| name | review-changes |
| description | Code review of current git changes, compare to related plan if exists, identify bad engineering, over-engineering, or suboptimal solutions. Use when user asks to review changes, check git diff, validate implementation quality, or assess code changes. |
Review Git Changes
Instructions
Perform thorough code review of current working copy changes, optionally compare to plan, and identify engineering issues.
Phase 1: Discover Changes & Context
Step 1: Get Current Changes
# See changed files
git status
# See detailed diff
git diff
# See staged changes separately
git diff --cached
# See both staged and unstaged
git diff HEAD
Step 2: Identify Related Plan (if exists)
Search for related plan file:
- Check
.plans/directory for relevant plan - Look for plan mentioned in branch name
- Ask user if unsure which plan applies
- If no plan exists, review against general best practices
If plan exists:
- Read the entire plan
- Understand intended design and architecture
- Note specific requirements and constraints
Step 3: Categorize Changed Files
Group files by type:
- New files: Created from scratch
- Modified files: Existing files changed
- Deleted files: Removed files
- Renamed/moved files: Organizational changes
Create todo list with one item per changed file to review.
Phase 2: Systematic File Review
For EACH changed file in the todo list:
Step 1: Read Current State
- Read the entire file in its current state
- Understand what it does
- Note its responsibilities
Step 2: Analyze the Changes
Read git diff to see exactly what changed:
- What was added?
- What was removed?
- What was modified?
Step 3: Assess Against Plan (if applicable)
If plan exists, check:
Does implementation match plan?
- Are planned features implemented correctly?
- Is architecture followed?
- Are file names as specified?
Scope adherence:
- Is this change in the plan?
- Is it necessary for the plan's goals?
- Is it scope creep?
REMOVAL SPEC compliance:
- If plan said to remove code, was it removed?
- Is old code still present when it shouldn't be?
Step 4: Identify Engineering Issues
Check for Bad Engineering:
- Bugs: Logic errors, off-by-one, race conditions
- Poor error handling: Swallowed errors, generic catches
- Missing validation: No input validation, no null checks
- Hard-coded values: Magic numbers, hardcoded URLs/paths
- Tight coupling: Unnecessary dependencies between modules
- Violation of SRP: Class/function doing too many things
- Incorrect patterns: Misuse of design patterns
- Type issues: Use of
any, missing types, wrong types - Missing edge cases: Doesn't handle empty/null/error cases
Check for Over-Engineering:
- Unnecessary abstraction: Too many layers for simple logic
- Premature optimization: Complex code for unmeasured performance
- Framework overuse: Using heavy library for simple task
- Feature creep: Adding features not in requirements
- Gold plating: Excessive polish on non-critical code
- YAGNI violations: Code for "might need later" scenarios
- Complexity without benefit: Complicated when simple works
Check for Suboptimal Solutions:
- Duplication: Copy-pasted code instead of extraction
- Reinventing wheel: Custom code when standard library exists
- Wrong tool: Using inappropriate data structure/algorithm
- Inefficient approach: O(n²) when O(n) is obvious
- Poor naming: Unclear variable/function names
- Missing reuse: Existing utilities/types not used
- Inconsistent patterns: Doesn't match codebase style
- Technical debt: Quick hack instead of proper solution
Step 5: Check Code Quality
- Readability: Is code clear and self-documenting?
- Maintainability: Will this be easy to change later?
- Testability: Can this be tested easily?
- Performance: Any obvious performance issues?
- Security: Any security vulnerabilities?
- Consistency: Matches existing codebase patterns?
Step 6: Record Findings
Store in memory:
File: path/to/file.ts
Change Type: [New|Modified|Deleted]
Plan Compliance: [Matches|Deviates|Not in plan]
Issues:
Bad Engineering:
- [Specific issue with line number]
Over-Engineering:
- [Specific issue with line number]
Suboptimal:
- [Specific issue with line number]
Severity: [CRITICAL|HIGH|MEDIUM|LOW]
Step 7: Update Todo
Mark file as reviewed in todo list.
