external-agent-review

External Code Review

Get a second opinion on code changes by calling an external reviewer CLI.

Available Reviewers

Always run reviewer CLIs with a 10-minute timeout — detailed reviews regularly exceed the default 2-minute limit. Pass timeout: 600000 when calling the Bash tool.

Codex

codex exec "<prompt>"

Gemini

gemini -p "<prompt>"

When to Offer a Review

After completing a significant feature, bug fix, or refactor, ask the user if they'd like an external review before marking the work done. Don't automatically trigger a review for small changes like config tweaks, typo fixes, or single-line changes.

Ask something like: "Want me to get a Codex/Gemini review before we wrap this up?"

If the user says no, move on. If they say yes, proceed with the review.

Skip asking and just do it when:

• The user explicitly requested a review
• The user said "check with codex/gemini" or similar

Both reviewers have full repo access and can run git commands, read files, and explore the codebase on their own. Describe what to review in natural language — don't pre-compute diffs. Let the reviewer decide how to inspect.

Example Prompts

• "Review the uncommitted changes for bugs, security issues, and edge cases"
• "Compare the current branch to main and review the differences"
• "Review src/engine/storage.rs for error handling issues"
• "Look at the last 3 commits and check for test coverage gaps"
• "Review the changes in docs/issues/ against the actual implementation"

Choosing a Reviewer

• Default to Codex for general code review
• Use Gemini for architecture questions, large context, or a different perspective after Codex already reviewed
• If one reviewer flags something uncertain, ask the other to weigh in
• If a reviewer CLI isn't installed, fall back to the other; if neither is available, tell the user and skip the review

Handling Feedback

1. Think critically about each point before acting
2. Classify each finding as: valid issue, stylistic preference, or incorrect
3. If you disagree, call the reviewer again with your rebuttal
4. Iterate until consensus or 3 rounds — don't keep going in circles
5. Summarize what you accepted/rejected and why
6. Present the summary to the user and get their sign-off before applying any changes