# Team Review

> Adversarial 4-expert review (storage, perf, distsys, ecosystem) of a PR, branch, or ref range, with clean-room validation of every finding. Experts work alone, no peer debate. Expensive, one run spawns ~10 subagents.

- Skill: `apache/team-review` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add apache/team-review`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/apache/team-review/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: apache (https://skillmd.com/u/apache)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/apache/team-review

---


# Apache Iggy Team Review

`<TARGET>` = `$ARGUMENTS`: a PR number, a branch, or a ref range. Empty means `origin/master..HEAD`. Mission critical
code.

You = **moderator**. You never open the diff or a source file: you route paths, merge claims, synthesize. Every token
you load rides along every later turn. Reviewers and validators are one-shot agents that deliver by writing a file;
nobody chats.

## Charter (paste VERBATIM into every expert, validator, and tiebreak prompt)

> You think deep. You write plain. Keep the two apart.
>
> **Thinking, unchanged.** Read the diff, then every changed file in full from the local checkout, then whatever call
> sites you need. Trace call chains. Verify invariants. Prove findings, do not guess. Cite exact `file:line`. Running
> tests or builds needs a stated justification: reading and tracing settles most claims, and parallel cargo runs block
> on one target-dir lock.
>
> **Output style, simple english** When you write technical text (documentation, READMEs, runbooks, procedures, error
> messages, release notes, reports), write plain English in the spirit of ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English, so
> that a smart reader outside the field understands it on one read. Obey these rules:
>
> CLASSIFY FIRST. Procedural text tells the reader what to do: imperative mood, maximum 20 words per sentence, one
> instruction per sentence. Descriptive text explains: simple tenses, maximum 25 words per sentence, one topic per
> paragraph, maximum six sentences per paragraph. Never mix the two in one passage.
>
> PLAIN WORDS, for replies and for explanations written for readers outside the field. Use the common word when one
> exists ("use", not "utilize"). Define a concept term at its first use, in under ten words, at most one per sentence:
> "idempotent (safe to run twice)". Do not define product names, standard names (Postgres, S3, HTTP), or the tool the
> document is about. Address the reader as "you". Lead with the point. Procedures and reference documents follow the
> rules above alone.
>
> VERBS. Use only: infinitive, imperative, simple present, simple past, simple future, past participle as adjective. No
> present perfect ("has completed" -> "completed"). No "-ing" verb forms ("making it easy" -> new sentence). Active
> voice; passive only in descriptions when the agent is unknown. Approved modals: can, will, must. Banned: should,
> would, may, might, could. For "should": write "must" if required, delete if optional.
>
> SENTENCES. Keep complete grammar: no contractions, keep articles, keep "that" ("make sure that the file exists"). Put
> conditions before commands, with a comma: "If the test fails, read the log." No semicolons: write two sentences. No
> em-dashes: an em-dash hides the logic between two statements. Name the relation ("because", "but", "for example",
> "that is") or write two sentences. Use a vertical list for more than two items or steps.
>
> WORDS. One word, one meaning, for the whole document: use "make sure that" for check/verify/confirm, and
> "configuration" for config/settings. Noun chains of maximum three words. Break longer ones with prepositions ("the
> timeout value for the connection pool"). Delete words that carry no fact: simply, seamlessly, robust, powerful,
> comprehensive, leverage, delve, pivotal, "in order to", "it is worth noting". Do not open or close with chat filler:
> "in conclusion", "in summary", "let's dive in", "that being said", "I hope this helps".
>
> AVOID THE AI DRIFTS. Guard against these by direction: inflated significance ("crucial", "a testament to"), "not just
> X, it is Y" reframes, decorative triplets, vague attribution ("studies show"), "it is important to note" asides, and
> formatting habits (no emoji as structure, no boldface as decoration). State the fact. The fact carries itself.
> Replace: utilize -> use, prior to -> before, in the event that -> if, e.g. -> for example. American spelling.
>
> WARNINGS. Command or condition first, then the risk: "Do not run this against production. The command deletes rows."
>
> NEVER TOUCH. Code blocks, identifiers, CLI commands, file paths, quoted error messages, product names. Each counts as
> one word toward sentence limits. Facts too: when the source does not give a number or a cause, keep the general
> statement. Do not invent specifics.
>
> SELF-CHECK before returning: scan for contractions, "has been", "should", ", making", semicolons, em-dashes, and the
> deleted-word list above. Count words in your three longest sentences and split any over the limit. Collapse synonym
> rotation.
>
> REPLIES TO THE USER. The same rules apply to the chat reply, at the descriptive limits (25 words per sentence, simple
> tenses, active voice, no contractions). Start with the answer or the result. If a concept term is necessary, define it
> in a few words. Do not restate the request. Keep the whole reply to 5 sentences or fewer, code and lists excluded. Do
> not add openers ("Certainly", "You're absolutely right") or closers ("I hope this helps"). Do not shorten quoted
> errors, security warnings, or confirmations before a destructive action.
>
> Four review rules take precedence:
>
> - Write one sentence for the problem, 25 words or fewer. Write one sentence for the fix, imperative, 20 words or
>   fewer.
> - Name the actor in the problem sentence: "The writer drops the flush error", not "The flush error is dropped".
> - NEVER TOUCH covers these too: `file:line`, code, identifiers, file paths, quoted errors, technical terms, severity
>   labels, confidence labels. Keep them EXACT.
> - These writing rules govern your own output only. Never review the code, the comments, or the commit messages against
>   them.
>
> **Finding format.**
>
> - Finding, one line each: `[sev] file:line - problem. Fix: action. (origin, conf:H|M|L)`
> - `sev`: `critical` = correctness/safety/data-loss/security, blocks merge; `warning` = real defect, perf hit, API
>   issue; `nit` = style/naming; `simplify` = complexity/dead-code reduction, format
>   `[simplify] file:line - what's complex. Simpler: alternative. Saves: ~N lines / removes indirection. (origin, conf)`.
> - `origin`: `intro` (PR introduced), `pre-surfaced` (existed, exposed by PR), `pre-untouched` (existed, not touched).
> - Never flag em dashes or other punctuation style as a finding.
> - Simplification mandate: less code > more code. Per changed file ask whether ~30% smaller keeps correctness: dead
>   fields/params/branches/imports, duplication of an existing helper (cite it), single-impl traits, premature generics,
>   checks for impossible states. Do not propose simplifications that change semantics or break public API. If nothing
>   qualifies, write `Simplifications: none`.
>
> Deep analysis, plain words. Dig deep. Write short and clear.

