Why Code Review Matters
Code review is the highest-leverage activity in engineering. A single review cycle can prevent hours of debugging, improve the architecture, and raise the bar for the entire team — or it can demoralize, block, and create bottlenecks.
Review the Design, Not Just the Code
The most impactful feedback happens at the design level. Does this PR solve the right problem? Is the abstraction the right one? These questions matter more than style nits. Leave them early, before deep-diving into implementation.
Tone Is Everything
Feedback lands differently depending on framing. Compare:
- ❌ "This is wrong"
- ✅ "I think this might cause X in the Y case — what do you think about Z instead?"
Questions invite collaboration. Statements create defensiveness.
The "Nit" Label
Prefix low-priority comments with nit:. This signals to the author that the comment is optional and not blocking. It respects their time and reduces decision fatigue.
Approve With Comments
Not every comment needs to block a merge. Approving with non-blocking suggestions shows trust and keeps velocity high. Reserve blocking reviews for genuine correctness or security issues.
What to Look For
- Correctness — does it work in all edge cases?
- Security — input validation, auth checks, injection risks
- Performance — N+1 queries, unnecessary re-renders, blocking calls
- Readability — can a future maintainer understand this in 6 months?
- Tests — are the right cases covered?