Phase 3: Cross-File Analysis
After reviewing all files:
Step 1: Architectural Impact
- How do changes affect overall system architecture?
- Are there breaking changes?
- Do changes introduce new dependencies?
- Is there architectural drift from the plan?
Step 2: Pattern Consistency
- Are changes consistent with each other?
- Do they follow same patterns?
- Any conflicting approaches?
Step 3: Completeness Check
- Are all related changes present?
- Missing files that should be changed?
- Orphaned references?
Phase 4: Generate Review Report
Create report at .reviews/code-review-[timestamp].md:
# Code Review Report
**Date**: [timestamp]
**Branch**: [branch name]
**Related Plan**: [plan file or "None"]
**Files Changed**: X
**Issues Found**: Y
---
## Executive Summary
- **Critical Issues**: X (must fix before merge)
- **High Priority**: Y (should fix)
- **Medium Priority**: Z (consider fixing)
- **Low Priority**: W (suggestions)
**Overall Assessment**: [APPROVE|REQUEST CHANGES|REJECT]
---
## Plan Compliance (if applicable)
### Matches Plan ✅
- Feature X implemented correctly
- Architecture follows design
- File naming conventions followed
### Deviates from Plan ⚠️
- Implementation differs from planned approach in [area]
- Missing feature Y from plan
- Scope creep: Added Z not in plan
### REMOVAL SPEC Status
- ✅ Old code removed from `file.ts:50-100`
- ❌ Legacy function still exists in `auth.ts:42` (should be removed)
---
## Issues by Severity
### CRITICAL: Bad Engineering
#### Logic Bug in `src/services/auth.ts:125`
```typescript
// Current code:
if (user.role = 'admin') { // Assignment instead of comparison
grantAccess()
}
Issue: Assignment operator used instead of equality check. This always evaluates to true and grants everyone admin access.
Severity: CRITICAL - Security vulnerability
Fix: Change = to ===
Unhandled Promise in src/api/client.ts:67
// Current code:
fetchData().then(data => process(data)) // No error handling
Issue: Promise rejection not handled, will crash silently
Severity: CRITICAL - Application stability
Fix: Add .catch() or use try/catch with async/await
HIGH: Over-Engineering
Unnecessary Abstraction in src/utils/formatter.ts
// Current code: 50 lines of abstraction
class FormatterFactory {
createFormatter(type: string): IFormatter { /* ... */ }
}
class StringFormatter implements IFormatter { /* ... */ }
// ... only used once for simple string formatting
Issue: Complex factory pattern for single use case
Severity: HIGH - Maintenance burden
Better Approach: Simple function formatString(value: string): string
MEDIUM: Suboptimal Solutions
Code Duplication in src/components/
Files: user-form.tsx, admin-form.tsx
Issue: Both contain identical validation logic (30 lines duplicated)
Severity: MEDIUM - Maintenance issue
Better Approach: Extract to src/utils/form-validation.ts
Not Using Existing Type in src/types/user.ts
// Current code:
interface UserData {
id: string
email: string
name: string
}
// But `User` type already exists with same fields in `src/models/user.ts`
Issue: Duplicate type definition
Severity: MEDIUM - Type inconsistency risk
Fix: Import and use existing User type
LOW: Suggestions
Verbose Naming in src/services/database-connection-manager.ts
Issue: Overly verbose filename
Suggestion: Simplify to src/services/database.service.ts
Issues by Category
Bad Engineering (X issues)
- Logic bugs: X
- Missing error handling: Y
- Type issues: Z
- Missing validation: W
Over-Engineering (Y issues)
- Unnecessary abstraction: X
- Premature optimization: Y
- Feature creep: Z
Suboptimal Solutions (Z issues)
- Code duplication: X
- Reinventing wheel: Y
- Poor naming: Z
- Not using existing code: W
Architectural Assessment
