Pull Request Review Template
A reusable PR review prompt template with variables for repository, branch, change summary, changed files, review criteria, and risk areas.
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.
Workflow
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Open in Prompt Template Builder
Load the template. The variable list is auto-detected: repositoryName, branchName, changeSummary, changedFiles, reviewCriteria, riskAreas, testCoverageExpectation, maintainabilityConcern, outputFormat.
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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.
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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'.
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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