Diffity Review

Diffity Review Skill

You are reviewing a diff and leaving inline comments using the {{binary}} agent CLI.

Arguments

• ref (optional): Git ref to review (e.g. main..feature, HEAD~3). Defaults to working tree changes. When both ref and focus are provided, use both (e.g. /diffity-review main..feature security).
• focus (optional): Focus the review on a specific area. One of: security, performance, naming, errors, types, logic. If omitted, review everything.

CLI Reference

{{binary}} agent diff
{{binary}} agent list [--status open|resolved|dismissed] [--json]
{{binary}} agent comment --file <path> --line <n> [--end-line <n>] [--side new|old] --body "<text>"
{{binary}} agent general-comment --body "<text>"
{{binary}} agent resolve <id> [--summary "<text>"]
{{binary}} agent dismiss <id> [--reason "<text>"]
{{binary}} agent reply <id> --body "<text>"

• --file, --line, --body are required for comment
• --end-line defaults to --line (single-line comment)
• --side defaults to new
• general-comment creates a diff-level comment not tied to any file or line
• <id> accepts full UUID or 8-char prefix

Prerequisites

1. Check that {{binary}} is available: run which {{binary}}. If not found, {{install_hint}}.

Instructions

Step 1: Ensure diffity is running for the correct ref (without opening browser)

The review needs a running session whose ref matches the requested ref. A ref mismatch causes "file not in current diff" errors when adding comments.

1. Run {{binary}} list --json to get all running instances. Parse the JSON output and find the entry whose repoRoot matches the current repo.
2. If a matching entry exists, compare its ref field against the requested ref:

• The registry stores "work" for working-tree sessions and the user-provided ref string (e.g. "main", "HEAD~3") for named refs.
• If refs match → reuse the session, note the port, and continue to Step 2.
• If refs don't match → restart: run {{binary}} <ref> --no-open --new (or {{binary}} --no-open --new if no ref). The --new flag kills the old session and starts a fresh one. Use Bash tool with run_in_background: true. Wait 2 seconds, then verify with {{binary}} list --json and note the port.
• If no ref was requested and the running session's ref is not "work" → restart with {{binary}} --no-open --new (the running session is for a named ref, but we need working-tree).

1. If no session is running for this repo, start one in the background:

• Command: {{binary}} <ref> --no-open (or {{binary}} --no-open if no ref)
• Use Bash tool with run_in_background: true
• Wait 2 seconds, then verify with {{binary}} list --json and note the port.

Step 2: Review the diff

1. Get the unified diff directly from diffity — this handles merge-base resolution, untracked files, and all ref types automatically: `` {{binary}} agent diff ` This outputs the full unified diff for the current session. Line numbers are in the @@` hunk headers.
2. Find and read all relevant CLAUDE.md files — the root CLAUDE.md and any CLAUDE.md files in directories containing modified files. These define project-specific rules that the diff must follow.

Assess the change size and adapt your strategy

1. Gauge the diff size and plan your approach. Every file gets a thorough review regardless of diff size — the difference is how you organize the work:

• Small (under ~100 changed lines, 1-3 files): Straightforward — review each file in order.
• Medium (100-500 changed lines, 3-10 files): Group files by area (e.g. backend, frontend, tests, config). Review core logic files first so you understand intent before reviewing the ripple effects.
• Large (500+ changed lines or 10+ files): Group files by area. Start with core logic, then review every remaining file. For mechanically repetitive changes (e.g. the same rename applied to 20 files), verify the pattern is correct on the first few instances, then check every remaining instance for deviations from the pattern — don't skip any, but you can check them faster once the pattern is established.

No matter the size, read and review every changed file. Do not skip or spot-check files.

Understand the change before reviewing it

1. Summarize the change first. Before looking for problems, build a mental model of the diff:

• What is this change trying to accomplish? (new feature, bug fix, refactor, config change)
• Which files are structural changes vs. the core logic change?
• What is the author's intent? Read commit messages (git log --oneline <args>) and any linked issues or PR descriptions for context.
• What are the key decisions the author made, and what constraints were they working within?

Understanding intent helps you distinguish intentional behavior from real bugs.

1. For each changed file (adjusted by size strategy above), read the entire file (not just the diff hunks) to understand the full context.
2. Cross-reference callers and dependents. For any changed function signature, renamed export, modified return type, or altered behavior: grep for usages across the codebase. A function that looks correct in isolation can break every caller. Check:

• Who calls this function? Will they handle the new return value / error / null case?
• Who imports this module? Will the changed export name resolve?
• Does this type change propagate correctly to consumers?

1. Analyze the code changes using the techniques below. If a focus argument was provided, concentrate on that area. Otherwise, apply all analysis passes and the signal threshold.

How to analyze

The diff tells you what changed; the surrounding code tells you whether the change is correct. Apply these analysis passes:

Data flow analysis — Trace values through the changed code. Where does each variable come from? Where does it go? Check:

• Can a value be null/undefined where the changed code assumes it isn't?
• Does the changed code handle all branches of an upstream conditional?
• If a function's return type changed, do all callers handle the new shape?
• Are there narrowing checks (e.g. if (x)) that the diff accidentally moved outside of?

State and lifecycle analysis — For stateful code (React state, database transactions, streams, event listeners):

• Does the change create a state that can't be reached or can't be exited?
• Are resources (listeners, subscriptions, file handles) still cleaned up on all paths?
• Can concurrent access corrupt shared state?
• Does the ordering of operations still satisfy invariants (e.g. init before use)?

Contract analysis — Check the changed code against the contracts it must satisfy:

• Does the function still satisfy what its callers expect? (Read the callers, don't guess.)
• If it implements an interface or overrides a base method, does it still conform?
• Are pre-conditions and post-conditions preserved?
• For API endpoints: does the response shape match what clients send/expect?

Boundary analysis — For code at system boundaries (user input, network, file I/O, IPC):

• Is user-controlled input validated before use?
• Can malformed external data crash the process or corrupt state?
• Are there injection vectors (SQL, shell, XSS, path traversal)?

Edge case analysis — Only for cases that will happen in practice, not theoretical ones:

• Empty arrays/strings, zero, negative numbers — does the code handle them?
• Off-by-one in loops, slices, or index arithmetic
• Integer overflow, division by zero where the divisor comes from input

Completeness check

After analyzing the code for correctness, check whether the change is complete — not just correct, but finished:

Test coverage:

• If the diff adds new behavior (a new function, endpoint, UI flow, branch), are there tests covering it? If not, flag it as a [suggestion].