Positive Changes
- Clean separation of concerns in new modules
- Proper use of dependency injection
- Good test coverage added
Concerns
- New dependency introduced without discussion
- Breaking change to public API
- Coupling between previously independent modules
Technical Debt Introduced
- Quick hack in
auth.ts:200marked with TODO - Temporary file
temp-processor.tsadded - Migration code that should be removed later
Detailed File Reviews
src/services/auth.ts (Modified)
Plan Compliance: Matches Changes: 45 lines added, 20 removed Issues:
- CRITICAL: Logic bug at line 125 (assignment vs equality)
- HIGH: Missing error handling at line 89 Positive:
- Good use of existing types
- Clear function names
src/components/user-form.tsx (New)
Plan Compliance: Not in plan (scope creep) Changes: 150 lines added Issues:
- MEDIUM: Duplicates logic from admin-form.tsx
- LOW: Could use existing form validation utility Positive:
- Clean component structure
- Good TypeScript usage
[Continue for all changed files]
Statistics
By Severity:
- Critical: X
- High: Y
- Medium: Z
- Low: W
By Category:
- Bad Engineering: X
- Over-Engineering: Y
- Suboptimal: Z
By File Type:
- Services: X issues
- Components: Y issues
- Utils: Z issues
Recommendations
Must Fix (Before Merge)
- Fix logic bug in
auth.ts:125- Security issue - Add error handling in
client.ts:67- Stability issue - Remove temporary file
temp-processor.ts- Plan violation
Should Fix
- Extract duplicated validation logic
- Simplify over-abstracted formatter
- Use existing types instead of duplicates
Consider
- Rename verbose files
- Add more inline documentation
- Improve variable naming in complex functions
Overall Assessment
Recommendation: REQUEST CHANGES
Reasoning:
- 2 critical security/stability issues must be fixed
- Over-engineering in several areas adds unnecessary complexity
- Code duplication will cause maintenance issues
- Some scope creep not discussed in plan
After Fixes: Changes will be solid. Core implementation is sound, just needs cleanup and bug fixes.
### Phase 5: Summary for User
Provide concise summary:
```markdown
# Code Review Complete
## Assessment: [APPROVE|REQUEST CHANGES|REJECT]
## Critical Issues (X)
- Security bug in `auth.ts:125` - assignment vs equality
- Unhandled promise in `client.ts:67` - will crash
## High Priority (Y)
- Over-engineering in `formatter.ts` - unnecessary abstraction
- Missing error handling in multiple files
## Medium Priority (Z)
- Code duplication between forms
- Not using existing types
## Plan Compliance
- ✅ Core features implemented correctly
- ⚠️ Some scope creep (user-form not in plan)
- ❌ REMOVAL SPEC incomplete (legacy code still exists)
## Must Fix Before Merge
1. Fix logic bug in auth.ts
2. Add error handling
3. Remove legacy code per REMOVAL SPEC
**Full Report**: `.reviews/code-review-[timestamp].md`
Critical Principles
- NEVER EDIT FILES - This is review only, not implementation
- BE THOROUGH - Review every changed file
- BE SPECIFIC - Point to exact line numbers
- BE CONSTRUCTIVE - Explain why and suggest better approach
- CHECK PLAN - If plan exists, verify compliance
- VERIFY REMOVAL SPEC - Ensure old code was removed
- IDENTIFY PATTERNS - Note systemic issues across files
- BE HONEST - Don't approve bad code to be nice
- SUGGEST ALTERNATIVES - Don't just criticize, help improve
Success Criteria
A complete code review includes:
- All changed files reviewed
- Plan compliance verified (if plan exists)
- All engineering issues identified and categorized
- Severity assigned to each issue
- Specific line numbers referenced
- Alternative approaches suggested
- Overall assessment provided
- Structured report generated