Engineering

Pull Request Review Template

A reusable PR review prompt template with variables for repository, branch, change summary, changed files, review criteria, and risk areas.

Open in Prompt Template Builder

Overview

Inconsistent PR reviews happen when each reviewer decides on the fly what to look for. This template encodes your review criteria, risk focus areas, and test expectations into a reusable structure. Paste it into Prompt Template Builder, fill in the PR-specific variables, and get a consistent AI-assisted review every time — covering correctness, security, test coverage, and maintainability.

How to use this resource

Open in Prompt Template Builder

Load the template. The variable list is auto-detected: repositoryName, branchName, changeSummary, changedFiles, reviewCriteria, riskAreas, testCoverageExpectation, maintainabilityConcern, outputFormat.
Fill in the PR-specific values

Enter the repository name, branch, and a short summary of what changed. Paste the changed file list from your Git diff.
Set your review criteria

Define what this specific PR needs reviewed for — e.g. 'security of the authentication flow' or 'performance of the database query layer'.
Copy and paste into your AI tool

Use the filled preview output and paste it along with your code diff into Claude, GPT-4, or your preferred AI model.

Why This Works

Externalizing review criteria into a variable forces the reviewer to articulate what they actually care about before starting
Separating risk areas from general criteria keeps high-priority concerns visible rather than buried in a long list
Using a reusable template means review depth is determined by your template, not by reviewer availability that day
The output format variable lets you switch between inline comments, a summary report, or a blocking/non-blocking checklist

Best for

Teams that want consistent review criteria across all reviewers
PRs with complex logic, security implications, or regression risk
Solo developers who want an AI second opinion before merging
Code review workflows where written feedback is tracked or shared

Not for

Replacing human review — use as a complement, not a substitute
Automated merge gates — AI review should inform, not decide
Very large PRs with hundreds of files — split the PR first

Use cases

Running a consistent AI-assisted review on every PR in your team's workflow
Onboarding new reviewers with a structured checklist embedded in the prompt
Reviewing security-critical changes with explicit risk area focus
Generating a written review summary to attach to the PR thread

FAQ

Can I wire this PR review template into an automated merge gate?

It is not for that; the notFor is explicit that automated merge gates are excluded, and AI review should inform, not decide. Prompt Template Builder fills the variables, and the numbered output (correctness, test coverage, security/edge cases, naming, blocking issues) gives structured feedback, but you paste it plus your diff into your own assistant and a human still owns the merge.

What variables do I fill in the pull request review template?

Nine auto-detected variables: {{repositoryName}}, {{branchName}}, {{changeSummary}}, {{changedFiles}}, {{reviewCriteria}}, {{riskAreas}}, {{testCoverageExpectation}}, {{maintainabilityConcern}}, and {{outputFormat}}. Separating {{riskAreas}} from general {{reviewCriteria}} keeps high-priority concerns visible rather than buried, and {{outputFormat}} lets you switch between inline comments, a summary report, or a blocking checklist.

Customize This Resource

Opens the pre-filled template in Prompt Template Builder. Review the variables, add sample values, and build your output.

Open in Prompt Template Builder

Prompt Template

Copy it as-is, or use Open in Prompt Template Builder to load it pre-filled and customize it with your own context.

Review the pull request for {{repositoryName}}.

Branch: {{branchName}}

Change summary:
{{changeSummary}}

Changed files:
{{changedFiles}}

Review criteria:
{{reviewCriteria}}

Areas requiring extra attention:
- Risk areas: {{riskAreas}}
- Test coverage expectation: {{testCoverageExpectation}}
- Maintainability concern: {{maintainabilityConcern}}

Output format: {{outputFormat}}

Provide structured feedback covering:
1. Code correctness and logic
2. Test coverage adequacy
3. Security and edge cases
4. Naming and maintainability
5. Any blocking issues that must be resolved before merge

Variables in this template

{{repositoryName}} {{branchName}} {{changeSummary}} {{changedFiles}} {{reviewCriteria}} {{riskAreas}} {{testCoverageExpectation}} {{maintainabilityConcern}} {{outputFormat}}

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Guides for this resource

Guide

Prepare a Code-Change Review Packet for a Teammate

You finished an AI-assisted fix and sent your teammate a bare diff — so they skim and approve, or burn an hour reconstructing the context you had. Prepare a code-change review packet: the intent, the must-not-change behavior, the risks, and the tests you didn't run.

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Tip: Save time by exploring related resources and tools that integrate with this resource.