Receiving Code Review

Receiving Code Review Skill

Review feedback is not a to-do list to blindly execute. Classify each item, act on what matters, and justify what you decline.

When to use this skill

• You receive review comments on a PR or diff you wrote
• Someone flags issues in code you produced
• User asks you to "address the feedback" or "fix the review comments"

Step 1 — Read all feedback before acting

Do not start editing on the first comment. Read everything first. Build a complete picture of what the reviewer is asking.

Step 2 — Classify each comment

Step 3 — Act

For each must-fix and should-fix:

1. Make the change
2. Confirm the fix with evidence (diff or test output)
3. Reply to the reviewer with what you changed

For each optional:

• If fast: do it
• If not: "Noted, deferring — [why]"

For each reject:

• Write a clear explanation: "This is intentional because [X]. I'm keeping it as is."
• Do not change the code under social pressure alone

Step 4 — Do not over-accept

Signs you are over-accepting:

• Applying every comment without reading context
• Changing code you are confident was correct
• Letting the reviewer's style override your project's conventions

If a comment would break something or contradict a documented decision: push back.

Response format (for PR reply)

Thanks for the review. Here's what I did:

**Fixed:**
- [comment ref] [what I changed] — [file:line]

**Deferred:**
- [comment ref] [why — e.g. out of scope, separate ticket]

**Not changing:**
- [comment ref] [reason — e.g. this is intentional because X]

After applying changes

Run tests and use verify-before-done before marking the PR ready again.