Codex Implementation Review

Purpose

Use this skill to run adversarial review on uncommitted changes before commit, or on branch changes before merge.

Prerequisites

Working-tree mode (default): working tree has staged or unstaged changes.
Branch mode: current branch differs from base branch (has commits not in base).
codex CLI is installed and authenticated.
codex-review skill pack is installed (npx github:lploc94/codex_skill).

Runner

RUNNER="{{RUNNER_PATH}}"

Workflow

Ask user to choose review effort level: low, medium, high, or xhigh (default: high). Ask review mode: working-tree (default) or branch. If branch mode, ask for base branch name and validate (see workflow.md for base branch discovery). Set EFFORT and MODE.
Run pre-flight checks (see references/workflow.md §1.5).
Build prompt from references/prompts.md (Working Tree or Branch Review Prompt), following the Placeholder Injection Guide.
Start round 1 with node "$RUNNER" start --working-dir "$PWD" --effort "$EFFORT".
Poll with adaptive intervals (Round 1: 60s/60s/30s/15s..., Round 2+: 30s/15s...). After each poll, report specific activities from poll output (e.g. which files Codex is reading, what topic it is analyzing). See references/workflow.md for parsing guide. NEVER report generic "Codex is running" — always extract concrete details.
Parse issue list with references/output-format.md.
Fix valid issues in code; rebut invalid findings with evidence.
Resume debate via --thread-id until APPROVE, stalemate, or hard cap (5 rounds).
Return final review summary, residual risks, and recommended next steps.

Effort Level Guide

| Level | Depth | Best for | Typical time | |----------|-------------------|---------------------------------|-------------| | low | Surface check | Quick sanity check | ~2-3 min | | medium | Standard review | Most day-to-day work | ~5-8 min | | high | Deep analysis | Important features | ~10-15 min | | xhigh | Exhaustive | Critical/security-sensitive | ~20-30 min |

Required References

Detailed execution: references/workflow.md
Prompt templates: references/prompts.md
Output contract: references/output-format.md

Rules

If invoked during Claude Code plan mode, exit plan mode first — this skill requires code editing.
Codex reviews only; it does not edit files.
Preserve functional intent unless fix requires behavior change.
Every accepted issue must map to a concrete code diff.
If stalemate persists, present both sides and defer to user.