# Asyncreview

> AI-powered GitHub PR/Issue reviews with agentic codebase access. Use when the user needs to review pull requests, analyze code changes, ask questions about PRs, or get AI feedback on GitHub issues.

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

---


# AsyncReview CLI

## When to use this skill

Use this skill when the user:
- Asks to review a GitHub pull request
- Wants AI feedback on code changes in a PR
- Needs to check if a PR breaks existing functionality
- Asks questions about a GitHub issue or PR
- Wants to verify if something was missed in a code change


## How to use this skill

1. **Check prerequisites** — Verify `GEMINI_API_KEY` is set
2. **Check if repo is private** — Use `gh repo view` to determine if `GITHUB_TOKEN` is required
3. **Set GITHUB_TOKEN if needed** — Use `gh auth token` for private repos
4. **Get the PR/Issue URL** — Ask user if not provided
5. **Formulate a question** — Convert user's request into a specific question
6. **Run the review command** — Execute `npx asyncreview review --url <URL> -q "<question>"`
7. **Present the results** — Share the AI's findings with sources

## Prerequisites

### 1. Check for `GEMINI_API_KEY` (Required)

**Before running any command, check for `GEMINI_API_KEY`:**

```bash
echo $GEMINI_API_KEY
```

If empty or not set, ask the user to provide their Gemini API key:
> "AsyncReview requires a Gemini API key. Please set `GEMINI_API_KEY` in your environment or provide it now."

Then set it:
```bash
export GEMINI_API_KEY="user-provided-key"
```

### 2. Check if Repository is Private (Critical)

**IMPORTANT:** Before reviewing a PR/Issue, you MUST check if the repository is private. If it is, `GITHUB_TOKEN` is **REQUIRED**.

#### Step 1: Extract owner and repo from URL

From a URL like `https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123`, extract:
- owner: `owner`
- repo: `repo`

#### Step 2: Check repository visibility

**Option A: Using GitHub CLI (if available)**

```bash
gh repo view owner/repo --json isPrivate -q '.isPrivate'
```

**Option B: Without GitHub CLI (using curl)**

```bash
# Try to access the repo via GitHub API without authentication
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://api.github.com/repos/owner/repo
```

**Possible outcomes:**
- **With `gh`:**
  - `true` → Repository is **private**, `GITHUB_TOKEN` is **REQUIRED**
  - `false` → Repository is **public**, `GITHUB_TOKEN` is **optional**
  - Error (e.g., "not found") → May indicate private repo without auth, or repo doesn't exist

- **With `curl`:**
  - `200` → Repository is **public**, `GITHUB_TOKEN` is **optional** (but recommended for higher rate limits)
  - `404` → Repository is **private** or doesn't exist, `GITHUB_TOKEN` is **REQUIRED**
  - `403` → Rate limited, need `GITHUB_TOKEN`

#### Step 3: If private, ensure `GITHUB_TOKEN` is set

```bash
# Check if GITHUB_TOKEN is already set
echo $GITHUB_TOKEN
```

If empty or not set, obtain it using one of these methods:

**Option A: Using GitHub CLI (if available)**

```bash
# Get token from GitHub CLI (must be authenticated with `gh auth login` first)
export GITHUB_TOKEN=$(gh auth token)

# Verify it's set
echo $GITHUB_TOKEN
```

If `gh auth token` fails, authenticate first:

```bash
gh auth login
```

**Option B: Without GitHub CLI (create token via web)**

1. Go to GitHub: https://github.com/settings/tokens
2. Click **"Generate new token"** → **"Generate new token (classic)"**
3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "AsyncReview CLI")
4. Select scopes:
   - ✅ `repo` (Full control of private repositories)
5. Click **"Generate token"**
6. Copy the token (you won't see it again!)
7. Set it in your terminal:

```bash
export GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# Verify it's set
echo $GITHUB_TOKEN
```

**Security tip:** For better security, consider creating a fine-grained token with minimal permissions:
- Go to: https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new
- Select specific repositories
- Grant only "Contents" read permission

**Then run the review with the token:**

```bash
npx asyncreview review --url <URL> -q "question" --github-token $GITHUB_TOKEN
```

