Aetheris-Solutions-LLC Second Opinion
Spawn an independent Codex CLI review of the current change for a fresh
perspective from a different model. Codex advises only — it runs in a
read-only sandbox and cannot edit code. Complements your own review or
/aetheris-review; it does not replace them.
When to use
- You want a fresh pair of eyes on a diff before merging — from a model other than the one that wrote the code.
- The user asks for "a second opinion", "fresh eyes", or "what would Codex say" about a change.
- Before a risky merge, when independent confirmation is worth a pass.
Not for: applying fixes (advisory only — acting on a finding is a
separate, explicit step the user must request), or posting PR comments (use
/aetheris-review).
How to run
Run the bundled review.sh from this skill's own directory. It selects
scope, invokes Codex read-only, and saves the report outside the repo
(~/.codex-reviews/<repo>/) so the working tree stays pristine:
bash <this-skill-dir>/review.sh [scope-flag]
Two modes — code review (a diff) and plan review (a doc):
| Flag | Reviews |
|---|---|
| (none) | code: smart default (feature branch → vs default branch; else working tree) |
--uncommitted |
code: staged + unstaged + untracked |
--base <branch> |
code: diff vs a base branch (PR-equivalent) |
--commit <sha> |
code: a single commit's changes |
--plan <file> |
a plan / spec / design doc, before it's built — Codex critiques soundness, dependency ordering, risk/cost/reversibility, and gaps, grounding against the code the doc references |
The helper streams Codex's review to stdout and ends with a REPORT_PATH:
line. Code mode uses codex exec review on the chosen scope, running Codex's
built-in review harness; plan mode uses codex exec with a baked-in
plan-critique prompt. Both run from the repo so Codex can cross-reference code.
The report is the verdict, not the transcript. Both modes capture Codex's
final message via --output-last-message and write it to the report; the
streamed run lands beside it in <same-name>.transcript.log. Read the report;
open the transcript only when the report says Codex never reached a verdict.
codex exec review does accept custom review instructions, but not alongside
a scope flag — --uncommitted / --base / --commit and a custom prompt are
mutually exclusive, so scope-selected reviews use the built-in harness.
Presenting the result — faithful passthrough
Codex is the advisor. Do not re-rank, soften, re-judge, or restate its findings as your own analysis.
- Surface Codex's verdict under a clear frame, e.g. "Codex's independent review (read-only):" and quote its findings as written.
- Give the saved report path.
- Close with one line: "Want me to act on any of these?"
Acting on a finding (editing code) is a separate step — only after the user asks. This skill itself never edits code.
Guarantees
- No changes:
--sandbox read-onlymakes writes impossible. Confirm withgit statusthat the repo is untouched after a run. - Out-of-repo report: written to
~/.codex-reviews/<repo>/, never inside the repo, alongside a.transcript.logof the full run. - Focused & lean: runs Codex with
--disable hooksso the host machine's skill/pluginsession_starthooks aren't injected into the review (without it, Codex rabbit-holes reading skill files — ~100x more output). Per-run only; your global Codex config is untouched.
Troubleshooting
- codex CLI not found → install (
npm i -g @openai/codex) or run the marketplace'sinstall-codex.sh. - codex may not be logged in →
codex login. - no changes to review → no diff for the chosen scope; pick a different scope flag.