This paper reviewed the research status，performance deficiencies and future development directions of photothermal-driven covalent re-bonding self-healing coatings.Firstly，from the perspective of bonding mechanisms，the design ideas and application characteristics of different covalent bond repair strategies were discussed，the principles behind cycloaddition reactions，disulfide/diselenide/ditelluride bond exchange reactions，and Michael addition reactions were explained in detail，and related research cases were listed. Literature research revealed that this type of coating is deficient in repairing larger molecules，application scope，durability，self-healing efficacy and cost. Based on this，it was proposed that future development directions should include multifunctionality，intelligence，biodegradability and large-scale applications. Overall，photothermal-driven covalent re-bonding self-healing coating would open up new developmental pathways for the coating field show broad application prospects and significantly enhancing the functionality and reliability of coatings.