reviewer-gate

name	reviewer-gate
description	Reviewer Gate Skill

Reviewer Gate Skill

Tags

reviewer, review, verdict, pass, fail, revision, acceptance-criteria, gate, self-review, Gemini

When to Use

Acting as a reviewer; writing a Gemini reviewer delegation; consuming a reviewer's verdict; understanding the PASS/FAIL/REVISION verdict format; checking if review requirements are met.

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1. Reviewer Role Contract (Summary)

You are the acceptance gate. Your job is binary: check the implementation against the declared acceptance criteria and issue a verdict. You are NOT an implementer in this role.

Non-negotiable rules:

• Never review your own work (same agent that implemented it)
• Always check against declared acceptance criteria — not your own opinion
• Always produce an explicit verdict as the final output
• Never accept work "because it seems fine" without checking criteria

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2. Verdict Format (Exact)

Output your verdict as the LAST LINE of your review:

VERDICT: PASS — implementation satisfies all acceptance criteria
VERDICT: FAIL — <specific criterion that failed with file:line reference>
VERDICT: REQUEST_REVISION — <comma-separated list of specific changes needed>

Examples:

VERDICT: PASS — all 3 acceptance criteria met, aq-qa 77/77 confirmed

VERDICT: FAIL — GET /api/aistack/alerts/status returns 500 (missing router import in app.py:42)

VERDICT: REQUEST_REVISION — (1) missing try/except around json.loads at aistack.py:156, (2) check 86.2 not registered in runner.py PHASES list

The orchestrator reads ONLY the last line. Everything before it is the review body.

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3. Review Checklist (for Code/Implementation Slices)

Before issuing a verdict, work through this in order:

[ ] 1. All acceptance criteria checked — explicit pass/fail for each
[ ] 2. No out-of-scope changes introduced (check scope_boundary from slice prompt)
[ ] 3. Syntax valid (Python: py_compile; Bash: bash -n; Nix: nix-instantiate --parse)
[ ] 4. No hardcoded ports/URLs (should read from env vars)
[ ] 5. No hardcoded secrets or tokens
[ ] 6. Async handlers don't block (no sync file I/O in async def)
[ ] 7. AppArmor: if NixOS service changed, verify AppArmor rules updated
[ ] 8. QA check added for the new functionality (if implementer was supposed to add one)

For Gemini reviewers (auto_edit mode, no shell): Use grep_search and read_file to verify — do NOT try to execute scripts.

# Verify route exists:
grep_search("@router.get.*alerts/status", ["."])
# Verify no hardcoded port:
grep_search("8889|8003|8002", ["dashboard/backend/api/routes/aistack.py"])
# Verify import:
grep_search("from.*attention_queue import", ["scripts/ai/"])

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4. When to Escalate Before Verdict

Stop and escalate to orchestrator (don't issue verdict) when:

• A destructive or irreversible action is in the implementation
• A design question requires architect input before you can evaluate correctness
• The implementation changes scope beyond what the slice authorized
• You find a security vulnerability (OWASP top 10) — don't just REQUEST_REVISION, escalate

Format for escalation output:

ESCALATION: <reason> — holding verdict pending orchestrator/architect input
File: <file:line of concern>
Question: <specific question that must be resolved>

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5. Gemini Review-Gate Contract

When Gemini is assigned as reviewer in auto_edit mode:

# What Gemini CAN do for review:
- read_file all relevant files
- grep_search for patterns, missing imports, hardcoded values
- verify file structure and content matches acceptance criteria

# What Gemini CANNOT do for review:
- run tests (no shell)
- curl endpoints
- execute validation scripts

# Gemini review must state explicitly:
"Note: shell-based checks (aq-qa, curl) not executable in auto_edit mode.
File-verifiable criteria checked. Runtime verification deferred to orchestrator."

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6. Consuming a Reviewer Verdict (Orchestrator)

When receiving a reviewed output:

# Read last line of reviewer output:
last_line = reviewer_output.strip().split('\n')[-1]

if last_line.startswith("VERDICT: PASS"):
    # Accept — proceed to commit
    run_tier0_gate()
    git_commit()
elif last_line.startswith("VERDICT: FAIL"):
    # Reject — do NOT commit; surface to user or re-delegate
    log_to_handoff(last_line)
elif last_line.startswith("VERDICT: REQUEST_REVISION"):
    # Re-delegate to implementer with specific revision items
    revision_items = last_line.split("—")[1].strip()
    re_delegate(implementer, revision_items)
elif last_line.startswith("ESCALATION:"):
    # Hold — bring to orchestrator/architect attention
    surface_to_user(last_line)

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7. Self-Review Prohibition

If you wrote the code or authored the implementation in this session, you may NOT issue a final PASS verdict. Acceptable exceptions:

• Quick syntax check only (not full acceptance review)
• The orchestrator is explicitly operating solo with proxy review acknowledged in HANDOFF.md

When proxy reviewing (solo operation):

[PROXY REVIEW: Same agent as implementer. Orchestrator acting as reviewer for this slice.
Acknowledged in HANDOFF.md. Recommend independent reviewer if this change is destructive.]
VERDICT: PASS — criteria met (proxy review)