# Comment Backcheck

> Step 2 of the engineering-document review comment-disposition cycle: verify that checker/reviewer comments were actually incorporated into the revised document before backcheck and approval. Compares the original comments, the revised document, and the Step 1 disposition matrix, then sets each comment to Incorporated (with evidence of where the change was made), Not Incorporated (with the originator's stated rationale), or Needs Clarification; drafts disposition language where appropriate; and flags comments with no traceable change. Use when the user asks to "backcheck the revised document", "did I address the checker's comments", "verify the markup was incorporated", "disposition these comments against the revised doc", "check the comments before approval", or "finish the disposition form". Do NOT use to build or extract the initial matrix from raw markup — use comment-disposition-build instead; and do NOT author, technically review, or approve/sign the deliverable.

- Skill: `dgusoff/comment-backcheck` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dgusoff/comment-backcheck`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dgusoff/comment-backcheck/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: dgusoff (https://skillmd.com/u/dgusoff)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dgusoff/comment-backcheck

---


# Comment Disposition — Backcheck (Step 2)

## Overview
Verifies that the comments captured in Step 1 were actually incorporated into the
revised document, so the package is ready for the checker's backcheck and the
approver. The value is **traceability and catching missed comments before another
review cycle** — not judging engineering correctness. This skill is **read-only over
the documents and never approves**: it prepares an auditable record; a person decides.

## When to Use
- "Backcheck the revised document" / "did I address the checker's comments?"
- "Verify the markup was incorporated" / "disposition these against the revised doc"
- "Check the comments before approval" / "finish the disposition form"
- A revised document and the Step 1 disposition matrix exist and each comment needs a
  verified status.

## When NOT to Use
- **Building / extracting** the initial matrix from raw markup → use
  **comment-disposition-build**.
- **Authoring or technically reviewing** the document → the engineer's job.
- **Judging technical correctness** of a resolution, or **approving/signing** →
  always a human.
- **Rendering the file** (Word/Excel mechanics) → the **docx** / **xlsx** skills.

## Inputs
1. The **completed Step 1 disposition matrix** (comment numbers + sections).
2. The **revised document** (the originator's incorporated version).
3. The **original checker/reviewer comments** (the markup), for comparison.

## Quick Start
```
User: "Backcheck the revised spec against my disposition matrix"
1. Load the Step 1 matrix, the revised document, and the original comments.
2. For each comment, search the revised doc at its cited section for the change.
3. Set status: Incorporated (cite where) / Not Incorporated (state rationale) /
   Needs Clarification.
4. Flag comments with no traceable change; draft disposition language.
5. Fill the Disposition column and deliver the completed form (docx / xlsx).
```

## Core Instructions (Step 2 — Backcheck)
1. **Load** the Step 1 form, the revised document, and the original markup.
2. **For each comment,** search the revised document at the cited section/reference for
   evidence the requested change was made. Use the **pdf** skill to read a PDF revision,
   or read the source file directly.
3. **Set a status per comment:**
   - `Incorporated` — cite **where** in the revised document the change appears.
   - `Not Incorporated` — transcribe the **originator's stated rationale**; never
     invent one.
   - `Needs Clarification` — evidence is ambiguous or absent.
4. **Draft disposition language** where appropriate (e.g., "Incorporated — see revised
   §2.3.3"), for the originator/checker to confirm.
5. **Flag mismatches** — comments with no traceable change, and changes with no matching
   comment — for human review.
6. **Never mark resolved on inference.** If the evidence is not clearly present, mark
   `Needs Clarification`, not `Incorporated`. **Conservative is the key requirement.**
7. **Approval-readiness closeout.** Summarize open items — any `Needs Clarification` or
   `Not Incorporated` without accepted rationale — so nothing unresolved slips to the
   approver. Do **not** approve; route to the human gate.
8. **Fill the Disposition column** and render the completed form (docx / xlsx),
   preserving the Step 1 numbering 1:1. See `references/Comment Disposition Step 2.docx`.

## Output Contract — Completed IDC Disposition Form
Same header and five-column table as Step 1, with **Disposition / Dispositioned by** now
filled:

| No. | Section / Reference | Comment | Basis of Comment | Disposition / Dispositioned by |
|-----|---------------------|---------|------------------|--------------------------------|

Each disposition cell carries the **status**, the **evidence/location** (or rationale),
and **who dispositioned it**. Add a short closeout summary listing any open comments.

## Shared Contract (hand-off from Step 1)
Consume the Step 1 register unchanged — same header, same **stable comment numbering**.
Comment 30 in Step 1 is comment 30 here. Do not renumber, drop, or merge comments; if a
comment is missing from the matrix, flag it rather than silently skipping it.

## Guardrails
- **Read-only, never approve.** Never edit, sign, or approve the source or revised
  document; prepare the record and route approval to a human.
- **Never fabricate.** Do not invent resolution rationale, evidence, or section numbers.
  Transcribe what is present; mark gaps `[NOT STATED]`.
- **Conservative verification.** Never mark `Incorporated` on inference — when unsure,
  `Needs Clarification`.
- **Traceability first.** Every comment keeps its Step 1 number and ends with a status.
- **Human gate.** Technical correctness and final approval always stay with the
  engineer/reviewer.