# Review > Parallel review of a draft along multiple focuses (voice, structure, slop, hook, closer, optional factual). Spawns N subagents concurrently — each with a single focus and the user's writing-style — then aggregates findings into one severity-grouped report. Use full mode mid-draft or as a pre-publish gate; use delta mode (--since-last / --since ) to review only what changed since the last snapshot or git ref — 3 focuses instead of 5, ~5s instead of ~10s, ~80% fewer tokens. - Skill: `r-bart/review` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add r-bart/review` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/r-bart/review/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: r-bart (https://skillmd.com/u/r-bart) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/r-bart/review --- # /scribetronic:review Multi-focus review of a draft. The orchestrator dispatches one subagent per focus in **parallel** (single message, multiple Task calls), each with a narrow brief and a copy of the user's writing-style override. Each subagent returns findings as a structured table; the orchestrator merges them into a single severity-grouped report. This is the parallel counterpart to `/scribetronic:editing-pass` + `/scribetronic:ai-slop-check`. Two modes: - **Full mode** (default) — review the entire draft against 5 focuses. ~10s wall time. Use as a pre-publish gate or when you want a fresh full read. - **Delta mode** (`--since-last` / `--since ` / `--since-staged`) — review only the lines that changed since the last snapshot or git ref. 3 focuses (voice, slop, continuity), ~5s wall time, ~80% fewer tokens. Use when you've just written a paragraph or two and want fast feedback before continuing. When to pick: - **Mid-draft, just wrote 2 paragraphs** → delta mode (`--since-last`) - **Mid-draft, "let me check the whole thing"** → full mode - **Pre-publish gate** → full mode (sometimes with `--with-evidence`) - **On a worked snippet from a long-form** → full mode ## Voice resolution Before dispatching, load the voice base in this order: 1. **`scribetronic/style/writing-style.md`** in the project root, if it exists — user's personalized override. 2. **Bundled `writing-style/SKILL.md`** template otherwise — generic baseline. Pass the resolved voice content to every subagent so they all check against the same rules. ## Inputs | Argument | Required? | Description | |---|---|---| | `` | Yes | Path to the draft markdown file (e.g. `scribetronic/calendar/2026-W18/drafts/manifesto.md`). Resolved relative to project root. | | `--focus ` | No | Comma-separated list of focuses to run. Default in **full mode**: `voice,structure,slop,hook,closer`. Default in **delta mode**: `voice,slop,continuity`. Add `factual` to either mode when you have a verifiable evidence source. | | `--since-last` | No | **Delta mode.** Review only what changed since the last `/review` invocation on this file (snapshot stored in `.scribetronic/snapshots/.md`, git-ignored by default). On first invocation per file, snapshots and falls back to full mode with a note. | | `--since ` | No | **Delta mode.** `git diff -- `. Examples: `--since HEAD`, `--since HEAD~3`, `--since main`. Errors if the file is not in a git repo. | | `--since-staged` | No | **Delta mode.** `git diff --staged -- `. Useful if you stage as you write. | | `--with-evidence` | No | Enables the `factual` focus. Reads `scribetronic/calendar//notes.md` (or `scribetronic/notes.md`) as the evidence source. Subagent only flags claims that contradict the evidence; never invents facts. | | `--quiet` | No | Suppress per-focus progress lines; only print the final aggregated report. | `--since-last`, `--since`, `--since-staged` are mutually exclusive — passing more than one is a usage error. If `` doesn't exist, refuse with a hint to check the path. ## Focuses Each focus is one Task subagent invocation. The subagent reads the draft + the resolved voice base + the focus-specific brief. ### voice > **Brief**: "Read the writing-style rules below. Then read the draft. Report every line where the draft violates a writing-style rule. Cite the rule from the style guide and quote the offending line. Severity: HIGH if the violation breaks a 'never' rule (e.g. 'not just X, but Y'), MEDIUM if it's a tic-overuse, LOW if it's borderline. Skip everything that doesn't violate a rule." Output shape: ``` HIGH L23 "...not just a number, but a vision" ← rule: "not just X, but Y" banned MEDIUM L41 third rhetorical question in 5 paragraphs ← rule: max 1 per piece LOW L7 adverb stack ("incredibly powerful") ``` ### structure > **Brief**: "Read the draft. Evaluate it on these structural axes: (1) thesis in first 2 sentences? (2) descriptive vs clever H2s? (3) section length variance? (4) bullets used for enumeration only or padding? (5) closer declarative or trailing? Report problems only." Output shape: ``` HIGH L1-2 thesis missing — opener is "I want to share what happened this week" (no point until L8) MEDIUM ## Why H2 is "Meet the new kid on the block" — clever, not descriptive LOW §3-§4 two consecutive 200-word sections — vary length ``` ### slop > **Brief**: "Run the ai-slop-check detection list (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW patterns) over the draft. Report every hit. Be conservative on LOW — only flag