Or set it as an environment variable for the session:

```bash
export GITHUB_TOKEN=$(gh auth token)
npx asyncreview review --url <URL> -q "question"
```

## Quick start

```bash
npx asyncreview review --url <PR_URL> -q "question"   # Review a PR
npx asyncreview review --url <PR_URL> --expert        # Expert code review
npx asyncreview review --url <PR_URL> --output markdown     # Markdown output
```

## Core workflow

1. Get PR URL from user
2. Run review with specific question
3. Read the step-by-step reasoning output
4. Model can fetch files outside the diff autonomously

## Commands

### Review

```bash
npx asyncreview review --url <url> -q "question"      # Review with question
npx asyncreview review --url <url> -q "q" --output markdown # Markdown output
npx asyncreview review --url <url> -q "q" -o json     # JSON output
```

**URL formats supported:**
- `https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123`
- `https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/456`


## Environment variables

```bash
GEMINI_API_KEY="your-key"         # Required: Google Gemini API key
GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_xxx"            # Optional: For private repos / higher rate limits
```

## Example: Review a PR

```bash
npx asyncreview review \
  --url https://github.com/stanfordnlp/dspy/pull/9223 \
  -q "Does this change break any existing callers?"
```

**Output shows:**
- Step number
- 💭 Reasoning (what the AI is thinking)
- 📝 Code (Python being executed)
- 📤 Output (REPL result)
- Final answer with sources

## Example: Check if feature exists elsewhere

```bash
npx asyncreview review \
  --url https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123 \
  -q "Fetch src/utils.py and check if deprecated_func is still used"
```

The AI will:
1. Search for the file path
2. Fetch the file via GitHub API
3. Analyze content in the Python sandbox
4. Report findings with evidence

## Example: Review a Private Repository PR

**Complete workflow for private repositories:**

```bash
# Step 1: Extract owner/repo from URL
# URL: https://github.com/myorg/private-repo/pull/42
# owner="myorg", repo="private-repo"

# Step 2: Check if repository is private

## Option A: With GitHub CLI
gh repo view myorg/private-repo --json isPrivate -q '.isPrivate'
# Output: true (it's private!)

## Option B: Without GitHub CLI (using curl)
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://api.github.com/repos/myorg/private-repo
# Output: 404 (likely private or doesn't exist)

# Step 3: Ensure GITHUB_TOKEN is set
echo $GITHUB_TOKEN

## If empty, Option A: Get from GitHub CLI
export GITHUB_TOKEN=$(gh auth token)

## If empty, Option B: Create via web (https://github.com/settings/tokens)
## Then:
export GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# Step 4: Run the review with the token
npx asyncreview review \
  --url https://github.com/myorg/private-repo/pull/42 \
  -q "Does this PR introduce any security vulnerabilities?" \
  --github-token $GITHUB_TOKEN

# Alternative: Token is already in environment, no flag needed
npx asyncreview review \
  --url https://github.com/myorg/private-repo/pull/42 \
  -q "Does this PR introduce any security vulnerabilities?"
```

**If you get a 404 or authentication error:** The repository is likely private, and you need to provide `GITHUB_TOKEN`.


## Output formats

| Format | Flag | Description |
|--------|------|-------------|
| Pretty | (default) | Rich terminal output with boxes |
| Markdown | `--output markdown` or `-o markdown` | Markdown formatted |
| JSON | `--output json` or `-o json` | Machine-readable |

## Expert Code Review

Use `--expert` flag for comprehensive PR reviews covering SOLID principles, security, performance, and code quality:

```bash
# Full expert review (no question needed)
npx asyncreview review --url <PR_URL> --expert

# Expert review with additional custom question
npx asyncreview review --url <PR_URL> --expert -q "Also check for breaking API changes"
```

**Expert review analyzes:**
- **SOLID Principles** - SRP, OCP, LSP, ISP, DIP violations
- **Security** - XSS, injection, auth gaps, race conditions, secrets
- **Code Quality** - Error handling, N+1 queries, boundary conditions
- **Removal Candidates** - Dead code, unused imports

**Output includes:**
- Severity-tagged findings (P0 Critical → P3 Low)
- Suggested fixes for P0/P1 issues
- Overall assessment: APPROVE / REQUEST_CHANGES / COMMENT