Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Code Review Specialist agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Code Review Specialist is an agent skill: a packaged set of written instructions that an AI agent loads when your request matches its description. Once installed, it makes the agent review code against a fixed checklist covering security, performance and code quality, and report the results in a consistent format. This guide explains what it does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what to watch for.
Code Review Specialistluongnv89/claude-howto · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the code-review-specialist ZIP from this page. It contains SKILL.md.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Place the skill in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or in .claude/skills/ inside a project for project-only use.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
- 4Make a review request. Ask naturally, for example 'Review the code in src/auth/login.ts for security problems', naming the file or diff.
- 5Read the summary first. Check the 1-5 quality score, the number of findings and the priority areas.
- 6Work through the severity list. Address critical and high issues first, verifying each suggested fix against the code.
What the Code Review Specialist skill makes the agent do
The skill is a written review checklist and output template. It contains no scripts. When it is active, the agent checks code in four areas: security, performance, code quality, and maintainability.
On security, the checklist covers authentication and authorization problems, data exposure risks, injection vulnerabilities, weak cryptography, and sensitive data written to logs. On performance, it covers algorithmic complexity (Big O analysis), memory use, database queries, caching opportunities and concurrency issues. On quality and maintainability, it covers SOLID principles, design patterns, naming, documentation, test coverage, readability, function length (the source suggests under 50 lines), cyclomatic complexity, dependency management and type safety.
Install the skill from the ZIP download
Download the ZIP for this skill from this page. The package contains one file, SKILL.md. Unzip it so that the skill folder sits in one of these locations:
Personal skills folder: ~/.claude/skills/ (available across your projects).
Project skills folder: .claude/skills/ inside your project (available only in that project).
Alternatively, in the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/code-review-specialist/
- Project: .claude/skills/code-review-specialist/ inside your repository
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill's description tells the agent when to use it, so ordinary requests work. The description mentions requests to review code, analyse code quality, evaluate pull requests, and phrases about code review, security analysis or performance optimisation.
Be specific about what you want checked. Naming the file, module or diff gives the agent a clear target.
- Review the code in src/auth/login.ts for security problems.
- Evaluate this pull request for quality and performance.
- Do a quick performance pass on the orders module before release.
- Analyse the code quality of the payments folder.
What a review looks like
The skill asks the agent to start with a summary: an overall quality score from 1 to 5, the number of main findings, and the areas to prioritise. Serious issues come next, each with the problem, its file and line location, the impact, a severity level (critical, high or medium), and a suggested fix with example code.
Findings are then grouped into security, performance, quality and maintainability sections. Each section appears only if the agent found issues in it.
- Summary: score (1-5), number of findings, priority areas
- Critical issues: problem, location, impact, severity, suggested fix
- Category sections: security, performance, quality, maintainability
Safety, requirements and limits
The source lists no requirements, states that the skill runs no scripts, and says it uses no network access. It is only instructions the agent reads.
The checklist guides the model's judgement and cannot guarantee that no vulnerabilities remain. Scores and severity levels are model judgements. For regulated or safety-critical systems, or any module where a missed flaw is costly, have an expert review the findings and do a proper security audit or penetration test.
- Requires: nothing listed in the source
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
Tips for getting useful reviews
Give the agent a bounded scope, such as one pull request or one module, so findings stay specific.
Ask for one focus at a time when you need depth, for example security only before a release.
Check every suggested fix against the real code before applying it, since fixes are model suggestions.
What people use it for
- Second pair of eyes on a pull request or code change.
- Consistent review format with severity levels and suggested fixes for a team.
- Quick security or performance pass on a module before release.
- Checking a module for sensitive data written to logs or weak cryptography.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the code review specialist skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into .claude/skills/ inside a project. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
Does the code review specialist skill require anything else?
The source lists no requirements. The skill is a single SKILL.md file with a review checklist and output template, and it runs no scripts and uses no network access.
Is the code review specialist skill free?
The source does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the item's licence, which is MIT. Check the repository licence for the full terms.
Can this skill replace a human security audit?
No. The checklist only guides the model's review and cannot guarantee that no vulnerabilities remain. Use an expert review or a penetration test for serious security assurance, especially in regulated or safety-critical systems.
How do I trigger the skill?
Make a normal request that matches its description, such as asking to review code, analyse code quality, or evaluate a pull request. Naming the specific file or diff helps the agent focus.
Why does the skill not appear to work?
Check that the folder is in ~/.claude/skills/ or the project's .claude/skills/ and that SKILL.md is inside it. If you use the Claude apps, confirm the upload under Settings, Capabilities, Skills. Then ask again with a clear request that names the code.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you want a consistent, checklist-driven second review of a pull request, or a quick security or performance pass on a module, with severity levels and suggested fixes. Pick a human audit or penetration test instead for regulated or safety-critical code, since the findings and scores are model judgements that cannot guarantee completeness.
Download the skill