A practical reference for code-owner reviewers. For automated AI review, see .agents/agents/code-reviewer.md.
Tip
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A PR should only reach your queue once all automated checks are complete (CI, SonarQube, Copilot). If a PR lands in your queue without meeting these, you can leave a comment and ask the author to put it back in Draft.
Use GitHub's file tree to filter the diff to files your team owns. Mark files as "Viewed" as you go.
Note
If you notice files in the diff that are not covered by any CODEOWNERS entry, update CODEOWNERS yourself to claim them. Unclaimed files get reviewed by nobody.
Focus on things automated tools cannot catch:
- Requirements — does the code actually solve what the linked issue describes?
- Correctness — is the logic sound? Are edge cases and error paths handled?
- Design — does this fit the existing architecture? Are there simpler approaches?
- Trade-offs — are technical decisions and any incurred debt clearly explained in the description?
- New dependencies — are they justified? Check bundle size and peer compatibility.
- Performance — have the changes been profiled or benchmarked where necessary?
- Cross-team impact — does this touch shared APIs or contracts that affect other teams?
Leave style, lint, and code-smell comments to Copilot and SonarQube.
- Be specific: file path, line reference, concrete suggestion. Consider using Conventional Comments to make intent clear.
- Distinguish between blockers (must fix before merge) and suggestions (nice to have).
- Resolve threads once addressed, or explicitly state why you disagree.
Tip
If a rebase pulled in your name on files you don't own, feel free to uncheck yourself from the Reviewers panel.
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