Conducting Code Review

Overview

Systematic code review process ensuring correctness, security, and maintainability through practice adherence and structured feedback. Tests and checks are assumed to pass - reviewer focuses on code quality.

Quick Reference

Before starting:

1. Read upstream skill: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/requesting-code-review/SKILL.md
2. Read project practices: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}standards/code-review.md

Core workflow:

1. Review most recent commit(s)
2. Review against practice standards (all severity levels)
3. Save structured feedback to work directory

Note: Tests and checks are assumed to pass. Focus on code quality review.

Implementation

Prerequisites

Read these before conducting review:

• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/requesting-code-review/SKILL.md - Understand requester expectations
• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}standards/code-review.md - Standards, severity levels, project commands

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Identify code to review

Determine scope:

• Most recent commit: git log -1 --stat
• Recent commits on branch: git log origin/main..HEAD
• Full diff: git diff origin/main...HEAD

2. Review code against standards

Read standards from practices:

# Standards live in practices, not in this skill
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}standards/code-review.md

Review ALL severity levels:

1. BLOCKING (Must Fix Before Merge) - from practices
2. NON-BLOCKING (Can Be Deferred) - from practices

Empty sections are GOOD if you actually checked. Missing sections mean you didn't check.

3. Save structured review - ALGORITHMIC ENFORCEMENT

Template location: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}templates/code-review-template.md

<EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT> **BEFORE writing review file, verify each required section using this algorithm:**

Template Validation Algorithm

1. Check Status section exists

Does your review have ## Status: [BLOCKED | APPROVED WITH NON-BLOCKING SUGGESTIONS | APPROVED]?

• NO → STOP. Delete draft. Start over with template.
• YES → CONTINUE

2. Check Next Steps section exists

Does your review have ## Next Steps?

• NO → STOP. Delete draft. Start over with template.
• YES → CONTINUE

3. Check BLOCKING section exists

Does your review have ## BLOCKING (Must Fix Before Merge)?

• NO → STOP. Delete draft. Start over with template.
• YES → CONTINUE

4. Check NON-BLOCKING section exists

Does your review have ## NON-BLOCKING (May Be Deferred)?

• NO → STOP. Delete draft. Start over with template.
• YES → CONTINUE

5. Check Checklist section exists

Does your review have ## Checklist with all 6 categories?

• NO → STOP. Delete draft. Start over with template.
• YES → CONTINUE

6. Check for prohibited custom sections

Have you added ANY sections not listed above (examples of PROHIBITED sections: Strengths, Code Quality Metrics, Assessment, Recommendations, Requirements Verification, Comparison to Previous Reviews, Reviewer Notes, Sign-Off, Review Summary, Issues with subsections, Test Results, Check Results)?

• YES → STOP. Delete custom sections. Use template exactly.
• NO → CONTINUE

7. Save review file

All required sections present, no custom sections → Save to work directory. </EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>

File naming: See ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}standards/code-review.md for .work directory location and naming convention ({YYYY-MM-DD}-review-{N}.md).

Additional context allowed: You may add supplementary details AFTER the Checklist section (verification commands run, files changed, commit hashes). But the 5 required sections above are mandatory and must appear first in the exact order shown.

What NOT to Skip

NEVER skip:

• Reviewing ALL severity levels (not just critical)
• Saving review file to work directory
• Including positive observations

Common rationalizations that violate workflow:

• "Code looks clean" → Check all severity levels anyway
• "Simple change" → Thorough review prevents production bugs
• "Senior developer" → Review objectively regardless of author
• "Template is too simple, adding sections" → Step 3 algorithm checks for custom sections. STOP if they exist.
• "My format is more thorough" → Thoroughness goes IN the template sections. Algorithm enforces exact structure.
• "Adding Strengths section helps" → PROHIBITED. Algorithm Step 6 blocks this.
• "Assessment section adds value" → PROHIBITED. Algorithm Step 6 blocks this.
• "Requirements Verification is useful" → Put in NON-BLOCKING or Checklist. Not a separate section.

Note: Tests and checks are assumed to pass. Reviewers focus on code quality, not test execution.

Related Skills

Requestion code review:

• Requesting Code Review: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/requesting-code-review/SKILL.md

When receiving feedback on your review:

• Code Review Reception: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}skills/receiving-code-review/SKILL.md

Testing This Skill

See test-scenarios.md for pressure tests validating this workflow resists rationalization.