,
   pullRequestReactionName,
   pullRequestReactionTooltip,
 } from "./pullRequestReactions.logic";
 
+describe("comment reaction permissions", () => {
+  it.each<{
+    provider: PullRequestDetail["provider"];
+    kind: PullRequestComment["kind"];
+    expected: boolean;
+  }>([
+    { provider: "gitlab", kind: "review", expected: false },
+    { provider: "gitlab", kind: "issue-comment", expected: true },
+    { provider: "gitlab", kind: "review-comment", expected: true },
+    { provider: "github", kind: "review", expected: true },
+  ])("$provider $kind is reactable: $expected", ({ provider, kind, expected }) => {
+    const capabilities: PullRequestDetail["capabilities"] = {
+      diff: true,
+      comment: true,
+      actions: [],
+      mergeMethods: [],
+      search: true,
+      reactions: true,
+      review: { inlineComment: true, reply: true, resolve: true, verdicts: [] },
+      reviewers: { request: true, listCandidates: true },
+    };
+    expect(canReactPullRequestComment({ provider, capabilities }, { kind })).toBe(expected);
+    expect(
+      canReactPullRequestComment(
+        { provider, capabilities: { ...capabilities, reactions: false } },
+        { kind },
+      ),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      canReactPullRequestComment(
+        { provider, capabilities: { ...capabilities, reactions: undefined } },
+        { kind },
+      ),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
 function reaction(overrides: Partial<PullRequestReaction> = {}): PullRequestReaction {
   return {
     content: "heart",

apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/pullRequestReactions.logic.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,20 @@
-import type { PullRequestReaction, PullRequestReactionContent } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import type {
+  PullRequestComment,
+  PullRequestDetail,
+  PullRequestReaction,
+  PullRequestReactionContent,
+} from "@t3tools/contracts";
+
+/** GitLab review rows come from system notes, which cannot receive emoji awards. */
+export function canReactPullRequestComment(
+  detail: Pick<PullRequestDetail, "provider" | "capabilities">,
+  comment: Pick<PullRequestComment, "kind">,
+): boolean {
+  return (
+    detail.capabilities.reactions === true &&
+    !(detail.provider === "gitlab" && comment.kind === "review")
+  );
+}
 
 /** The picker's order, which is GitHub's: the two verdicts first, then the rest as it lists them. */
 export const PULL_REQUEST_REACTION_ORDER: ReadonlyArray<PullRequestReactionContent> = [