Self review before response

Skill: Self-Review Before Response

Purpose

Audit your own diff like a strict reviewer before claiming a task is done.

When to use

Use before EVERY final response after making code changes. This is a mandatory step, not optional.

Why

Average models skip self-review, leading to slip-through bugs. This skill forces a structured audit to catch scope creep, unintended changes, and hidden issues.

Inputs

The diff from your changes, the original request, and the verification results.

Workflow

1. Generate or review the diff of all changed files.
2. Run through every item in templates/self-review-checklist.md.
3. For any unchecked item, fix the issue or explicitly note it as a deferred risk.
4. Fill in the Summary section: files changed, verification run, risks/follow-up.
5. Include the completed checklist in your final response to the user.

Checklist

Use templates/self-review-checklist.md which includes:

• Changed lines trace directly to the original request
• No unrelated files modified (no scope creep)
• No unrelated formatting or whitespace churn
• No invented behavior or assumptions not in spec
• No duplicated logic introduced
• Edge cases identified and handled (or explicitly noted as deferred)
• Failure/error paths handled (not silently swallowed)
• Tests added or updated when behavior changed
• Documentation updated only when needed (no gratuitous doc changes)
• No secrets, PII, or credentials in the diff
• Public API preserved unless explicitly required to change
• Verification commands run and results reported honestly

Outputs

A completed self-review report with the checklist, files changed, verification results, and any risks or follow-up items.

Failure modes

• Skipping the checklist for "small" changes that still alter behavior.
• Self-approve without running through every checklist item.
• Claiming "looks good" without running the checklist and reporting results honestly.
• Omitting risks or follow-up items from the summary.

Verification checklist

• Diff reviewed against every checklist item.
• Unchecked items fixed or explicitly deferred with justification.
• Summary includes changed files, verification run, and risks/follow-up.
• Final response honestly reflects verification outcome.

Related skills

• skills/core/verification-before-done/SKILL.md — runs verification commands and reports evidence.
• commands/vibe-self-review.md — short command prompt to trigger this checklist.