| name | receiving-code-review |
| description | Guides how to process and respond to code review feedback — categorizing comments, making changes systematically, and responding to reviewers. Use when a pull request or code has received review comments, or when the user says "I got feedback on my PR", "reviewer left comments", "how do I respond to this review", or "addressing review feedback". Never dismiss feedback without engaging with it; never make changes without understanding why. |
Receiving Code Review
Announce: "I'm using the receiving-code-review skill."
Mindset
Code review is collaborative, not adversarial. The reviewer wants the code to be good. Even if a comment feels wrong, engage with the underlying concern before disagreeing.
Step 1: Read Everything Before Responding
Read all comments before making any changes. You need the full picture to understand if comments are related, if there's a theme, or if early changes affect later ones.
Step 2: Categorize Each Comment
| Category | Meaning | Action |
|---|
| Must fix | Correctness, security, data loss | Fix it, no debate |
| Should fix | Maintainability, convention, clarity | Fix it unless you have a strong reason |
| Suggestion | Style, preference, "consider..." | Discuss, then decide |
| Question | Reviewer wants to understand | Answer it in the PR or in code comments |
| Praise | 👍, "nice" | Acknowledge, move on |
Step 3: Work Through Fixes Systematically
For each must-fix and should-fix:
- Understand why the reviewer flagged it before writing the fix
- Make the change
- Run tests — don't assume a "small change" is safe
- Commit changes (one logical commit per distinct concern, or squash at the end)
Step 4: Respond to Each Comment
On every comment, leave a response:
- Fixed: "Done — changed X to Y"
- Agreed with discussion: "Good point, I've updated this. The key thing I missed was..."
- Disagree (respectfully): "I see the concern about X. My thinking was [reason]. Would [alternative] address it?"
- Question answered: Answer it in the reply; if the code was unclear, fix the code too
Never:
- Resolve a comment without explaining what you did
- Reply "fixed" without actually fixing it
- Ignore a comment silently
Step 5: Re-Request Review
Once all comments are addressed:
Addressed all feedback. Summary of changes:
- [comment 1]: [what you did]
- [comment 2]: [what you did]
- [comment 3]: Left as-is because [reason] — let me know if you'd like to discuss
Ready for another look.
Checklist