if it's definitely lazy." This subagent essentially re-uses `/scribetronic:ai-slop-check`'s detection table. Same output shape as that skill. ### hook > **Brief**: "Read only the first 3 sentences of the draft. Apply the 5 hook patterns from the writing-style guide (number reveal, contrarian assertion, unexpected admission, list promise, specific scene). Verdict: does the hook earn the scroll-stop? If not, propose one rewrite that fits the post's actual subject." Output shape: ``` HIGH L1-3 hook is neutral framing ("This week was about shipping") → propose: "I shipped 4 things this week. Three flopped. Here's why I'm doing more of one of them." ``` ### closer > **Brief**: "Read only the final 2 sentences of the draft. Apply the 4 closer patterns (repeat-thesis-as-command, specific-next-action, one-liner reframe, sign-off with date/CTA). Verdict: does the closer commit to something? If it trails off, propose one rewrite." Output shape: ``` HIGH L156-157 soft closer ("Onwards. Let's see what next week brings.") → propose: "Next week: ship the publishing pipeline. Newsletter on Sunday. Same time." ``` ### continuity *(delta mode only)* > **Brief**: "Read the BEFORE block (last 1-2 paragraphs of the draft as it was) and the AFTER block (the same 1-2 paragraphs plus what was just added). Evaluate ONLY whether the AFTER continues the BEFORE coherently. Check: tone consistency (no genre shift), argument flow (does the new content build on or pivot from what was there?), no orphan references (does the AFTER name a noun the BEFORE didn't introduce?), tense/perspective consistency. Report breaks only." Output shape: ``` HIGH L78-82 AFTER shifts from past tense to present, mid-paragraph (BEFORE was past throughout) MEDIUM L84 "the framework" — first mention; BEFORE never introduced one LOW L80 tone tightens (BEFORE conversational, AFTER didactic) — intentional? ``` This focus is **only run in delta mode**. In full mode it doesn't fire (the whole draft is the content; there's no "before" to compare against). ### factual *(opt-in via `--with-evidence`)* > **Brief**: "Compare every numeric claim, named person, named tool, dated event in the draft against the evidence file . Report contradictions only. Never invent corrections — only flag the discrepancy and quote both." Skip silently if no evidence file is found. Output shape: ``` HIGH L34 draft says "8 free signups, zero paid" — evidence (notes.md L12) says "12 free signups, 1 paid" MEDIUM L51 draft says "MakerOps launched on August 16" — evidence has no date for that launch ``` ## Workflow ### Phase 1 — Resolve and validate 1. Resolve ``. If missing → refuse with `error: draft not found at `. 2. Resolve voice base (`scribetronic/style/writing-style.md` → bundled template). 3. Determine mode: - If `--since-last`, `--since `, or `--since-staged` is present → **delta mode**. - Otherwise → **full mode**. - More than one delta flag → usage error. 4. Parse `--focus` list (default depends on mode): - Full default: `voice,structure,slop,hook,closer` - Delta default: `voice,slop,continuity` - In delta mode, silently drop `structure`, `hook`, `closer` from `--focus` if present (they don't apply to deltas) and emit a `note:`. 5. If `factual` is in the list, locate the evidence source. If absent, drop `factual` silently and warn (`note: skipping factual focus — no scribetronic/calendar//notes.md found`). 6. **Delta mode only — compute the delta**: - `--since-last`: read `.scribetronic/snapshots/.md` if it exists; if not, snapshot the current draft, emit `note: first --since-last on this file — snapshotted, falling back to full mode this run`, then run as full mode. - `--since `: `git diff -- ` (must be in a git repo; error otherwise). - `--since-staged`: `git diff --staged -- `. - The delta is the unified diff. Extract the AFTER hunks (lines prefixed `+`, excluding the `+++` header) and locate them in the current file with line numbers. - If the delta is empty (no changes since the reference), emit `note: nothing changed since — nothing to review` and exit 0 successfully. - Build the BEFORE/AFTER context per added hunk: 1-2 paragraphs of unchanged content immediately above and below, used as continuity anchor. 7. **Delta mode only — at the end, update the snapshot** (only for `--since-last`): write the current draft to `.scribetronic/snapshots/.md` so the next `--since-last` invocation diffs against this run. ### Phase 2 — Dispatch in parallel Spawn one Task subagent per focus, **all in a single message** (parallel tool calls). **Full mode** prompt skeleton: ``` You are running the "" review pass for scribetronic. ## Draft ## Writing-style rules (your reference) ## Your brief ## Output format Return a markdown table with columns: Severity | Location | Finding. Severity: HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW. Location: line number(s) or section heading. Finding: 1 sentence description, optionally followed by "→ propose:" rewrite. Return ONLY the table, no preamble, no closer. Empty table if nothing to flag. ``` **Delta mode** prompt skeleton (per-focus): ``` You are running the "" review pass for a delta in a scribetronic draft. ## What changed (AFTER block — review THIS only) ## What was there before (BEFORE block — context, do NOT flag issues here) <1-2 paragraphs of unchanged