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obra/requesting-code-review

obra

requesting-code-review

Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements

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New~693
v1.1Saved Jun 28, 2026

Requesting Code Review

Dispatch a code reviewer subagent to catch issues before they cascade. The reviewer gets precisely crafted context for evaluation — never your session's history. This keeps the reviewer focused on the work product, not your thought process, and preserves your own context for continued work.

Core principle: Review early, review often.

When to Request Review

Mandatory:

  • After each task in subagent-driven development
  • After completing major feature
  • Before merge to main

Optional but valuable:

  • When stuck (fresh perspective)
  • Before refactoring (baseline check)
  • After fixing complex bug

How to Request

1. Get git SHAs:

BASE_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD~1)  # or origin/main
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

2. Dispatch code reviewer subagent:

Dispatch a general-purpose subagent, filling the template at code-reviewer.md

Placeholders:

  • {DESCRIPTION} - Brief summary of what you built
  • {PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS} - What it should do
  • {BASE_SHA} - Starting commit
  • {HEAD_SHA} - Ending commit

3. Act on feedback:

  • Fix Critical issues immediately
  • Fix Important issues before proceeding
  • Note Minor issues for later
  • Push back if reviewer is wrong (with reasoning)

Example

[Just completed Task 2: Add verification function]

You: Let me request code review before proceeding.

BASE_SHA=$(git log --oneline | grep "Task 1" | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

[Dispatch code reviewer subagent]
  DESCRIPTION: Added verifyIndex() and repairIndex() with 4 issue types
  PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: Task 2 from docs/superpowers/plans/deployment-plan.md
  BASE_SHA: a7981ec
  HEAD_SHA: 3df7661

[Subagent returns]:
  Strengths: Clean architecture, real tests
  Issues:
    Important: Missing progress indicators
    Minor: Magic number (100) for reporting interval
  Assessment: Ready to proceed

You: [Fix progress indicators]
[Continue to Task 3]

Integration with Workflows

Subagent-Driven Development:

  • Review after EACH task
  • Catch issues before they compound
  • Fix before moving to next task

Executing Plans:

  • Review after each task or at natural checkpoints
  • Get feedback, apply, continue

Ad-Hoc Development:

  • Review before merge
  • Review when stuck

Red Flags

Never:

  • Skip review because "it's simple"
  • Ignore Critical issues
  • Proceed with unfixed Important issues
  • Argue with valid technical feedback

If reviewer wrong:

  • Push back with technical reasoning
  • Show code/tests that prove it works
  • Request clarification

See template at: code-reviewer.md

Files2
2 files · 6.1 KB

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Overall Score

87/100

Grade

A

Excellent

Safety

92

Quality

85

Clarity

87

Completeness

80

Summary

This skill guides agents to dispatch code reviewer subagents at key workflow checkpoints — after tasks, before merges, or when stuck. It provides a templated prompt for the reviewer to assess implementation against requirements, identify issues by severity, and deliver a clear verdict without modifying the working tree.

Detected Capabilities

git command execution (rev-parse, diff, log, show)subagent dispatchread-only git history inspectiontemplate-driven prompt composition

Trigger Keywords

Phrases that MCP clients use to match this skill to user intent.

code review before mergereview completed taskrequest code reviewpre-merge feedbackdesign review

Risk Signals

INFO

Subagent dispatch with crafted prompt including git SHAs and code diff

SKILL.md and code-reviewer.md
INFO

Read-only guardrail explicitly documented: 'Do not mutate the working tree, the index, HEAD, or branch state'

code-reviewer.md: Read-Only Review section
INFO

Git worktree creation for temporary inspection

code-reviewer.md: Read-Only Review section

Use Cases

  • Review code after completing a task in subagent-driven development
  • Request feedback before merging to main branch
  • Get a fresh perspective when stuck on a design problem
  • Validate a refactoring against a baseline before and after
  • Catch issues early in iterative development workflows

Quality Notes

  • Strengths: Clear boundaries between agent responsibilities (dispatcher vs. reviewer). Read-only guardrails are explicitly stated, preventing unintended mutations. Categorization of issues by severity (Critical/Important/Minor) is well-defined with examples. Example output is concrete and shows expected structure. Integration guidance addresses multiple workflows (subagent-driven, plan execution, ad-hoc).
  • Strengths: The template includes calibration guidance for reviewers ('Not everything is Critical'), encouraging proportionate severity assessment. 'Red Flags' section establishes behavioral standards.
  • Minor: The skill assumes familiarity with git SHAs and git workflows; less experienced developers might need more scaffolding. Template has many placeholders but their filling is straightforward.
Model: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Analyzed: Jun 28, 2026

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Version History

  1. v1.1

    Content updated

    ✦ AIChanges subagent dispatch method from superpowers:code-reviewer to general-purpose type; refines template field names and review frequency.

    2026-06-28

    Latest
  2. v1.0

    2026-05-02

    Initial version

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