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Phase 1: Load Target Files
Read the target file(s) in full. Read CLAUDE.md for project coding standards.
Phase 2: Identify Engine Specialists
Read .claude/docs/technical-preferences.md, section ## Engine Specialists. Note:
- The Primary specialist (used for architecture and broad engine concerns)
- The Language/Code Specialist (used when reviewing the project's primary language files)
- The Shader Specialist (used when reviewing shader files)
- The UI Specialist (used when reviewing UI code)
If the section reads [TO BE CONFIGURED], no engine is pinned — skip engine specialist steps.
Phase 3: ADR Compliance Check
Search for ADR references in the story file, commit messages, and header comments. Look for patterns like ADR-NNN or docs/architecture/ADR-.
If no ADR references found, note: "No ADR references found — skipping ADR compliance check."
For each referenced ADR: read the file, extract the Decision and Consequences sections, then classify any deviation:
- ARCHITECTURAL VIOLATION (BLOCKING): Uses a pattern explicitly rejected in the ADR
- ADR DRIFT (WARNING): Meaningfully diverges from the chosen approach without using a forbidden pattern
- MINOR DEVIATION (INFO): Small difference from ADR guidance that doesn't affect overall architecture
Phase 4: Standards Compliance
Identify the system category (engine, gameplay, AI, networking, UI, tools) and evaluate:
- [ ] Public methods and classes have doc comments
- [ ] Cyclomatic complexity under 10 per method
- [ ] No method exceeds 40 lines (excluding data declarations)
- [ ] Dependencies are injected (no static singletons for game state)
- [ ] Configuration values loaded from data files
- [ ] Systems expose interfaces (not concrete class dependencies)
Phase 5: Architecture and SOLID
Architecture:
- [ ] Correct dependency direction (engine <- gameplay, not reverse)
- [ ] No circular dependencies between modules
- [ ] Proper layer separation (UI does not own game state)
- [ ] Events/signals used for cross-system communication
- [ ] Consistent with established patterns in the codebase
SOLID:
- [ ] Single Responsibility: Each class has one reason to change
- [ ] Open/Closed: Extendable without modification
- [ ] Liskov Substitution: Subtypes substitutable for base types
- [ ] Interface Segregation: No fat interfaces
- [ ] Dependency Inversion: Depends on abstractions, not concretions
Phase 6: Game-Specific Concerns
- [ ] Frame-rate independence (delta time usage)
- [ ] No allocations in hot paths (update loops)
- [ ] Proper null/empty state handling
- [ ] Thread safety where required
- [ ] Resource cleanup (no leaks)
Phase 7: Specialist Reviews (Parallel)
Spawn all applicable specialists simultaneously via Task — do not wait for one before starting the next.
Engine Specialists
If an engine is configured, determine which specialist applies to each file and spawn in parallel:
- Primary language files (
.gd,.cs,.cpp) → Language/Code Specialist - Shader files (
.gdshader,.hlsl, shader graph) → Shader Specialist - UI screen/widget code → UI Specialist
- Cross-cutting or unclear → Primary Specialist
Also spawn the Primary Specialist for any file touching engine architecture (scene structure, node hierarchy, lifecycle hooks).
QA Testability Review
For Logic and Integration stories, also spawn qa-tester via Task in parallel with the engine specialists. Pass:
- The implementation files being reviewed
- The story's
## QA Test Casessection (the pre-written test specs from qa-lead) - The story's
## Acceptance Criteria
Ask the qa-tester to evaluate:
- [ ] Are all test hooks and interfaces exposed (not hidden behind private/internal access)?
- [ ] Do the QA test cases from the story's
## QA Test Casessection map to testable code paths? - [ ] Are any acceptance criteria untestable as implemented (e.g., hardcoded values, no seam for injection)?
- [ ] Does the implementation introduce any new edge cases not covered by the existing QA test cases?
- [ ] Are there any observable side effects that should have a test but don't?
For Visual/Feel and UI stories: qa-tester reviews whether the manual verification steps in ## QA Test Cases are achievable with the implementation as written — e.g., "is the state the manual checker needs to reach actually reachable?"
Collect all specialist findings before producing output.
Phase 8: Output Review
## Code Review: [File/System Name]
### Engine Specialist Findings: [N/A — no engine configured / CLEAN / ISSUES FOUND]
[Findings from engine specialist(s), or "No engine configured." if skipped]
### Testability: [N/A — Visual/Feel or Config story / TESTABLE / GAPS / BLOCKING]
[qa-tester findings: test hooks, coverage gaps, untestable paths, new edge cases]
[If BLOCKING: implementation must expose [X] before tests in ## QA Test Cases can run]
### ADR Compliance: [NO ADRS FOUND / COMPLIANT / DRIFT / VIOLATION]
[List each ADR checked, result, and any deviations with severity]
### Standards Compliance: [X/6 passing]
[List failures with line references]
### Architecture: [CLEAN / MINOR ISSUES / VIOLATIONS FOUND]
[List specific architectural concerns]
### SOLID: [COMPLIANT / ISSUES FOUND]
[List specific violations]
### Game-Specific Concerns
[List game development specific issues]
### Positive Observations
[What is done well -- always include this section]
### Required Changes
[Must-fix items before approval — ARCHITECTURAL VIOLATIONs always appear here]
### Suggestions
[Nice-to-have improvements]
### Verdict: [APPROVED / APPROVED WITH SUGGESTIONS / CHANGES REQUIRED]This skill is read-only — no files are written.
Phase 9: Next Steps
- If verdict is APPROVED: run
/story-done [story-path]to close the story. - If verdict is CHANGES REQUIRED: fix the issues and re-run
/code-review. - If an ARCHITECTURAL VIOLATION is found: run
/architecture-decisionto record the correct approach.