The test suite passes on the current branch
All changes are committed (no dirty working tree)
You have determined BASE_SHA and HEAD_SHA
You can articulate what was built and why
You know the plan or specification to review against
You have scoped the review correctly (single task vs. batch)

If any condition is unmet, resolve it before requesting review.

When to Initiate

Required:

After each task in delegated-execution workflows
After completing a significant feature
Before landing on the trunk branch

Discretionary but recommended:

When stuck (an outside perspective often unblocks)
Before starting a large refactor (establish a baseline)
After resolving a tricky defect

How to Initiate

1. Capture the commit range:

BASE_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD~1)  # or origin/main
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

2. Launch a code-reviewer subagent:

Dispatch the code-reviewer agent (agents/code-reviewer.md) using the Agent tool. Fill in the template at code-reviewer.md.

Template placeholders:

{WHAT_WAS_IMPLEMENTED} — What was just built
{PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS} — What it should satisfy
{BASE_SHA} — Starting commit
{HEAD_SHA} — Ending commit
{DESCRIPTION} — Brief narrative

3. Respond to findings:

Resolve Critical findings immediately
Resolve Important findings before advancing
Log Minor findings for a future pass
Object with evidence if the reviewer is mistaken

Walkthrough

[Just completed Task 3: Add data validation layer]

You: Initiating quality gate before proceeding.

BASE_SHA=$(git log --oneline | grep "Task 2" | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')
HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

[Launch code-reviewer agent (agents/code-reviewer.md)]
  WHAT_WAS_IMPLEMENTED: Input validation and sanitization for all API endpoints
  PLAN_OR_REQUIREMENTS: Task 3 from docs/plans/api-hardening-plan.md
  BASE_SHA: c4e19a7
  HEAD_SHA: 8b2f305
  DESCRIPTION: Added validateRequest() and sanitizeInput() with 5 rule types

[Subagent returns]:
  Strengths: Comprehensive rule coverage, solid test assertions
  Issues:
    Important: Missing rate-limit header on validation error responses
    Minor: Hardcoded threshold (50) for payload size check
  Assessment: Ready to proceed after addressing Important item

You: [Fix rate-limit header]
[Continue to Task 4]

Cognitive Traps

Rationalization	Truth
"It's a tiny change — no review needed"	Small diffs cause large outages. Review everything.
"I tested it exhaustively"	Testing and review catch fundamentally different classes of issues.
"Review will slow momentum"	Fixing production incidents slows momentum far more.
"The reviewer won't follow this code"	If a reviewer cannot follow it, neither will the next engineer.
"I'll batch review on the next PR"	Quality debt compounds. Review now or pay compounded interest later.

Integration

godmode:delegated-execution:

Review after EACH delegated task
Surface defects before they cascade
Resolve before starting the next task

godmode:task-runner:

Review after each batch of tasks
Collect feedback, apply corrections, continue

Ad-Hoc Development:

Review before landing
Review when blocked

Guardrails

Prohibited:

Skipping review because "it's straightforward"
Ignoring Critical findings
Advancing with unresolved Important findings
Dismissing valid technical feedback without evidence
Landing changes with open Critical or Important items

Mandatory:

Review after every task in delegated-execution
Include BASE_SHA and HEAD_SHA in every review request
Respond to Critical findings immediately
Object with code or test evidence when disputing feedback
Request clarification when feedback is vague

Process Diagram

START: Work finished
  |
  +-- Suite green? --NO--> Fix tests first
  |        |
  |       YES
  |        |
  +-- Changes committed? --NO--> Commit changes
  |        |
  |       YES
  |        |
  +-- Determine BASE_SHA and HEAD_SHA
  |        |
  +-- Launch code-reviewer agent (agents/code-reviewer.md)
  |        |
  +-- Wait for results
  |        |
  +-- Critical items? --YES--> Fix now, re-review
  |        |
  |       NO
  |        |
  +-- Important items? --YES--> Fix before advancing
  |        |
  |       NO
  |        |
  +-- Log Minor items for later
  |        |
  +-- ADVANCE to next task

See reviewer template at: quality-gate/code-reviewer.md

quality-gate

Quality Gate

Prime Directive

The Entry Protocol