Reviewer Pattern — Context

Pattern: Reviewer
Component: context.md
Version: 1.1 | Updated: 2026-07-16

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Preconditions (must be true before activation)

• Diff against a known base revision is available
• Acceptance criteria or ticket AC exist and are readable
• Author’s stated intent / test plan is present (PR description counts)
• Risk profile known: public-facing, PII, payments, AI tools, internal-only
• A named human can issue the final Approve / Block for High-risk changes

Trigger conditions (apply the pattern)

Apply when any of the following hold:

• Runtime behavior, API contract, schema, or auth/tenancy rules change
• Security-sensitive surface touched (inputs, secrets, crypto, tool-calling)
• Agent authored the majority of the diff
• Change is on the release path (not a throwaway branch)

Do not apply when

• Documentation-only, no runtime effect
• Import sort / formatter-only with empty behavioral delta
• Spike branch explicitly marked never-merge
• Active incident containment — stabilize first; review the durable fix after

Required inputs

Input	Source	Minimum quality
Diff	PR / git diff base...HEAD	Complete path list + hunks
Acceptance criteria	Ticket / plan	Testable statements
Test evidence	CI or local	Commands + results for changed behavior
Risk profile	Author or security template	Sensitivity + deployment target
Prior findings	Earlier review rounds	IDs to verify closed

Authority boundary

The reviewer agent does not merge, deploy, or rewrite product code. Its durable artifact is a review report with verdict and findings. Final Approve on High-risk changes requires a human distinct from the author.