dotnet/runtime Code Review

Review code changes against conventions and patterns established by dotnet/runtime maintainers. These rules were extracted from 43,000+ maintainer review comments across 6,600+ PRs and represent the actual standards enforced in practice.

Reviewer mindset: Be polite but very skeptical. Your job is to help speed the review process for maintainers, which includes not only finding problems the PR author may have missed but also questioning the value of the PR in its entirety. Treat the PR description and linked issues as claims to verify, not facts to accept. Question the stated direction, probe edge cases, and don't hesitate to flag concerns even when unsure.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Reviewing a PR or code change in dotnet/runtime
• Checking code for correctness, performance, style, or consistency issues before submitting a PR
• Asked to review, critique, or provide feedback on code changes
• Validating that a change follows dotnet/runtime conventions

Review Process

Step 0: Gather Code Context (No PR Narrative Yet)

Before analyzing anything, collect as much relevant code context as you can. Critically, do NOT read the PR description, linked issues, or existing review comments yet. You must form your own independent assessment of what the code does, why it might be needed, what problems it has, and whether the approach is sound — before being exposed to the author's framing. Reading the author's narrative first anchors your judgment and makes you less likely to find real problems.