| name | codechat |
| description | Use codechat to request human code review of your changes. Use when the user asks to review code, get feedback on changes, or when you want the user to review your work before proceeding. |
| argument-hint | ["review"] |
codechat — Human-in-the-Loop Code Review
codechat opens a browser UI where the user reviews your diff, leaves inline comments, and submits — like a pull request but locally.
If the MCP tools codechat_review and codechat_reply are available, use those instead of the CLI. The MCP tools integrate directly into the conversation. The guidance below applies to both — the workflow and behavior rules are the same.
CLI Usage
Run codechat from the repository root. It blocks until the user submits, then prints a JSON result to stdout:
codechat -d "Add user authentication"
The JSON result contains sessionId, status ("approved" or "changes_requested"), and an array of comments with id, filePath, line, body, and resolved.
Other commands:
codechat sessions
codechat sessions <id>
codechat -s <id>
Workflow
1. Review
Run codechat (CLI) or call codechat_review (MCP). The user reviews the diff in the browser and submits comments.
2. Summarize
Before making any changes, always summarize the unresolved comments to the user:
- src/auth.ts:42 — "This should validate the token expiry" → I'll add an expiry check.
- src/auth.ts:58 — "Add rate limiting here" → I'll add a rate limiter middleware.
Skip already-resolved comments from previous rounds.
3. Fix and respond
Make the code changes. Then:
- MCP: call
codechat_reply with your replies. Set resolved: true when you've addressed a comment, resolved: false when you have a clarifying question.
- CLI: run
codechat again — the session auto-resumes and the user sees the updated diff alongside previous comments.
4. Repeat if needed
If status is "changes_requested" after replying, ask the user if they'd like another review round. Repeat until status is "approved".
Behavior
- Proactively offer a review when you've made significant code changes — don't wait to be asked.
- Always summarize comments before making changes. The user needs to know you understood their feedback.
- Always resume the existing session — calling
codechat_review or running codechat on the same repo automatically continues the current session with all previous comments and replies preserved. Never pass a new description or omit the repo path hoping to start fresh.
- Don't call
codechat_review just to submit replies — use codechat_reply (MCP) or note your changes and run codechat again for a new round (CLI).
