grill
Deep codebase interrogation — multi-angle architecture review that forces rigorous, actionable analysis. Works in both Claude Code and OpenAI Codex CLI.
What it does
Grill launches 5-6 specialized analysis units in parallel to interrogate your codebase from every angle: architecture, error handling, security, testing, and edge cases. You pick a review style, optionally add pressure tests, and get a comprehensive report with a prioritized fixing plan.
- 6 specialized analysis units: recon, architecture, error-handling, security, testing, edge-cases (shipped as agents under Claude Code, as skills under Codex)
- 5 review styles: Architecture Review, Hard-Nosed Critique, Multi-Perspective Panel, ADR Style, Paranoid Mode — plus a "Select All" option
- 8 add-on pressure tests: scale stress, hidden costs, principle violations, strangler fig migration, success metrics, before/after diagrams, assumptions audit, compact & optimize
- Evidence-based findings: every finding requires file paths, line references, severity tags, and effort estimates
- Fixing plan: phased action plan (Critical > High > Medium > Low) with dependency graph and effort totals
Part of the xiaolai plugin marketplace.
Installation
Claude Code
Add the marketplace once, then install:
/plugin marketplace add xiaolai/claude-plugin-marketplace
/plugin install grill@xiaolai
Install fails with "Plugin not found in marketplace 'xiaolai'"? Your local marketplace clone is stale. Run claude plugin marketplace update xiaolai and retry — plugin install does not auto-refresh.
| Scope | Command | Effect |
|---|
| User (default) | /plugin install grill@xiaolai | Available in all your projects |
| Project | /plugin install grill@xiaolai --scope project | Shared with team via .claude/settings.json |
| Local | /plugin install grill@xiaolai --scope local | Only you, only this repo |
OpenAI Codex CLI
Codex installs plugins from a marketplace via an in-session TUI, not a shell command. There is no codex plugin install verb.
One-time setup (shell):
codex plugin marketplace add xiaolai/claude-plugin-marketplace
Per-plugin install (inside a Codex session):
- Start a session:
codex (in your project directory)
- Type
/plugins — opens the plugin TUI
- Find grill in the
xiaolai marketplace, install/enable it
Usage
In Claude Code: slash command
/grill:roast
Optionally target a subdirectory: /grill:roast src/
In OpenAI Codex CLI: skill invocation
Codex uses the $skill-name syntax, not slash commands. Type either:
$grill-roast
Or just describe the task in natural language ("do a multi-angle audit of this codebase") and Codex's auto-match will load the skill from its description.
Why the difference? Claude Code maps a plugin's commands/*.md files to slash commands like /grill:roast. Codex deprecated custom prompts in favor of skills (description-matched on intent), so the same orchestration is shipped as a skill under Codex's layout.
How it works
- Recon — the recon unit surveys the codebase (structure, stack, size)
- Choose review style — pick from 5 styles + optional add-on pressure tests
- Deep dive — 4-5 analysis units run, each analyzing their specialty area (parallel under Claude Code, sequential under Codex)
- Synthesis — findings are deduplicated, attributed, and formatted per the chosen style
- Report — a markdown report with executive summary and phased fixing plan is saved to the target directory
Analysis units
| Unit | Focus | Claude name | Codex name |
|---|
| Recon | Quick codebase survey (structure, stack, dependencies) | recon agent | $grill-recon skill |
| Architecture | Core architecture analysis | architecture agent | $grill-architecture skill |
| Error handling | Error handling & observability | error-handling agent | $grill-error-handling skill |
| Security | Security surface analysis | security agent | $grill-security skill |
| Testing | Testing & CI/CD analysis | testing agent | $grill-testing skill |
| Edge cases | Race conditions, boundary values, failure modes (Paranoid Mode) | edge-cases agent | $grill-edge-cases skill |
All units share the grill-core skill, which defines severity tags, finding format, evidence standards, and the untrusted-input rule.
Severity tags
