# Code Review Excellence

Should be used when the user asks to review a diff or pull request, write review...

- Repository: https://github.com/Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar (5959 stars)
- Category: Git and review
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-19
- Runs scripts: yes, review before use

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar --skill code-review-excellence -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar --skill code-review-excellence -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar --skill code-review-excellence -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar --skill code-review-excellence -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar`

## Description

This skill should be used when the user asks to review a diff or pull request, write review comments, audit code quality, establish review standards, or improve how a team performs code review.

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

# Code Review Excellence

Transform code reviews from gatekeeping to knowledge sharing through constructive feedback, systematic analysis, and collaborative improvement.

## When to Use This Skill

- Reviewing pull requests and code changes
- Establishing code review standards for teams
- Mentoring junior developers through reviews
- Conducting architecture reviews
- Creating review checklists and guidelines
- Improving team collaboration
- Reducing code review cycle time
- Maintaining code quality standards

## Core Principles

### 1. The Review Mindset

**Goals of Code Review:**
- Catch bugs and edge cases
- Ensure code maintainability
- Share knowledge across team
- Enforce coding standards
- Improve design and architecture
- Build team culture

**Not the Goals:**
- Show off knowledge
- Nitpick formatting (use linters)
- Block progress unnecessarily
- Rewrite to your preference

### 2. Effective Feedback

**Good Feedback is:**
- Specific and actionable
- Educational, not judgmental
- Focused on the code, not the person
- Balanced (praise good work too)
- Prioritized (critical vs nice-to-have)

```markdown
❌ Bad: "This is wrong."
✅ Good: "This could cause a race condition when multiple users
         access simultaneously. Consider using a mutex here."

❌ Bad: "Why didn't you use X pattern?"
✅ Good: "Have you considered the Repository pattern? It would
         make this easier to test. Here's an example: [link]"

❌ Bad: "Rename this variable."
✅ Good: "[nit] Consider `userCount` instead of `uc` for
         clarity. Not blocking if you prefer to keep it."
```

### 3. Review Scope

**What to Review:**
- Logic correctness and edge cases
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance implications
- Test coverage and quality
- Error handling
- Documentation and comments
- API design and naming
- Architectural fit

**What Not to Review Manually:**
- Code formatting (use Prettier, Black, etc.)
- Import organization
- Linting violations
- Simple typos

## Review Process

The rest: https://github.com/Galaxy-Dawn/claude-scholar/blob/HEAD/skills/code-review-excellence/SKILL.md