| name | code-review-cordova |
| description | Performs strict code reviews on Cordova plugin projects covering TypeScript, the Kotlin (Android) and Swift (iOS) native bridges, and plugin.xml. Focuses on optimal code, readability, maintainability, deduplication, single-responsibility, straightforward control flow, Cordova best practices, the rule that native layers must not invent hardcoded fallbacks for values the TypeScript layer or platform SDK already owns, alignment of identifiers and API surface across TypeScript/Kotlin/Swift (especially action strings, callbackId persistence, getThreatChannelData platform asymmetry, and EventIdentifiers), and explicit documentation of platform-specific features. Use when the user asks to "review PR", "do a code review", "review this code", "code review for PR#N", or otherwise requests review of changes in a Cordova plugin — including its bundled output (`www/dist/`) and native source under `src/android/` and `src/ios/`. |
Code Review (Cordova)
Strict, opinionated code review for Cordova plugin codebases with Kotlin + Swift bridges. Optimised for catching the kinds of issues that survive linters and tests but degrade a codebase over time.
Review priorities, in order
- Correctness & contract — bugs, breaking changes, public-API violations, SemVer; identifiers and API surface aligned across TypeScript, Kotlin, Swift, and
plugin.xml.
- Native-layer cleanliness — no hardcoded fallbacks for values owned by TypeScript or the platform SDK; no behaviour duplicated across language boundaries; platform-specific features explicitly documented.
- Single responsibility — each function, class, and file does one thing.
- Deduplication (DRY) — repeated parsing, serialisation, and validation patterns get extracted.
- Readability — naming, argument styles, generated-vs-handwritten boundaries, no surprises.
- Maintainability — built files untouched, defaults documented in one place, tests for new public surface.
- Cordova / TypeScript best practices —
const, @deprecated discipline, null vs undefined, strict tsconfig honoured.
- Polish — JSDoc style, example brevity, changelog accuracy, PR description present.
Workflow
1. Gather context
If the user references a GitHub PR by number:
gh pr view <N> --json title,body,author,state,baseRefName,headRefName,additions,deletions,changedFiles,files,url
gh pr diff <N>
git log <base>..<head> --oneline
If the changes are local:
git diff <base>..HEAD --stat
git diff <base>..HEAD
Always read the full file (not only the diff) for any non-trivial change — especially plugin.xml, TalsecPlugin.swift, TalsecPlugin.kt, and the TypeScript channel files in www/src/channels/.
2. Classify every changed file
Each file falls into exactly one of these buckets, and the bucket determines what's acceptable:
| Bucket | Examples | Rule |
|---|
| Hand-written TypeScript | www/src/ | Full review applies. |
| Bundled JS output | www/dist/talsec.js, www/dist/types/**/*.d.ts | Must not be hand-edited. Regenerate via npm run build (esbuild). |
| Hand-written native | src/android/**/*.kt, src/ios/**/*.swift | Full review applies, with extra scrutiny on the bridge layer. |
| Plugin manifest | plugin.xml | Changes must be reflected in action strings, feature names, and TS cordova.exec calls. |
| Build / config | package.json, tsconfig.json, scripts/ | Verify version bumps follow SemVer; confirm SDK/binary updates match changelog. |
| Docs / release | CHANGELOG.md, README.md | Verify claims match the diff (e.g. SDK versions, breaking-change list, public-API additions). |
3. Run the checklist below and produce the report
Hard rules — block the merge
1. No hand-edits to bundled files
www/dist/ (built by esbuild from www/src/talsec.ts) must be touched only by npm run build.
Red flags:
- Behaviour-changing edits inside
www/dist/talsec.js that differ from what npm run build would produce.
- A
// eslint-disable or // @ts-ignore directive added to a file inside www/dist/.
- Type declaration files in
www/dist/types/ edited directly instead of via www/src/.
Action: ask the author to run npm run build and commit the clean output.
2. SemVer must match the change
A breaking public-API change requires a major version bump. "Public" includes anything exported from www/src/talsec.ts and anything that changes the wire format with the native side, including cordova.exec action strings, callback payload keys, and plugin.xml feature/action names.
Common breaks to flag:
- Renamed or retyped fields on exported TypeScript types or interfaces.
- Renamed
cordova.exec action strings.
- Removed or repurposed enum variants that map to native callback codes.
- Changed required/optional status on config parameters.
