# Code Review

Use when reviewing Basic Machines code for house style, architecture risk, pre-merge...

- Repository: https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory (4440 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill code-review -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill code-review -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill code-review -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory --skill code-review -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add basicmachines-co/basic-memory`

## Description

Use when reviewing Basic Machines code for house style, architecture risk, pre-merge hardening, or whether a change fits basic-memory/basic-memory-cloud conventions.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Basic Machines Review

Use this skill for repo-local review passes where ordinary code review needs Basic Machines
house style and architecture judgment. Report findings only; do not edit code unless the user
asks you to fix specific findings.

## Scope

Review the current diff or named files against:

- The repo's `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md`
- `docs/ENGINEERING_STYLE.md`
- The touched code paths and tests

Apply only the guidance for the active repo. In `basic-memory`, prioritize local-first
file/database/MCP boundaries. In `basic-memory-cloud`, prioritize tenant/workspace isolation,
cloud worker behavior, and web-v2 state/runtime boundaries.

## Review Rubric

Report only concrete, falsifiable risks:

- **Cognitive load:** Is the change harder to understand than the problem requires?
- **Change propagation:** Will one product change force edits across unrelated layers?
- **Knowledge duplication:** Is the same rule encoded in multiple places that can drift?
- **Accidental complexity:** Did the change add abstractions, fallbacks, or state without need?
- **Dependency direction:** Are API/MCP/CLI, services, repositories, and UI stores respecting
  their intended boundaries?
- **Domain model distortion:** Do names and types still match the product concept, or did a
  transport/storage detail leak into the domain?
- **Test oracle quality:** Would the tests fail for the bug or regression the change claims to
  protect against?

## House Rules To Check Explicitly

The rest: https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/blob/HEAD/.agents/skills/code-review/SKILL.md