A Practical Claude Code Review Checklist
📋 Table of Contents
Claude is most useful in code review when it is given a concrete diff and a clear review standard. Ask it to find risks, not to praise the code.
The Review Prompt
Review this diff as a maintainer. Check correctness, security,
backward compatibility, error handling, and missing tests. List only
actionable findings. For each finding, name the affected file and explain
the failure scenario.
Include the ticket goal and the test command. Without that context, an AI may flag style preferences while missing the actual contract.
Review in Two Passes
First ask Claude to summarize what changed. Then ask it to challenge the change: empty inputs, failed requests, permissions, concurrent updates, and rollback behavior. Compare its findings with the real diff and run the tests yourself.
Keep the Human Decision
Do not merge code because an AI says “looks good.” Use Claude to widen the review, then let tests, maintainers, and production safeguards decide. A short, focused review prompt is more reliable than pasting an entire repository without a question.
Discussion
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