code-review-checklist

Code Review Checklist

Quick Review Checklist

Correctness

• [ ] Code does what it's supposed to do
• [ ] Edge cases handled
• [ ] Error handling in place
• [ ] No obvious bugs

Security

• [ ] Input validated and sanitized
• [ ] No SQL/NoSQL injection vulnerabilities
• [ ] No XSS or CSRF vulnerabilities
• [ ] No hardcoded secrets or sensitive credentials
• [ ] AI-Specific: Protection against Prompt Injection (if applicable)
• [ ] AI-Specific: Outputs are sanitized before being used in critical sinks

Performance

• [ ] No N+1 queries
• [ ] No unnecessary loops
• [ ] Appropriate caching
• [ ] Bundle size impact considered

Code Quality

• [ ] Clear naming
• [ ] DRY - no duplicate code
• [ ] SOLID principles followed
• [ ] Appropriate abstraction level

Testing

• [ ] Unit tests for new code
• [ ] Edge cases tested
• [ ] Tests readable and maintainable

Documentation

• [ ] Complex logic commented
• [ ] Public APIs documented
• [ ] README updated if needed

AI & LLM Review Patterns (2025)

Logic & Hallucinations

• [ ] Chain of Thought: Does the logic follow a verifiable path?
• [ ] Edge Cases: Did the AI account for empty states, timeouts, and partial failures?
• [ ] External State: Is the code making safe assumptions about file systems or networks?

Prompt Engineering Review

// ❌ Vague prompt in code
const response = await ai.generate(userInput);

// ✅ Structured & Safe prompt
const response = await ai.generate({
  system: "You are a specialized parser...",
  input: sanitize(userInput),
  schema: ResponseSchema
});

Anti-Patterns to Flag

// ❌ Magic numbers
if (status === 3) { ... }

// ✅ Named constants
if (status === Status.ACTIVE) { ... }

// ❌ Deep nesting
if (a) { if (b) { if (c) { ... } } }

// ✅ Early returns
if (!a) return;
if (!b) return;
if (!c) return;
// do work

// ❌ Long functions (100+ lines)
// ✅ Small, focused functions

// ❌ any type
const data: any = ...

// ✅ Proper types
const data: UserData = ...

Review Comments Guide

// Blocking issues use ?
? BLOCKING: SQL injection vulnerability here

// Important suggestions use ?
? SUGGESTION: Consider using useMemo for performance

// Minor nits use ?
? NIT: Prefer const over let for immutable variable

// Questions use ❓
❓ QUESTION: What happens if user is null here?