If CHANGELOG.md claims SemVer adherence and the bump doesn't match the change, call it out with the affected symbols and the recommended version.
3. No hardcoded fallbacks in the native layer
The native layer (Kotlin / Swift) is a transport adapter between TypeScript and the platform SDK. It must not:
- Invent default values for fields the TypeScript layer marks required.
- Substitute defaults for nullable/optional fields. Either the SDK has its own default (skip the call) or the default belongs in TypeScript.
- Encode the same default in multiple places.
- Hardcode enum names as raw strings. Use the SDK enum's
.name property or avoid manual parsing.
Recommended remediation:
- For required TypeScript fields: drop the native default; let parsing throw and surface through the existing error path.
- For optional TypeScript fields: skip the builder/setter call when the field is absent; let the SDK apply its own default.
- Document the default once — in the TypeScript JSDoc — so the public contract is unambiguous.
4. plugin.xml service name and action strings aligned across all layers
The Cordova service name TalsecPlugin and all action strings are the junction between TypeScript and native. They must agree across four places:
| Layer | How |
|---|
plugin.xml | <feature name="TalsecPlugin"> + <param name="android-package" ...> / <param name="ios-package" ...> |
| TypeScript | Every cordova.exec(cb, err, 'TalsecPlugin', action, args) call in www/src/api/methods/ |
| Kotlin | execute(action, args, callbackContext) when branches in TalsecPlugin.kt |
| Swift | @objc(<action>:) methods on TalsecPlugin.swift |
Any drift between these four surfaces causes silent runtime failures — the callback never fires, with no compile-time error.
Audit method:
- List every action string in
www/src/api/methods/.
- Verify each appears as a
when branch in Kotlin and as a matching @objc method in Swift.
- Verify
plugin.xml registers both platforms correctly.
5. Threat delivery uses persistent callbackId — not a one-shot response
Unlike React Native (event emitter) or Capacitor (named listener channels), Cordova delivers threats and execution state via a persistent callbackId stored from the registerListener / registerRaspExecutionStateListener action.
Hard blocks:
- Sending a
CDVPluginResult with keepCallback = false (or omitting keepCallback = true) on the threat or execution state callback — this silently unregisters the listener after the first event.
- On Android: finishing the
CallbackContext (status OK without keepCallback true) after the first dispatch.
- Replacing the stored
callbackId / callbackContext on every incoming event instead of storing it once at registration.
Check:
- iOS:
TalsecContext.context.threatCallbackCordova / raspExecutionStateCallbackCordova are set once at registration and reused for every dispatch.
- Android:
callbackContext is stored at registration and result.setKeepCallback(true) is set before every callbackContext.sendPluginResult(result).
6. getThreatChannelData platform asymmetry must be preserved
Unlike React Native and Capacitor, the Cordova channel data is asymmetric across platforms:
| Method | Android returns | iOS returns |
|---|
getThreatChannelData | 2 strings: [threatKey, malwareKey] | 1 string: [threatKey] |
getRaspExecutionStateChannelData | 1 string: [key] | 1 string: [key] |
Note: there is no separate "channel name" string in Cordova — the channel is the callbackId itself.
The TypeScript channel files (www/src/channels/threat.ts, www/src/channels/raspExecutionState.ts) encode this asymmetry via a platform-conditional dataLength constant. Verify for every change touching these methods:
dataLength in the TypeScript channel files matches the array length returned by each native platform.- If Android adds a new key (e.g. a third string in
getThreatChannelData), iOS must be audited for whether the same key is needed or explicitly absent — and the TypeScript channel file must update dataLength conditionally.
- The semantic order and role of each index in the array is the same across Kotlin and Swift.
7. EventIdentifiers must stay obfuscated — never replace with hardcoded strings
src/ios/TalsecPlugin.swift uses EventIdentifiers derived at runtime from RandomGenerator.generateRandomIdentifiers(length: N). These identifiers are used as the payload key sent back to TypeScript (e.g. [EventIdentifiers.threatChannelKey: threat.callbackIdentifier]).
Hard blocks:
- Replacing a
generatedNumbers[i] reference with a hardcoded string or integer constant.
- Adding a new identifier slot without expanding
length and updating all index references consistently.
- Using the same index for two different identifier roles (index collision).
The Kotlin side generates its own independent random identifiers; they are not shared with iOS by design.
