Go Backend Code Review#

Arguments#

• --parallel: Review each technology area concurrently if the agent supports it (see Step 5)
• Path: Target directory (default: current working directory)

Step 1: Identify Changed Files#

bash

git diff --name-only $(git merge-base HEAD main)..HEAD | grep -E '\.go$'

Pass condition: If this prints nothing, state No Go files in this diff in the summary and skip Steps 2–6; do not invent findings for out-of-scope files.

Step 2: Detect Technologies#

bash

# Detect BubbleTea TUI
grep -r "charmbracelet/bubbletea\|tea\.Model\|tea\.Cmd" --include="*.go" -l | head -3

# Detect Wish SSH
grep -r "charmbracelet/wish\|ssh\.Session\|wish\.Middleware" --include="*.go" -l | head -3

# Detect Prometheus
grep -r "prometheus/client_golang\|promauto\|prometheus\.Counter" --include="*.go" -l | head -3

# Detect ZeroLog
grep -r "rs/zerolog\|zerolog\.Logger" --include="*.go" -l | head -3

# Check for test files
git diff --name-only $(git merge-base HEAD main)..HEAD | grep -E '_test\.go$'

Step 3: Load Verification Protocol#

Load the review-verification-protocol skill and keep its checklist in mind throughout the review.

Step 4: Load Skills#

Load each applicable skill below (open its SKILL.md and follow it).

Always load:

• go-code-review

Conditionally load based on detection:

ConditionSkillTest files changedgo-testing-code-reviewBubbleTea detectedbubbletea-code-reviewWish SSH detectedwish-ssh-code-reviewPrometheus detectedprometheus-go-code-review

Pass before Step 5: You have loaded go-code-review (and the Step 3 verification protocol). Load a conditional skill only when its row applies: _test.go in Step 1 diff → testing skill; BubbleTea/Wish/Prometheus skill only if the matching Step 2 grep returned at least one path (if grep returned nothing, do not load that skill).

Step 5: Review#

If the agent supports subagents, dispatch one per technology area in parallel; otherwise run the areas sequentially. Either path produces identical output.

Sequential (default, and the fallback when subagents are unavailable):

1. Load applicable skills
2. Review Go quality issues first (error handling, concurrency, interfaces)
3. Review detected technology areas
4. Consolidate findings

Parallel ( --parallel, only if the agent supports subagents):

1. Detect all technologies upfront
2. Dispatch one subagent per technology area
3. Each subagent loads its skill and reviews its domain
4. Wait for all subagents
5. Consolidate findings

Step 6: Verify Findings#

Before reporting any issue:

1. Re-read the actual code (not just diff context)
2. For "unused" claims - did you search all references?
3. For "missing" claims - did you check framework/parent handling?
4. For syntax issues - did you verify against current version docs?
5. Remove any findings that are style preferences, not actual issues

Hard gates before listing any Critical or Major issue (Informational may be lighter):

1. Read-depth: You opened the file on disk and read at least the enclosing function or block (diff-only or excerpt-only reading is not enough).
2. Unused / dead code: You ran a reference search ( rg/IDE) and noted the result in the finding (e.g. no references outside tests), or you are not claiming unused symbols.
3. “Missing” behavior: You checked callers, framework wiring, or docs for the claimed gap, or you downgraded/dropped the item.

Step 7: Review Convergence#

Single-Pass Completeness#

You MUST report ALL issues across ALL categories (style, logic, types, tests, security, performance) in a single review pass. Do not hold back issues for later rounds.

Before submitting findings, ask yourself:

• "If all my recommended fixes are applied, will I find NEW issues in the fixed code?"
• "Am I requesting new code (tests, types, modules) that will itself need review?"

If yes to either: include those anticipated downstream issues NOW, in this review, so the author can address everything at once.

Scope Rules#

• Review ONLY the code in the diff and directly related existing code
• Do NOT request new features, test infrastructure, or architectural changes that didn't exist before the diff
• If test coverage is missing, flag it as ONE Minor issue ("Missing test coverage for X, Y, Z") — do NOT specify implementation details like mock libraries, behaviour extraction, or dependency injection patterns that would introduce substantial new code
• Typespecs, documentation, and naming issues are Minor unless they affect public API contracts
• Do NOT request adding new dependencies (e.g. Mox, testing libraries, linter plugins)

Fix Complexity Budget#

Fixes to existing code should be flagged at their real severity regardless of size.

However, requests for net-new code that didn't exist before the diff must be classified as Informational:

• Adding a new dependency (e.g. Mox, a linter plugin)
• Creating entirely new modules, files, or test suites
• Extracting new behaviours, protocols, or abstractions

These are improvement suggestions for the author to consider in future work, not review blockers.

Iteration Policy#

If this is a re-review after fixes were applied:

• ONLY verify that previously flagged issues were addressed correctly
• Do NOT introduce new findings unrelated to the previous review's issues
• Accept Minor/Nice-to-Have issues that weren't fixed — do not re-flag them
• The goal of re-review is VERIFICATION, not discovery

Output Format#

markdown

## Review Summary

[1-2 sentence overview of findings]

## Issues

### Critical (Blocking)

1. [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE
   - Issue: Description of what's wrong
   - Why: Why this matters (bug, race condition, resource leak, security)
   - Fix: Specific recommended fix

### Major (Should Fix)

2. [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE
   - Issue: ...
   - Why: ...
   - Fix: ...

### Minor (Nice to Have)

N. [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE
   - Issue: ...
   - Why: ...
   - Fix: ...

### Informational (For Awareness)

N. [FILE:LINE] SUGGESTION_TITLE
   - Suggestion: ...
   - Rationale: ...

## Good Patterns

- [FILE:LINE] Pattern description (preserve this)

## Verdict

Ready: Yes | No | With fixes 1-N (Critical/Major only; Minor items are acceptable)
Rationale: [1-2 sentences]

Post-Fix Verification#

After fixes are applied, run:

bash

go build ./...
go vet ./...
golangci-lint run
go test -v -race ./...

All checks must pass before approval.

Rules#

• Load skills BEFORE reviewing (not after)
• Number every issue sequentially (1, 2, 3...)
• Include FILE:LINE for each issue
• Separate Issue/Why/Fix clearly
• Categorize by actual severity
• Check for race conditions with -race flag
• Run verification after fixes
• Report ALL issues in a single pass — do not hold back findings for later iterations
• Re-reviews verify previous fixes ONLY — no new discovery
• Requests for net-new code (new modules, dependencies, test suites) are Informational, not blocking
• The Verdict ignores Minor and Informational items — only Critical and Major block approval