| name | actionable-review-format-standards |
| description | Standardized output format for code reviews with severity labels, file:line references, and fix code snippets. Use when generating review reports that need consistent, actionable feedback structure. |
| layer | 1 |
| tech_stack | dotnet, csharp, typescript, react |
| topics | code-review, output-format, severity, feedback, pull-requests |
| depends_on | |
| complements | code-review-excellence |
| keywords | CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, severity, file-path, line-number, fix, suggestion, blocking |
Actionable Review Format Standards
Standardized output format for code reviews ensuring consistent, actionable, and prioritized feedback across all reviewer agents.
When to Use This Skill
- Generating code review reports
- Formatting PR feedback
- Creating security audit reports
- Producing performance review outputs
- Any review output requiring severity classification
Core Principles
- Every issue has a severity - Never leave findings unclassified
- Every issue has a location - Always include
file:linereferences - Every blocking issue has a fix - Provide code snippets for Critical/High
- Summary before details - Lead with counts and verdicts
- Categorize by concern - Group Security, Performance, Patterns separately
Severity Classification
Severity Levels
| Level | Icon | Criteria | Action Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRITICAL | 🔴 | Security vulnerabilities, data loss risk, system crashes | Must fix before merge |
| HIGH | 🟠 | Significant bugs, missing authorization, performance blockers | Should fix before merge |
| MEDIUM | 🟡 | Code quality issues, minor bugs, missing validation | Fix soon, not blocking |
| LOW | 🟢 | Style issues, minor improvements, suggestions | Nice to have |
| INFO | 💡 | Educational comments, alternative approaches | No action required |
Severity Decision Tree
Is it a security vulnerability?
├── Yes → CRITICAL
└── No → Can it cause data loss or corruption?
├── Yes → CRITICAL
└── No → Can it cause system crash/downtime?
├── Yes → HIGH
└── No → Does it break functionality?
├── Yes → HIGH
└── No → Does it affect performance significantly?
├── Yes → MEDIUM
└── No → Is it a code quality issue?
├── Yes → MEDIUM/LOW
└── No → LOW/INFO
Severity Examples
🔴 CRITICAL - Security
- SQL injection vulnerability
- Missing authorization on delete endpoint
- Hardcoded credentials in source code
- PII exposure in logs
🟠 HIGH - Must Fix
- Missing null checks causing NullReferenceException
- N+1 query in frequently called method
- Business logic error causing wrong calculations
- Missing input validation on public API
🟡 MEDIUM - Should Fix
- Blocking async call (.Result, .Wait())
- Missing error handling
- Inefficient LINQ query
- Duplicate code that should be extracted
🟢 LOW - Nice to Have
- Variable naming improvements
- Missing XML documentation
- Code formatting inconsistencies
- Minor refactoring opportunities
💡 INFO - Educational
- Alternative pattern suggestion
- Performance optimization tip
- Best practice recommendation
Location Format
Standard Format
{FilePath}:{LineNumber}
Examples
✅ Good:
- `src/Application/PatientAppService.cs:45`
- `src/Domain/Patient.cs:23-28` (range)
- `src/Application/Validators/CreatePatientDtoValidator.cs:12`
❌ Bad:
- `PatientAppService.cs` (missing path)
- `line 45` (missing file)
- `src/Application/` (missing file and line)
Multi-Location Issues
When an issue spans multiple files:
**[MEDIUM]** Duplicate validation logic
- `src/Application/PatientAppService.cs:45`
- `src/Application/DoctorAppService.cs:52`
- `src/Application/AppointmentAppService.cs:38`
**Suggestion**: Extract to shared `ValidationHelper` class.
Issue Format
Single Issue Template
**[{SEVERITY}]** `{file:line}` - {Category}
{Brief description of the issue}
**Problem**:
```{language}
// Current code
{problematic code}
Fix:
// Suggested fix
{corrected code}
Why: {Explanation of impact/risk}
### Compact Issue Format (for tables)
```markdown
| Severity | Location | Category | Issue | Fix |
|----------|----------|----------|-------|-----|
| 🔴 CRITICAL | `File.cs:42` | Security | Missing `[Authorize]` | Add `[Authorize(Permissions.Delete)]` |
| 🟠 HIGH | `File.cs:67` | Performance | N+1 query in loop | Use `.Include()` or batch query |
Report Structure
Full Review Report Template
# Code Review: {PR Title}
**Date**: {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Reviewer**: {agent-name}
**Files Reviewed**: {count}
**Lines Changed**: +{added} / -{removed}
---
## Verdict
{✅ APPROVE | 💬 APPROVE WITH COMMENTS | 🔄 REQUEST CHANGES}
**Summary**: {1-2 sentence overview}
---
## Issue Summary
| Severity | Count | Blocking |
|----------|-------|----------|
| 🔴 CRITICAL | {n} | Yes |
| 🟠 HIGH | {n} | Yes |
| 🟡 MEDIUM | {n} | No |
| 🟢 LOW | {n} | No |
---
## 🔴 Critical Issues
{If none: "No critical issues found."}
### [CRITICAL] `{file:line}` - {Title}
{Description}
**Problem**:
```{lang}
{code}
Fix:
{code}
🟠 High Issues
{Issues in same format}
🟡 Medium Issues
{Issues in same format or table format for brevity}
🟢 Low Issues / Suggestions
{file:line}[nit]: {suggestion}{file:line}[style]: {suggestion}
🔒 Security Summary
| Check | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Authorization | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
| Input Validation | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
| Data Exposure | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
| Secrets | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
⚡ Performance Summary
| Check | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| N+1 Queries | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
| Async Patterns | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
| Pagination | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
| Query Optimization | ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail | {details} |
✅ What's Good
- {Positive observation 1}
- {Positive observation 2}
- {Positive observation 3}
Action Items
Must fix before merge:
- {Critical/High issue 1}
- {Critical/High issue 2}
Should fix soon:
- {Medium issue 1}
- {Medium issue 2}
Technical Debt Noted
- {Future improvement 1}
- {Future improvement 2}
---
## Category Labels
Use consistent category labels to classify issues:
| Category | Description | Examples |
|----------|-------------|----------|
| **Security** | Vulnerabilities, auth issues | Missing auth, SQL injection, XSS |
| **Performance** | Efficiency issues | N+1, blocking async, missing pagination |
| **DDD** | Domain design issues | Public setters, anemic entities |
| **ABP** | Framework pattern violations | Wrong base class, missing GuidGenerator |
| **Validation** | Input validation issues | Missing validators, weak rules |
| **Error Handling** | Exception handling issues | Silent catch, wrong exception type |
| **Async** | Async/await issues | Blocking calls, missing cancellation |
| **Testing** | Test quality issues | Missing tests, flaky tests |
| **Style** | Code style issues | Naming, formatting |
| **Documentation** | Doc issues | Missing comments, outdated docs |
---
## Feedback Language
### Use Constructive Language
```markdown
❌ Bad:
"This is wrong."
