Context analysis

Code Review - Context Analysis

Establish comprehensive understanding of the project before conducting detailed code review. This skill is Phase 1 of the 6-phase code review methodology.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Begin a comprehensive code review
• Onboard to an unfamiliar codebase
• Understand project architecture and design decisions
• Identify technical debt before detailed review
• Map dependencies and potential risks
• Plan follow-up review phases

Trigger phrases: "code review", "analyze codebase", "understand architecture", "project analysis", "technical due diligence", "codebase overview", "onboarding"

Review Mode Detection

This skill supports two modes:

• Full Codebase: Analyze the entire project structure, architecture, and dependencies
• Git Changes: Scope analysis to current git changes and their surrounding context

What This Skill Does

Analysis Areas

1. Repository Discovery

   • Directory structure analysis
   • Key files identification
   • Documentation review

2. Architecture Understanding

   • Entry points identification
   • Design patterns recognition
   • Module dependency mapping

3. Dependency Analysis

   • External dependency listing
   • Security vulnerability scan
   • Outdated package detection

4. Build & Deployment

   • Build system review
   • CI/CD configuration
   • Environment setup

5. Codebase Metrics

   • Lines of code
   • Complexity metrics
   • Code duplication

Instructions

Step 1: Determine Review Mode

Full Codebase Mode:

# Get directory structure
tree -L 3 -I 'node_modules|venv|.venv|__pycache__|target|build'

# Identify key files
ls -la

# Read documentation
cat README.md
cat CONTRIBUTING.md

Git Changes Mode (Preflight):

# Scope the changes
git status -sb
git diff --stat
git diff

# Find related modules and usages
rg "function_name" --type-add 'src:*.{py,js,ts,java,go,cs,cpp}'

Edge Case Handling

• No changes detected: Inform the user and ask if they want to review staged changes (git diff --cached) or a specific commit range
• Large diff (>500 lines): Summarize changes by file first, then batch analysis by module or feature area
• Mixed concerns: Group findings by logical feature rather than file order

Step 2: Architecture Analysis

1. Identify Entry Points

   • Look for main.py, index.js, Application.java
   • Find CLI entry points
   • Locate API endpoints

2. Map Design Patterns

   • MVC, layered architecture
   • Repository pattern
   • Factory, singleton patterns

3. Trace Dependencies

   • Internal module imports
   • External library usage

4. Identify Critical Paths

   • Authentication and authorization flows
   • Payment or financial operations
   • Data writes and mutations
   • Network boundaries and external API calls

Step 3: Dependency Health Check

# Python
pip-audit
pip list --outdated

# JavaScript
npm audit
npm outdated

# Java
mvn versions:display-dependency-updates

Step 4: Generate Context Report

Create a report with:

• Executive summary
• Project structure
• Architecture analysis
• Dependency health
• Key findings
• Review focus recommendations

Output Template

# Code Review Context Analysis Report

**Project**: [Name]
**Date**: [Date]
**Reviewer**: [Name]
**Mode**: [Full Codebase / Git Changes]

## Executive Summary
- **Project Purpose**: [Description]
- **Primary Language**: [Language]
- **Architecture Style**: [Pattern]

## Project Structure
[Directory tree]

## Key Components
- Entry Points: [List]
- Core Modules: [List]
- External Interfaces: [APIs, CLI]
- Critical Paths: [Auth, payments, data writes, network]

## Dependency Health
- Total Dependencies: [Count]
- Outdated: [Count]
- Vulnerabilities: [Count]

## Key Findings
### Strengths
1. [Finding]

### Concerns
1. [Finding]

## Recommendations for Review Focus
1. [Area] - [Reason]

Quality Checklist

• Repository structure documented
• Entry points identified
• Architecture patterns recognized
• Dependencies analyzed
• Vulnerabilities checked
• Critical paths mapped
• Metrics collected
• Context report generated

Related Skills

• code-quality - Code quality + SOLID + dead code review (Phase 2)
• security-review - Security analysis, 10-domain model (Phase 3)
• performance-review - Performance analysis (Phase 4)
• testing-review - Test assessment (Phase 5)
• final-report - Consolidated report with verdict (Phase 6)

---

Version: 2.0.0 Last Updated: February 2026 Based on: DevAI-Hub code review methodology + code-review-expert

Iterative Refinement Strategy

This skill is optimized for an iterative approach:

1. Execute: Perform the core steps defined above.
2. Review: Critically analyze the output (coverage, quality, completeness).
3. Refine: If targets aren't met, repeat the specific implementation steps with improved context.
4. Loop: Continue until the definition of done is satisfied.