Requesting Code Review

Requesting Code Review

Dispatch ed3d-plan-and-execute:code-reviewer subagent to catch issues before they cascade.

Core principle: Review early, review often. Fix ALL issues before proceeding.

Do not use nested subagents. This skill may dispatch code-reviewer and task-bug-fixer as first-level subagents. Those subagents must do their assigned work directly and must not dispatch additional subagents.

Session Isolation

If the calling context provides a SCRATCHPAD_DIR, pass it to code-reviewer.

This prevents collisions when multiple planning/execution sessions run in parallel. The SCRATCHPAD_DIR is a namespaced temp directory (e.g., /tmp/plan-2025-01-24-feature-a7f3b2/) that the code-reviewer uses for any scratch files.

When to Request Review

Mandatory:

• After each task in plan execution
• After completing major feature
• Before merge to main

Optional but valuable:

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

The Review Loop

The review process is a loop: review → fix → re-review → until zero issues.

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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                  │
│   Dispatch code-reviewer                         │
│         │                                        │
│         ▼                                        │
│   Issues found? ──No──► Done (proceed)           │
│         │                                        │
│        Yes                                       │
│         │                                        │
│         ▼                                        │
│   Dispatch bug-fixer                             │
│         │                                        │
│         ▼                                        │
│   Re-review with prior issues ◄──────────────────┘
│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Exit condition: Zero issues, or issues accepted per your workflow's policy.

Step 1: Initial Review

Get git SHAs:

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BASE_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD~1)  # or commit before task
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

Dispatch code-reviewer subagent:

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<invoke name="Task">
<parameter name="subagent_type">ed3d-plan-and-execute:code-reviewer</parameter>
<parameter name="description">Reviewing [what was implemented]</parameter>
<parameter name="prompt">
  Use template at requesting-code-review/code-reviewer.md

  WHAT_WAS_IMPLEMENTED: [summary of implementation]
  PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: [task/requirements reference]
  BASE_SHA: [commit before work]
  HEAD_SHA: [current commit]
  DESCRIPTION: [brief summary]
  SCRATCHPAD_DIR: [session-isolated temp dir, or omit if not applicable]
  Do not dispatch or invoke any subagents.
</parameter>
</invoke>

Code reviewer returns: Strengths, Issues (Critical/Important/Minor), Assessment

Step 2: Handle Reviewer Response

If Zero Issues

All categories empty → proceed to next task.

If Any Issues Found

Regardless of category (Critical, Important, or Minor), dispatch bug-fixer:

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<invoke name="Task">
<parameter name="subagent_type">ed3d-plan-and-execute:task-bug-fixer</parameter>
<parameter name="description">Fixing review issues</parameter>
<parameter name="prompt">
  Fix issues from code review.

  Code reviewer found these issues:
  [list all issues - Critical, Important, and Minor]

  Your job is to:
  1. Understand root cause of each issue
  2. Apply fixes systematically (Critical → Important → Minor)
  3. Verify with tests/build/lint
  4. Commit your fixes
  5. Report back with evidence
  6. Do not dispatch or invoke any subagents.

  Work from: [directory]

  Fix ALL issues — including every Minor issue. The goal is ZERO issues on re-review.
  Minor issues are not optional. Do not skip them.
</parameter>
</invoke>

After fixes, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Re-Review After Fixes

CRITICAL: Track prior issues across review cycles.

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<invoke name="Task">
<parameter name="subagent_type">ed3d-plan-and-execute:code-reviewer</parameter>
<parameter name="description">Re-reviewing after fixes (cycle N)</parameter>
<parameter name="prompt">
  Use template at requesting-code-review/code-reviewer.md

  WHAT_WAS_IMPLEMENTED: [from bug-fixer's report]
  PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: [original task/requirements]
  BASE_SHA: [commit before this fix cycle]
  HEAD_SHA: [current commit after fixes]
  DESCRIPTION: Re-review after bug fixes (review cycle N)
  SCRATCHPAD_DIR: [session-isolated temp dir, or omit if not applicable]

  PRIOR_ISSUES_TO_VERIFY_FIXED:
  [list all outstanding issues from previous reviews]

  Verify:
  1. Each prior issue listed above is actually resolved
  2. No regressions introduced by the fixes
  3. Any new issues in the changed code

  Do not dispatch or invoke any subagents.

  Report which prior issues are now fixed and which (if any) remain.
</parameter>
</invoke>

Tracking prior issues:

• When re-reviewer explicitly confirms fixed → remove from list
• When re-reviewer doesn't mention an issue → keep on list (silence ≠ fixed)
• When re-reviewer finds new issues → add to list

Loop back to Step 2 if any issues remain.

Handling Failures

Operational Errors

If reviewer reports operational errors (can't run tests, missing scripts):

1. STOP - do not continue
2. Report to human
3. When told to continue, re-execute same review

Timeouts / Empty Response

Usually means context limits. Retry with focused scope:

First retry: Narrow to changed files only:

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FOCUSED REVIEW - Context was too large.

Review ONLY the diff between BASE_SHA and HEAD_SHA.
Focus on: [list only files actually modified]

Skip: broad architectural analysis, unchanged files, tangential concerns.

WHAT_WAS_IMPLEMENTED: [summary]
PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: [reference]
BASE_SHA: [sha]
HEAD_SHA: [sha]

Second retry: Split into multiple smaller reviews (one per file or logical group).

Third failure: Stop and ask human for help.

Quick Reference

Red Flags

Never:

• Skip review because "it's simple"
• Proceed with ANY unfixed issues (Critical, Important, OR Minor)
• Argue with valid technical feedback without evidence
• Rationalize skipping Minor issues ("they're just style", "we can fix later")

Minor issues are NOT optional. The code reviewer flagged them for a reason. Fix all of them. "Minor" means lower severity, not "ignorable."

If reviewer wrong:

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

Integration

Called by:

• executing-an-implementation-plan (after each task)
• finishing-a-development-branch (final review)
• Ad-hoc when you need a review

Template location: requesting-code-review/code-reviewer.md