jb-autoreview - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: jb-autoreview description: Use when the user asks for autoreview, Codex/Claude second-model review, or final review of dirty changes, a branch, commit, or PR before ship.

JB Autoreview

Generic structured closeout review for any git repo JB owns or works in.

This is a JB-generic fork of the OpenClaw/Steipete autoreview skill.

Original URL: https://github.com/openclaw/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/autoreview/SKILL.md
Upstream repository: https://github.com/openclaw/agent-skills
Original author/source: Peter Steinberger / OpenClaw
Fork intent: keep the portable review helper and review discipline, but remove OpenClaw-specific assumptions so the skill can run in any repo.

When asked to check for upstream updates, compare this skill and scripts/autoreview against the original URL/repository above.

Use When

Use this skill when the user asks for:

autoreview / auto review
Codex review / Claude review / second-model review
a final review before commit, merge, publish, or ship
a review of local dirty changes, a branch, a commit, or a PR branch
a structured review that should keep running until no accepted/actionable findings remain

This is a review workflow, not an approval gate. Treat output as advisory.

Prerequisites

Required:

git
Python 3
at least one review engine CLI, usually codex

Optional:

claude for Claude reviews or review panels
gh for PR base detection
droid or copilot if intentionally using those engines

The helper resolves executables from absolute PATH entries outside the reviewed checkout, and rejects binaries inside the repo. This avoids accidentally running repo-provided fake tools.

Helper Path

From this skill directory:

scripts/autoreview --help

If installed globally, resolve the script path from the skill directory before running it. Do not assume the current repo contains this skill.

Pick Target

Let the helper auto-select when the user just says “autoreview”:

<autoreview-helper> --mode auto

Auto mode chooses:

dirty worktree → local review
non-main branch → branch review, using PR base via gh pr view when available, else origin/main
clean main → fails with “no review target” because there is no diff to review

Dirty Local Work

Use only for staged/unstaged/untracked work in the current checkout:

<autoreview-helper> --mode local

--mode uncommitted is accepted as an alias.

Branch or PR Work

Use for committed branch work:

<autoreview-helper> --mode branch --base origin/main

If a PR exists, prefer its actual base:

base=$(gh pr view --json baseRefName --jq .baseRefName)
<autoreview-helper> --mode branch --base "origin/$base"

Optional review context is first-class:

<autoreview-helper> --mode branch --base origin/main --prompt-file /tmp/review-notes.md --dataset /tmp/evidence.json

Single Commit

Use for an already committed change or landed commit:

<autoreview-helper> --mode commit --commit HEAD

For small stacks, review each commit explicitly or review the whole branch against its base.

Engines

Codex is the default and usually the best closeout engine:

<autoreview-helper> --engine codex

Claude is available when requested:

<autoreview-helper> --engine claude

Do not silently switch engines or models. If the requested engine hits capacity, retry the same command a few times with the same engine/model.

Parallel Tests

After formatting, it is OK to run focused tests and review in parallel:

<autoreview-helper> --parallel-tests "npm test -- --runInBand"

If tests or review cause code changes, rerun focused tests and rerun autoreview until the helper exits cleanly with no accepted/actionable findings.

Review Panels

Multi-reviewer panels are opt-in only. Use them when explicitly requested or when risk justifies the extra spend:

<autoreview-helper> --panel
<autoreview-helper> --reviewers codex,claude
<autoreview-helper> --reviewers codex:gpt-5.1:high,claude:sonnet:max

Guardrails

Never blindly apply review output.
Verify each finding by reading the actual code path and adjacent files.
Read dependency docs/source/types when a finding depends on external behavior.
Reject unrealistic edge cases, speculative risks, broad rewrites, and fixes that over-complicate the codebase.
Prefer small fixes at the right ownership boundary.
When an accepted finding reveals a repeated bug class, inspect the current review scope for sibling instances.
Stop at touched surfaces, ownership boundaries, and clear follow-up territory.
Do not push just to review. Push only when explicitly requested.
Do not invoke nested reviewers from inside a review.
Do not run an extra review just to get nicer wording after a clean helper result.
Security findings should be concrete and actionable, not generic fear around shell/filesystem/network/auth code.

Long-Running Reviews

Structured review can take up to 30 minutes.

Heartbeat lines like this are healthy progress:

review still running: codex elapsed=120s pid=12345

Do not kill the helper just because it has been quiet for 2–5 minutes. Let it continue while heartbeats advance. Use --stream-engine-output only when live engine text is useful.

Review Loop

Run the helper against the correct target.
Inspect accepted/actionable findings.
Verify each finding manually.
Reject non-issues with a brief explanation.
Fix accepted issues when in scope.
Rerun focused tests if fixes changed code.
Rerun the helper.
Stop when the helper exits 0 with no accepted/actionable findings.

Final Report

Include:

exact review command used
tests/proof run
findings accepted/rejected, briefly why
the clean final helper result, or why a remaining finding was consciously rejected

If the final helper run exited 0 and produced no actionable findings, report that exact clean run as the closeout result.