"You should know better."
"Why didn't you use X?"
✅ Good:
"Consider using X because..."
"This could cause Y. Here's a fix:"
"Have you considered X? It would improve Y."
Differentiate Blocking vs Non-Blocking
🚫 [blocking]: Must fix before merge
💭 [suggestion]: Consider for improvement
📝 [nit]: Minor style preference, not blocking
📚 [learning]: Educational note, no action needed
Quick Reference
Minimum Requirements
Every review output MUST include:
- Verdict - Approve/Request Changes
- Issue count by severity
- All Critical/High issues with fixes
- File:line references for all issues
- At least one positive observation
Severity Quick Guide
| If you find... | Severity |
|---|---|
| Security vulnerability | 🔴 CRITICAL |
| Missing authorization | 🔴 CRITICAL |
| Data corruption risk | 🔴 CRITICAL |
| Null reference exception | 🟠 HIGH |
| N+1 query pattern | 🟠 HIGH |
| Blocking async | 🟡 MEDIUM |
| Missing validation | 🟡 MEDIUM |
| Naming issues | 🟢 LOW |
| Missing docs | 🟢 LOW |
Example Output
# Code Review: Add Patient CRUD API
**Date**: 2025-12-13
**Reviewer**: abp-code-reviewer
**Files Reviewed**: 5
**Lines Changed**: +245 / -12
---
## Verdict
🔄 REQUEST CHANGES
**Summary**: Good implementation of Patient CRUD with proper ABP patterns. Found 1 critical security issue (missing authorization) and 2 performance concerns that need attention.
---
## Issue Summary
| Severity | Count | Blocking |
|----------|-------|----------|
| 🔴 CRITICAL | 1 | Yes |
| 🟠 HIGH | 2 | Yes |
| 🟡 MEDIUM | 1 | No |
| 🟢 LOW | 2 | No |
---
## 🔴 Critical Issues
### [CRITICAL] `src/Application/PatientAppService.cs:67` - Security
**Missing authorization on DeleteAsync**
**Problem**:
```csharp
public async Task DeleteAsync(Guid id)
{
await _repository.DeleteAsync(id);
}
Fix:
[Authorize(ClinicManagementSystemPermissions.Patients.Delete)]
public async Task DeleteAsync(Guid id)
{
await _repository.DeleteAsync(id);
}
Why: Any authenticated user can delete patients without permission check.
🟠 High Issues
[HIGH] src/Application/PatientAppService.cs:34 - Performance
N+1 query pattern in GetListAsync
Problem:
foreach (var patient in patients)
{
patient.Appointments = await _appointmentRepository.GetListAsync(a => a.PatientId == patient.Id);
}
Fix:
var patientIds = patients.Select(p => p.Id).ToList();
var appointments = await _appointmentRepository.GetListAsync(a => patientIds.Contains(a.PatientId));
var grouped = appointments.GroupBy(a => a.PatientId).ToDictionary(g => g.Key, g => g.ToList());
foreach (var patient in patients)
{
patient.Appointments = grouped.GetValueOrDefault(patient.Id, new List<Appointment>());
}
🔒 Security Summary
| Check | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Authorization | ❌ Fail | DeleteAsync missing [Authorize] |
| Input Validation | ✅ Pass | FluentValidation in place |
| Data Exposure | ✅ Pass | DTOs properly scoped |
| Secrets | ✅ Pass | No hardcoded values |
⚡ Performance Summary
| Check | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| N+1 Queries | ❌ Fail | Loop in GetListAsync |
| Async Patterns | ✅ Pass | Proper async/await |
| Pagination | ✅ Pass | Using PageBy |
| Query Optimization | ✅ Pass | WhereIf pattern used |
✅ What's Good
- Excellent entity encapsulation with private setters
- Proper use of
GuidGenerator.Create() - Clean FluentValidation implementation
- Good separation of concerns
Action Items
Must fix before merge:
- Add
[Authorize]to DeleteAsync - Fix N+1 query in GetListAsync
Should fix soon:
- Add XML documentation to public methods