8. Start action success string is a wire-format constant
TypeScript checks the start success payload explicitly. The string 'started' returned by the native success callback for the start action (Android: callbackContext.success("started"), iOS: CDVPluginResult(status: .ok, messageAs: "started")) must not be changed without a corresponding TypeScript update — and such a change is a breaking wire-format change requiring a major version bump.
9. Platform-specific features must be documented and gated
Not every API works on both platforms. Some checks are Android-only (e.g. malware detection, package introspection), some iOS-only (e.g. jailbreak sub-checks).
Required:
- JSDoc states the platform: any type, field, or callback that only works on one platform must say so — e.g.
/** Android only. No-op on iOS. */
dataLength asymmetry must be commented: the conditional dataLength in channel files is non-obvious; it must have an inline comment explaining which platform returns which count and why.- CHANGELOG calls out the platform: bullets must say "(Android)" or "(iOS)" when applicable.
Red flags:
- A
cordova.exec action handler that exists in Kotlin but has no @objc counterpart in Swift (or vice versa) without a comment explaining the intentional omission.
- A callback payload key present on one platform but silently absent on the other.
- An enum variant with no native producer on one platform.
10. Tests for new public API
Every newly exported type, enum, or function needs at least:
- Construction / instantiation test (defaults, required fields).
- Round-trip serialisation test if the type crosses the JS–native bridge as a callback payload.
- Enum-name stability test if the enum maps to native callback codes.
Significant issues — should fix
Single responsibility
- A function that parses, validates, defaults, and constructs in one body is doing four things. Split.
- A Kotlin class with
parse*, build*, and dispatch* methods is three classes.
- A TypeScript file that mixes
cordova.exec calls, listener wiring, and type definitions is three modules.
Deduplication
Flag verbatim or near-verbatim repetition, especially:
- The same
(0 until arr.length()).map { arr.getString(it) } pattern repeated for every JSON array field. Extract a helper.
- Multiple
runCatching { Enum.valueOf(s) }.getOrDefault(...) calls. Extract a generic parseEnumOr(default) helper.
- Repeated
cordova.exec(null, null, 'TalsecPlugin', action, []) one-shot calls that could share a helper.
Argument style for many-parameter constructors
Constructors with 3+ parameters of similar type should use named arguments. Positional calls are swap-bug magnets.
Old API still wired alongside the new one
When deprecating an API path, ensure the new path doesn't quietly run both code paths. Either short-circuit the deprecated path or document the precedence explicitly.
plugin.xml completeness
If a new native method is added:
- A new
<action> entry (or equivalent) in plugin.xml is not always required by Cordova, but the service class registration must exist for both platforms.
- Verify any new platform-specific JS or native file is declared under the correct
<platform> block in plugin.xml.
Style & polish — call out, don't block
- Trailing newlines, formatting churn: separate from the feature; mention but don't argue.
- Verbose examples: example code that explicitly sets parameters to their defaults teaches nothing.
- Inconsistent terminology: flag multiple names for the same concept before release.
- JSDoc consistency: full sentences, end with a period, match the project's existing style.
@deprecated discipline: deprecating a field is fine; leaving the constructor accepting it with no warning is inconsistent.- PR description: an empty PR body for a release PR is a defect of its own.
- Changelog accuracy: every bullet in
CHANGELOG.md should be verifiable from git diff <base>..HEAD.
- npm vs yarn: this repo uses npm. Any instruction in the README or PR description to run
yarn is wrong.
Output format
Structure the review as:
## Summary
<2–3 sentences: what the PR does, overall verdict>
## Blockers / Major issues
### 1. <short title — one line>
<context, citing file:line; show the offending snippet using a code reference>
<concrete remediation>
### 2. ...
## Significant issues
(same shape, less severe)
## Minor / polish
(numbered list, one to three lines each)
## Recommended action
<numbered, ordered list of what must change before merge>
Rules for the report:
- Cite specific files and line numbers for every issue. When showing existing code, use the
startLine:endLine:filepath reference form so the user can click through.
- Prefer one detailed example over a vague generality; if a pattern repeats, mention it once and list the other locations.
- Distinguish between "this is wrong" and "I'd prefer this." Flag the first as Major, the second as Polish.
- Never assert facts about a closed-source SDK without verifying. If the SDK isn't readable from the repo, phrase findings as "verify whether the SDK provides X; if so, do not duplicate it."
- End with a short, ordered "Recommended action" list — the actual gating items, not a wishlist.
