requesting-code-review

name	requesting-code-review
description	Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements

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. This keeps the reviewer focused on the work product, not your thought process, and preserves your own context for continued work.

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. Collect review context:

Choose the review scope from current git state:

• Committed range: Use the relevant base commit and head commit when the work is already committed.
• Uncommitted work: Use git status --short, git diff --cached, and git diff when the parent workflow did not commit.
• Mixed work: Include both the committed range and working tree state when there are commits plus staged or unstaged changes.

Collect only facts:

git status --short
git diff --cached --stat
git diff --cached
git diff --stat
git diff

2. Dispatch code reviewer subagent:

Use Task tool with general-purpose type, fill template at code-reviewer.md

Placeholders:

• {DESCRIPTION} - Brief summary of what you built
• {PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS} - What it should do
• {REVIEW_SCOPE} - Committed range, uncommitted work, or mixed work
• {GIT_STATUS} - Output from git status --short
• {DIFF_COMMANDS} - Exact diff commands the reviewer should run

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.

git status --short
git diff --cached --stat
git diff --cached
git diff --stat
git diff

[Dispatch code reviewer subagent]
  DESCRIPTION: Added verifyIndex() and repairIndex() with 4 issue types
  PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: Task 2 from docs/plans/deployment-plan.md
  REVIEW_SCOPE: Uncommitted work
  GIT_STATUS: M src/index.ts, M tests/index.test.ts
  DIFF_COMMANDS: git diff --cached && git diff

[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]

Integration with workflows

Subagent-Driven Development:

• Review after EACH task
• Catch issues before they compound
• Fix before moving to next task

Executing Plans:

• Review after each task or at natural checkpoints
• Get feedback, apply, continue

Ad-Hoc Development:

• Review before merge
• Review when stuck

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: requesting-code-review/code-reviewer.md