content immediately above the AFTER, plus 1 paragraph below if any> ## Writing-style rules (your reference) ## Your brief ## Output format Same as full mode. ONLY flag findings located in the AFTER block. Empty table if the delta is clean. ``` The BEFORE block exists to give the subagent context (so it doesn't flag a pronoun whose antecedent lives in BEFORE) but is NOT itself reviewed. Subagent type: **`general-purpose`** for all focuses. Model: **`haiku`** is fine for voice/slop/hook/closer (pattern-matching tasks); use **`sonnet`** if `factual` is enabled (cross-referencing requires more reasoning). ### Phase 3 — Aggregate Collect each subagent's table. Merge into one table grouped by severity, with a `Focus` column added: ``` HIGH | Focus | Location | Finding | |-----------|----------|------------------------------------------------------| | voice | L23 | "not just X, but Y" construction (rule violation) | | closer | L156-7 | soft closer — propose: "Next week: ship..." | | factual | L34 | claim contradicts notes.md (8 vs 12 signups) | MEDIUM | Focus | Location | Finding | |-----------|----------|------------------------------------------------------| | voice | L41 | 3rd rhetorical question — rule: max 1 per piece | | structure | ## Why | clever H2 ("Meet the new kid on the block") | LOW | Focus | Location | Finding | |-------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | voice | L7 | adverb stack ("incredibly powerful") | | slop | L98 | "Pro tip:" call-out — consider cutting | ``` ### Phase 4 — Verdict Below the tables, print a one-line verdict: ``` verdict: SHIP — 0 HIGH, ≤2 MEDIUM verdict: REVISE — 1+ HIGH or 3+ MEDIUM ``` The thresholds match `/scribetronic:ai-slop-check`'s "If 1+ HIGH or 3+ MEDIUM, revise and rerun" rule. If `--quiet` is set, only print the verdict and the HIGH table (skip MED/LOW). ## Output discipline - The aggregated report goes to **stdout** (it's the data). - Per-focus progress lines (e.g. `dispatching voice... (haiku)`, `voice: 3 findings`) go to **stderr** unless `--quiet`. - Errors (missing draft, missing evidence) → stderr. This lets an agent or script do `result=$(/scribetronic:review draft.md); echo "$result"` and get clean output, while a human running interactively still sees progress. ## Anti-patterns - **Don't run focuses sequentially.** The whole point is parallelism. If you find yourself awaiting one subagent before dispatching the next, re-read this skill. - **Don't let subagents propose rewrites for HIGH violations they didn't find.** Each subagent owns its focus — voice doesn't propose hook rewrites. - **Don't aggregate verbatim findings if multiple focuses flag the same line.** Dedupe by `(line, finding-essence)` and keep the most specific source. - **Don't run `factual` without an evidence file.** Without grounding, the subagent will hallucinate corrections. Drop it silently. - **Don't run full mode on drafts shorter than ~100 words.** The overhead of dispatching 5 subagents isn't worth it. Below that, just use `/scribetronic:editing-pass`. - **Don't run `continuity` outside delta mode.** It needs a BEFORE/AFTER pair. If a user tries `--focus continuity` in full mode, drop it silently with a `note:`. - **Don't update the `--since-last` snapshot if dispatch failed.** The snapshot only advances on a successful run, so a failed review doesn't lose its reference point. - **Don't snapshot in any mode other than `--since-last`.** Other delta modes use git refs and don't need a snapshot file. ## When to use which | Situation | Use | |---|---| | **Just wrote 1-3 paragraphs** | `/scribetronic:review --since-last` (delta, 3 subagents, ~5s) | | **Working in git, want to review the latest stage** | `/scribetronic:review --since HEAD` | | **Want to review only what's currently staged** | `/scribetronic:review --since-staged` | | Mid-draft full check, fastest possible | `/scribetronic:review --focus voice,slop` (full, 2 subagents) | | Pre-publish gate | `/scribetronic:review ` (full, default 5 focuses) | | Post-launch retro with verifiable numbers | `/scribetronic:review --with-evidence` (full + factual) | | Delta with factual check | `/scribetronic:review --since-last --with-evidence` | | Tiny short-form (<100 words) | `/scribetronic:editing-pass` + `/scribetronic:ai-slop-check` | | You want craft-only edits inline | `/scribetronic:editing-pass` (it edits; review only reports) | ## Integration with `/scribetronic:write` The `write` orchestrator currently runs `editing-pass` then `ai-slop-check` sequentially in Phase 4. From v0.3.0 onward, when `review` is available, `write` calls `review` instead: ``` Phase 4 — Quality gate /scribetronic:review if verdict == REVISE: show user the HIGH table ask: revise now / mark draft anyway / cancel ``` This is documented in `write/SKILL.md` and is opt-out via `--no-review` if a user wants the old sequential flow. ## Limitations - **Requires Claude Code with the Task tool.** Won't run in IDEs without parallel subagent support. - **5 subagents = 5x token spend per review.** Default focuses are pattern-matching (haiku-friendly), so cost is low (~$0.01/review at current haiku pricing), but still 5x of one editing pass. - **No streaming.** Findings arrive together when the slowest subagent finishes (typically ~8-12s). Can't show partial results mid-review.