The 15-Minute
PR Review Checklist

0 / 18

Step 1 — Read the Story 2 min

Read the PR description + linked ticket
Can you say in one sentence what this PR is supposed to do? If not, ask before reviewing.

Step 2 — Map the Blast Radius 2 min

Sort files into 3 buckets: CORE logic / PLUMBING / NOISE
Mark noise files as "viewed" to hide them
Rank core files by risk (auth, money, data > everything else)

Step 3 — Run It Before You Read It 4 min

gh pr checkout <number>
Run the app/tests, actually poke the feature
Optional: ask an AI agent SPECIFIC questions ("what happens if this call fails?", "which callers weren't updated?") — bloodhound, not judge

Step 4 — Review the Core Only 5 min

Correctness: does it do what the ticket says, incl. unhappy paths?
Blast radius: what calls this? what SHOULD have changed but didn't?
Tests: do they test behavior, or just mirror the code?
Reversibility: how hard to undo? (migrations + API contracts = triple scrutiny)
Skip style/naming — that's the linter's job

Step 5 — Write Comments That Get Acted On 2 min

Prefix every comment: blocking: / question: / nit:
Describe consequences, not aesthetics ("this double-charges on retry" not "this is messy")
Include one genuine piece of praise

Reminder: the AI can assist Step 3, but Steps 1, 2 and 4 are yours. It doesn't know what the PR is FOR, it can't see missing code, and "the AI approved it" won't fly at 2am.

Full workflow in the video ↑ · My PR-writing video (stacked small PRs): watch here