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review-diff

Testing & Quality

Present a git diff to the user for inline annotation via the ai-review UI. Use when you want to review code changes before committing or requesting review.

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QUICK START

How to use this skill

Bring this guide into your coding agent with a prompt tailored to the tool you use.

  1. Open your project in Codex.
  2. Copy and paste the prompt below.
  3. Review files and risks before approving any action.
Prompt to paste
Inspect the Agent Skill at https://github.com/jackfranklin/dotfiles/blob/HEAD/claude/skills/review-diff/SKILL.md and all supporting files. Report provenance, permissions, scripts, dependencies, and security risks. Propose an exact installation into .agents/skills/review-diff, but wait for my approval before writing files or running scripts.

Copying this prompt does not install or run the skill. Review third-party files before use.

You are presenting a git diff for human review using the ai-review CLI.

Steps

  1. Get the diff you want to review. For staged changes use git diff --staged; for all uncommitted changes use git diff HEAD; for a specific range use git diff <base>..<head>. Note: Run git add -N . first to include untracked files in the diff. This records the intent to add the files, making them visible to git diff without fully staging them.
  2. Run the CLI, piping the diff to stdin: 
    git diff HEAD | node ~/git/ai-review-plan/dist/cli.js diff --title "<short task-specific title>" --theme <dark|light>
    Use --theme light unless the user has expressed a preference for dark mode.
  3. Once the CLI launches, check its initial output (e.g. Opening http://localhost:<port>) and tell the user what port the review is active on. Wait for the CLI to exit. It blocks until the user submits their review.
  4. Check the exit code and stdout:
    • Exit 0 (Approved): The user approved the diff. Address any inline comments in code, then proceed.
    • Exit 1 (Changes Requested): The user requested changes. Do not commit or push. Show the user the comments from stdout, address them in code, and offer to run another review pass.
  5. The stdout always begins with ## Review: APPROVED or ## Review: CHANGES REQUESTED, followed by any comments as a numbered list. Read each comment carefully.

Notes

  • Always pass --title. Derive it from the branch name or the work being done (e.g. "Auth middleware changes", "Dark mode CSS") — never use a generic title like "Diff review".
  • Always pass --theme. Default to light; switch to dark if the user has indicated a preference.
  • If the diff is very large (hundreds of files), warn the user before opening and offer to scope it to specific paths: git diff HEAD -- src/.