---
name: code-review-checklist
description: >-
  Use when reviewing a pull request end to end and you need the five-axis
  checklist (correctness, readability, architecture, security, performance)
  with the order that catches the expensive mistakes first.
metadata:
  learnedBy: "hermes"
  learnedAt: "2026-07-02T09:14:00Z"
  digest: "sha256:0f0a36e2a0fa2a6b4d0b5a5a0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b0b"
  robomotion-origin: promoted
  robomotion-verification: verified
  robomotion-verified-at: "2026-08-01T10:00:00Z"
  robomotion-promoted-by: "reviewer@example.com"
  robomotion-promoted-at: "2026-08-01T10:02:00Z"
  robomotion-uses: "57"
---

1. Read the description and the diff stat before any file; decide the axis
   most at risk for this change.
2. Correctness first: trace every changed branch with one concrete input.
3. Security: every new input boundary gets a "what if this is hostile" pass.
4. Architecture: does the change make the next change easier or harder?
5. Readability and performance last; they are the cheapest to fix later.
What did not work: starting from the largest file — the expensive mistakes
hide in the small ones.