Requesting Code Review

---
name: requesting-code-review
description: 'Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements'
zh_description: "用于在完成任务、实现重要功能或合并前请求代码审查并验证需求满足情况。"
version: "1.0.4"
author: "seaworld008"
source: "github:obra/superpowers"
source_url: "https://skills.sh/obra/superpowers/requesting-code-review"
license: MIT
tags: '["code-review", "workflow", "quality-gate"]'
created_at: "2026-04-13"
updated_at: "2026-07-27"
quality: 4
complexity: "intermediate"
---

# 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.

**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:**
```bash
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](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]
```

## Common Rationalizations

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "I'll just review the diff myself instead of dispatching a reviewer" | You're the coordinator — reviewing the diff inline burns the context window you need to keep driving the work. Dispatch a reviewer subagent: the diff and the evaluation live in its context, and only the findings come back to you. |
| "The reviewer needs my whole session history to understand the change" | Hand it precisely crafted context, never your session's history. That keeps the reviewer on the work product, not your thought process. |

## 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](code-reviewer.md)
<!-- LOCAL-QUALITY-SUPPLEMENT:START -->
## Usage Notes

This supplement is maintained by the repository sync pipeline. It keeps the
imported upstream skill usable inside this curated collection when the upstream
source is intentionally concise.

## Common Patterns

```text
1. Confirm that the user's task matches the skill trigger.
2. Read the relevant project files or user-provided context before acting.
3. Choose the smallest reversible action that advances the task.
4. Run the verification command or manual check that proves the result.
5. Report the outcome, evidence, and any remaining risk.
```

## Boundaries

- Prefer the upstream workflow for Requesting Code Review; this section only adds local quality
  guardrails.
- Do not invent project facts when required files, vaults, services, or tools are
  unavailable.
- Stop and ask for clarification when the next action could overwrite user work,
  expose private data, or change production state.
<!-- LOCAL-QUALITY-SUPPLEMENT:END -->