| name | review-protocol |
| description | Shared protocol for review-shaped actions, authorization scope, defect routing, L2 audit handling, and local-only capture. |
Review Protocol
Governs code reviews, audits, research, compare, to-spec, security reviews, and L2 blind-spot audits. If a wrapper conflicts with this file, this file wins.
Scope
Review-shaped actions are read-only plus local capture. They may read code, run analyses, produce findings, and write capture files to designated TODO/blind-spot/audit/decision/handoff locations.
They must not, as a side effect:
- Commit any file.
- Push to a remote.
- Open PRs or run
make pr-open / gh pr create.
- Enable auto-merge.
- Chain into write-shaped skills without explicit user authorization in a separate turn.
A later request to fix/address review findings is write authorization; follow the normal project commit/PR flow.
Capture authorizes only the local file write. Final terminal action is a chat line such as Recorded: <path>; the user decides whether to PR.
For findings specifically: the only authorized capture write is the append-only draft file under ~/.benchbox/finding-drafts/; writing a finding straight into the hosted tracker DB during review is forbidden (it lands with no PR cycle). todo finding sync is a separate, user-authorized landing step, never part of the review.
For verification, run only commands the review scope demands. Long output goes to a temp log; cite paths/lines, do not paste large source blocks or command output.
Defect Gate
Before classifying a finding, ask: if left as-is, will the observed code behave incorrectly, leak data, or miss a performance budget?
If yes, it is a defect. Defects belong in the severity table/action items and may become a TODO/fix only after authorization. They do not belong in blind-spots. Treat uncertain cases as defects; over-capturing TODOs is safer than degrading blind-spot signal.
L2 Audit Scope
Layer 2 asks what class of issue the review framework failed to catch. It captures framework gaps, not the instance-level defects already found.
- Findings already in the severity table stay there.
- Critical/Required defects need an owner/action item even if L2 also captures a broader class.
- New concrete defects found during L2 become Required action items, not blind-spots.
Project Bindings
Projects provide storage locations/specs and sweep workflows. This protocol governs behavior; project docs govern storage format. Do not duplicate behavior rules in storage docs.