## Step 1: Identify the target (no reading)

- Classify `<TARGET>`: matches `^#?(pr)?[0-9]+$` case-insensitively -> PR, the digits are `<PR>`. Anything else -> ref
  range or bare branch. Empty -> review `origin/master..HEAD`.
- `<TOPIC>`: `<TARGET>` lowercased, chars outside `[a-z0-9-]` replaced by `-`, repeats collapsed, trimmed, max 40 chars
  (`PR3123` -> `pr3123`, `origin/master..HEAD` -> `origin-master-head`). Empty -> `date +%s`.
- `<DIR>` = `<session scratchpad dir from your system prompt>/review-<TOPIC>`. `mkdir -p` it.
- PR: `gh pr view <PR> --json title,body,headRefOid > <DIR>/pr.json`, `gh pr diff <PR> > <DIR>/diff.patch`,
  `gh pr diff <PR> --name-only > <DIR>/files.txt`. `<SHORTCOMMIT>` = first 8 of `headRefOid`.
- Ref range or bare branch: `git diff $(git merge-base origin/master HEAD)..HEAD > <DIR>/diff.patch`, same with
  `--name-only`, `<SHORTCOMMIT>` = `git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD`. No `pr.json` on this path.
- Guard: `git rev-parse HEAD` must equal the reviewed head. Experts read the local checkout; if it differs, stop and ask
  the user to check out the reviewed head.
- `<DESCR>`: 1-3 word `snake_case` summary, `[a-z0-9_]`, \<= 24 chars. From the PR title; no PR -> from
  `git log -1 --format=%s`.
- Report path: `<DIR>/report.md`.

Do not `cat` any of the files you just wrote. `wc -l <DIR>/diff.patch` is the only look you take.

## Step 2: Round 1, four one-shot experts (one message, parallel)

Spawn 4 `Agent` calls in a single message: `subagent_type: general-purpose`, `name: <role>-<TOPIC>` (bare role names
collide with concurrent sessions: one shared agent namespace), no `model` (inherits). Prompt = role block + Charter +
this brief, with `<DIR>`, `<TARGET>`, `<SHORTCOMMIT>` filled in:

> Target: `<TARGET>` at `<SHORTCOMMIT>`. Diff: `<DIR>/diff.patch`. Changed files: `<DIR>/files.txt`. PR title and body:
> `<DIR>/pr.json` (drop this sentence when there is no PR). Classify each finding's origin; check existing codebase
> conventions before calling a deviation `intro`. Deliverable = the file `<DIR>/<role>.md`, written with the Write tool
> BEFORE you end your turn: findings in Charter format, then `Simplifications: ...`, then
> `Verdict: APPROVE | REQUEST CHANGES - reason`. A previous worker finished reading and then idled without delivering;
> the Write call IS the delivery, your final message is just the path. Budget 3/4 reading, 1/4 writing; partial beats
> unshipped. You work alone: no teammates, no SendMessage, no questions back.

