review-loop — the independent adversarial loop

Nobody grades their own exam. The maker implements, a separate fresh checker tries to break the claim, and the two alternate until the checker approves the code as it stands right now.

When this applies

Any change to behaviour: executable code, shell/Python/JS/TS/SQL, CI/CD, hooks, commands, agent and skill definitions, runtime prompts, and configuration that changes what the system does.

Exempt: prose documentation, marketing copy, typos, and formatting that cannot change behaviour. When a documentation-only change also touches something a runtime reads, it is behavioural. If you are unsure which side a change falls on, treat it as behavioural.

File count and diff size are not exemptions. A one-line change to an authorization check is behavioural; a 900-line documentation reflow is not.