Review the change you just made before you call it complete. This is the gate between "I wrote code" and "it's done" — run it on your own diff and fix what it surfaces, don't just report.
Step 1: Get the diff
Look at exactly what changed — git diff (unstaged), git diff --cached (staged), and untracked files. Read the full changed files, not only the hunks; a problem often lives in the context around an edit.
Step 2: Walk the checklist
Go through every item against the diff. For each, either confirm it holds or fix it now.
Reuse before reinvention
- Does this add a function, helper, type, or constant that already exists somewhere in the repo? Search first, then reuse it instead.
- Is any logic duplicated from another module? Call the existing code, don't copy it.
Built-ins and existing dependencies
- Did you hand-roll something the standard library or an already-installed dependency provides (deep-clone, debounce, grouping, UUID, HTTP, parsing, date math)? Replace it with the built-in.
- Did you add a new third-party dependency? That's a decision to raise with the user, not to slip in — flag it.
Comments
- Deleting is the default; keeping one needs a reason you could defend in review. Go comment by comment and cut every one that restates the code, narrates steps, or reads as changelog ("Now we handle…", "Added to fix…").
- What survives gets one sentence, and only where it earns its place: a why, a gotcha, an invariant, a link. A second sentence usually means the first one restated the code.
- Prefer a clearer name over a comment.
Imports
- Did you import inside a function or method? Hoist it to the top of the file. It reads as an agent tell — the import got written where the need surfaced, not where it belongs — and it hides a module's dependencies from anyone scanning the file.
- Keep it local only when it earns it: breaking an import cycle, or deferring an optional/expensive dependency. Say which, in a
# noqa comment on the line.
Dead code and leftovers
- No commented-out code, no unused variables/imports/functions, no debug prints or
console.log/dbg! scaffolding, no stray TODO/FIXME without a reference.
Tests
- New behavior has tests (happy path + error/edge paths). A bug fix has a test that fails without the fix. Run the suite from CLAUDE.md and confirm it's green.
Scope and minimalism
- Every changed line serves the task. No unrelated refactoring, renaming, or reformatting rode along. Revert what isn't yours to change.
Conventions and correctness
- Matches the repo's existing patterns, naming, and structure (and any
.claude/rules/*.md covering the touched files).
- Errors are surfaced, not swallowed — no empty catches, no fallback values that hide a failure.
Step 3: Report the verdict
State plainly: what you fixed on this pass, and confirm the checklist now holds (or name any item you consciously left and why). If nothing needed fixing, say so — a clean pass is a valid result, not a reason to invent changes.
Rules
- Fix, don't just flag — this runs on your own work, so finish the job.
- Do NOT expand scope while reviewing: this pass tightens the existing change, it doesn't add features.
- Be honest. The point is to catch your own misses before a human does, not to rubber-stamp.
When NOT to use
- There's no uncommitted change to review — nothing to do.
- The user wants a review of someone else's PR or branch — use the review skill (it's built for that, with severity levels and validation).
- The change is a pure docs/prose edit with no code — the humanize skill fits better.
1---2name: self-review3description: Review the change you just made before you call it complete. This is the gate between "I wrote code" and "it's done" — run it on your own diff and fix what it surfaces, don't just report.4---56Review the change you just made before you call it complete. This is the gate between "I wrote code" and "it's done" — run it on your own diff and fix what it surfaces, don't just report.78## Step 1: Get the diff910Look at exactly what changed — `git diff` (unstaged), `git diff --cached` (staged), and untracked files. Read the full changed files, not only the hunks; a problem often lives in the context around an edit.1112## Step 2: Walk the checklist1314Go through every item against the diff. For each, either confirm it holds or fix it now.1516**Reuse before reinvention**17- Does this add a function, helper, type, or constant that already exists somewhere in the repo? Search first, then reuse it instead.18- Is any logic duplicated from another module? Call the existing code, don't copy it.1920**Built-ins and existing dependencies**21- Did you hand-roll something the standard library or an already-installed dependency provides (deep-clone, debounce, grouping, UUID, HTTP, parsing, date math)? Replace it with the built-in.22- Did you add a new third-party dependency? That's a decision to raise with the user, not to slip in — flag it.2324**Comments**25- Deleting is the default; keeping one needs a reason you could defend in review. Go comment by comment and cut every one that restates the code, narrates steps, or reads as changelog ("Now we handle…", "Added to fix…").26- What survives gets one sentence, and only where it earns its place: a *why*, a gotcha, an invariant, a link. A second sentence usually means the first one restated the code.27- Prefer a clearer name over a comment.2829**Imports**30- Did you import inside a function or method? Hoist it to the top of the file. It reads as an agent tell — the import got written where the need surfaced, not where it belongs — and it hides a module's dependencies from anyone scanning the file.31- Keep it local only when it earns it: breaking an import cycle, or deferring an optional/expensive dependency. Say which, in a `# noqa` comment on the line.3233**Dead code and leftovers**34- No commented-out code, no unused variables/imports/functions, no debug prints or `console.log`/`dbg!` scaffolding, no stray TODO/FIXME without a reference.3536**Tests**37- New behavior has tests (happy path + error/edge paths). A bug fix has a test that fails without the fix. Run the suite from CLAUDE.md and confirm it's green.3839**Scope and minimalism**40- Every changed line serves the task. No unrelated refactoring, renaming, or reformatting rode along. Revert what isn't yours to change.4142**Conventions and correctness**43- Matches the repo's existing patterns, naming, and structure (and any `.claude/rules/*.md` covering the touched files).44- Errors are surfaced, not swallowed — no empty catches, no fallback values that hide a failure.4546## Step 3: Report the verdict4748State plainly: what you fixed on this pass, and confirm the checklist now holds (or name any item you consciously left and why). If nothing needed fixing, say so — a clean pass is a valid result, not a reason to invent changes.4950## Rules5152- Fix, don't just flag — this runs on your own work, so finish the job.53- Do NOT expand scope while reviewing: this pass tightens the existing change, it doesn't add features.54- Be honest. The point is to catch your own misses before a human does, not to rubber-stamp.5556## When NOT to use5758- There's no uncommitted change to review — nothing to do.59- The user wants a review of *someone else's* PR or branch — use the review skill (it's built for that, with severity levels and validation).60- The change is a pure docs/prose edit with no code — the humanize skill fits better.
steph-dove