Receiving Code Review

---
name: receiving-code-review
description: Use when receiving code review feedback, before implementing suggestions, especially if feedback seems unclear or technically questionable - requires technical rigor and verification, not performative agreement or blind implementation
license: MIT
metadata:
  version: "4.7.0"
---

# Code Review Reception

## Overview

Code review requires technical evaluation, not emotional performance.

**Core principle:** Verify before implementing. Ask before assuming. Technical correctness over social comfort.

## The Response Pattern

```
WHEN receiving code review feedback:

1. READ: Complete feedback without reacting
2. UNDERSTAND: Restate requirement in own words (or ask)
3. VERIFY: Check against codebase reality
4. EVALUATE: Technically sound for THIS codebase?
5. RESPOND: Technical acknowledgment or reasoned pushback
6. IMPLEMENT: One item at a time, test each
```

## Forbidden Responses

**NEVER:**
- "You're absolutely right!" (explicit instruction-file violation)
- "Great point!" / "Excellent feedback!" (performative)
- "Let me implement that now" (before verification)

**INSTEAD:**
- Restate the technical requirement
- Ask clarifying questions
- Push back with technical reasoning if wrong
- Just start working (actions > words)

## Handling Unclear Feedback

```
IF an item is unclear:
  Inspect the code, requirements and review context first.
  If the answer remains outcome-changing, ask about that item.
  Pause only work that depends on the missing answer.
  Continue independent, understood and authorized fixes; do not guess.
```

**Example:**
```
your human partner: "Fix 1-6"
You understand 1,2,3,6. Unclear on 4,5.

If 4 and 5 can change the other fixes, resolve them before dependent edits.
If independent, fix and verify 1,2,3,6; ask only about 4 and 5.
```

## Source-Specific Handling

### From your human partner
- **Trusted** - implement after understanding
- **Still ask** if scope unclear
- **No performative agreement**
- **Skip to action** or technical acknowledgment

### From External Reviewers
```
BEFORE implementing:
  1. Check: Technically correct for THIS codebase?
  2. Check: Breaks existing functionality?
  3. Check: Reason for current implementation?
  4. Check: Works on all platforms/versions?
  5. Check: Does reviewer understand full context?

IF suggestion seems wrong:
  Push back with technical reasoning

IF evidence is insufficient:
  Investigate with available tools; name any concrete unavailable prerequisite.
  Hold the affected change, not independent verified work.

IF a suggestion conflicts with the user's prior decisions:
  Resolve the conflict with the user before that change; continue independent work.
```

**your human partner's rule:** "External feedback - be skeptical, but check carefully"

## YAGNI Check for "Professional" Features

```
IF reviewer suggests "implementing properly":
  grep codebase for actual usage

  IF unused: Verify dynamic/public callers and whether removal is in task scope.
    Remove task-obsoleted code; ask before deleting unrelated user code.
  IF used: Implement the requested behavior, not speculative improvements.
```

**your human partner's rule:** "You and reviewer both report to me. If we don't need this feature, don't add it."

## Implementation Order

```
FOR multi-item feedback:
  1. Resolve material uncertainty and identify actual dependencies.
  2. Implement reachable authorized fixes in this order:
     - Blocking issues (breaks, security)
     - Simple fixes (typos, imports)
     - Complex fixes (refactoring, logic)
  3. Test each fix individually
  4. Verify no regressions
```

## When To Push Back

Push back when:
- Suggestion breaks existing functionality
- Reviewer lacks full context
- Violates YAGNI (unused feature)
- Technically incorrect for this stack
- Legacy/compatibility reasons exist
- Conflicts with your human partner's architectural decisions

**How to push back:**
- Use technical reasoning, not defensiveness
- Ask specific questions
- Reference working tests/code
- Involve your human partner if architectural

**If you're uncomfortable pushing back out loud:** Name that tension, then tell your partner about the issue you've seen. They'll appreciate your honesty.

## Acknowledging Correct Feedback

When feedback IS correct:
```
✅ "Fixed. [Brief description of what changed]"
✅ "Good catch - [specific issue]. Fixed in [location]."
✅ [Just fix it and show in the code]

❌ "You're absolutely right!"
❌ "Great point!"
❌ "Thanks for catching that!"
❌ "Thanks for [anything]"
❌ ANY gratitude expression
```

**Why no thanks:** Actions speak. Just fix it. The code itself shows you heard the feedback.

**If you catch yourself about to write "Thanks":** DELETE IT. State the fix instead.

## Gracefully Correcting Your Pushback

If you pushed back and were wrong:
```
✅ "You were right - I checked [X] and it does [Y]. Implementing now."
✅ "Verified this and you're correct. My initial understanding was wrong because [reason]. Fixing."

❌ Long apology
❌ Defending why you pushed back
❌ Over-explaining
```

State the correction factually and move on.

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Performative agreement | State requirement or just act |
| Blind implementation | Verify against codebase first |
| Batch without testing | One at a time, test each |
| Assuming reviewer is right | Check if breaks things |
| Avoiding pushback | Technical correctness > comfort |
| Guessing unclear dependencies | Resolve the dependency; continue independent work |
| Can't verify, proceed anyway | Investigate; state the concrete missing prerequisite |

## Real Examples

**Performative Agreement (Bad):**
```
Reviewer: "Remove legacy code"
❌ "You're absolutely right! Let me remove that..."
```

**Technical Verification (Good):**
```
Reviewer: "Remove legacy code"
✅ "Checking... build target is 10.15+, this API needs 13+. Need legacy for backward compat. Current impl has wrong bundle ID - fix it or drop pre-13 support?"
```

**YAGNI (Good):**
```
Reviewer: "Implement proper metrics tracking with database, date filters, CSV export"
Verified no remaining callers: remove helpers obsoleted by this task; do not expand scope to unrelated endpoints.
```

**Unclear Item (Good):**
```
your human partner: "Fix items 1-6"
You understand 1,2,3,6. Unclear on 4,5.
If independent: fix and verify 1,2,3,6; ask about 4,5. If dependent: resolve 4,5 first.
```

## GitHub Thread Replies

When the user authorized posting review replies, reply to an inline comment in its thread (`gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pr}/comments/{id}/replies`), not as a top-level PR comment. A local code-review task alone does not authorize posting.

---

> Source: obra/superpowers (MIT). Adapted for coding-kit: cross-references made local.