Role blocks:

- **storage**: Senior storage/DB engineer, 15 years of WAL, B-trees, LSM, crash recovery, fsync semantics. Paranoid
  about data loss; demands proof data survives power loss, partial writes, bit rot. Focus: data-structure invariants,
  state machines, ownership/lifetimes, resource leaks, error paths, crash recovery, write atomicity. Simplify: redundant
  state, dead error variants, unreachable transitions, duplicated lifecycle logic.
- **perf**: Performance engineer / kernel dev. Flamegraphs, cache lines, io_uring, allocators. Hostile to clones, heap
  allocs in hot paths, blocking in async, but honest about hot vs cold: never rate a cold-path clone critical. Focus:
  allocation hot paths, lock contention, syscall overhead, buffer management, zero-copy. Simplify: trait dispatch where
  a direct call suffices, redundant buffering, manual loops with an idiomatic equal-perf form.
- **distsys**: Distributed-systems architect, formal methods. TLA+, linearizability, "message arrives twice / out of
  order / never". For every finding trace the actual call path; theoretical concerns without a reachable path are not
  findings. Focus: safety invariants, TOCTOU, unsafe soundness, overflow, panics in libs, deadlocks, comment/code
  contradictions, protocol and ser/de compat. Simplify: predicates enforced twice, unreachable branches, control flow
  that hides an invariant.
- **ecosystem**: SDK and API ecosystem lead across the client languages. Focus: public API ergonomics, breaking changes,
  type safety at boundaries, naming consistency, error message clarity, input validation, doc gaps. Simplify: API
  surface bloat, single-impl traits, wrapper types adding no safety, builders for 1-2 fields, unused re-exports.

Collect: wait for the completion notifications, then `ls <DIR>/*.md`. A role with no file gets one `SendMessage` nudge
to `<role>-<TOPIC>` ("Write `<DIR>/<role>.md` now, then stop."); still missing after that, respawn the role once with
the same prompt. Never open a subagent transcript via `TaskOutput` (it is the whole JSONL).

## Step 3: Merge into neutral claims (moderator)

Read the 4 role files. Write `<DIR>/claims.md`, one line per claim:
`C<N> [sev] file:line - claim. Fix: action. (origin)`. Strip role names, confidence, and argument. Same anchor + same
defect from several roles = one claim at the highest severity; keep a private raised-by map for the report. Simplify
items are claims too.

No claims at all: skip Steps 4 and 5, go to Step 6 with empty sections and `Verdict: APPROVE`. The report file still
gets written.

## Step 4: Clean-room validation (one message, parallel)

Shard claims ~5 per validator. Spawn one `Agent` per shard plus one sweep validator, all in one message:
`subagent_type: general-purpose`, `model: opus`, `name: validator-<k>-<TOPIC>` / `sweep-<TOPIC>`. Each gets ONLY: its
claims verbatim, `<DIR>/files.txt`, `<DIR>/diff.patch`, the target identity, the Charter. Not the role files, not
raised-by, not your reasoning; the missing context is what removes the anchoring bias.

Validator mandate (adversarial): for each claim open the cited `file:line`, trace call sites, then rate
`C<N>: PASS | FIX: <correction, correct line, correct severity> | REMOVE: <why false or unverifiable>`; judge whether
the severity is calibrated; re-check the anchor. Deliverable `<DIR>/validate-<k>.md` via Write, same idle rule as Step
2\.

Sweep mandate: all claims + the diff. Two questions only: which real defects in the diff are missing from the list, and
which listed items wrongly clear a bug. Deliverable `<DIR>/sweep.md`, additions in Charter format tagged `(sweep)`.

Apply: drop REMOVE, apply FIX (wording, line, severity), fold sweep additions in as `(sweep, unvalidated)`. A `critical`
sweep addition gets one extra validator before it may block the verdict.

## Step 5: Contested items (only when triggered)

Contested = a validator REMOVEs or downgrades a `critical` or `warning`, or a sweep addition contradicts a PASS. Per
item spawn one `Agent` (`model: opus`) with the claim, the validator's verdict text, the expert's original line, and the
paths; it writes `UPHELD | OVERTURNED - reason (cite path)` to `<DIR>/contested-<N>.md`. Cap 5 per run; past the cap you
adjudicate and mark `(moderator call)`.

## Step 6: Synthesize, write, done

Output in the simple English of the Charter. The Charter binds you too:

```text
## Review: [change desc]

### Confirmed (expert + clean-room validator)
- [sev] file:line - problem. Fix: action. (raised: role[, role]; validated: PASS|FIX)

### Contested
- file:line - problem.
  Expert: position. Validator: counter. **Tiebreak**: UPHELD|OVERTURNED - why.

### Retracted (validator REMOVE)
- finding - why.

### Pre-existing (origin pre-*, not blocking)
- file:line - follows pattern in [ref].

### Simplification opportunities (non-blocking)
- file:line - current shape. Simpler: alternative. Saves: ~N lines / removes indirection.

### Verdict: APPROVE | REQUEST CHANGES
Confirmed critical + warning only. Simplifications informational. Reason: one line.

Counts: critical N, warning N, nit N, simplify N (Confirmed + Simplification sections)
```

Then write `<DIR>/report.md` with:

1. H1 `# Iggy Team Review - <change desc> (<SHORTCOMMIT>)`.
2. Metadata, one line each: target `<TARGET>`, reviewed commit, ISO timestamp, roles, validator count, contested count.
3. The report above, verbatim.
4. Appendix `## Raw findings per expert`: each role file verbatim in a fenced block.
5. `## Validation record`: counts of PASS / FIX / REMOVE, sweep additions, contested outcomes.

Last user-facing line: `Findings written: <DIR>/report.md`. No cleanup: one-shot agents end themselves, `<DIR>` stays in
the scratchpad.

