PlugWiki

Claude skills for code review

Claude Code's built-in /code-review, the most installed review skills to add, and how to run your first review in five minutes.

Picks
11
ranked

Claude Code already has a code review skill built in: type /code-review and it checks your branch for bugs in a background subagent, on any plan. Add-on skills change how the review is done, and the most installed is Matt Pocock's code-review, which checks your branch against your coding standards and the issue it was meant to solve.

The one thing to know first: a project or personal skill named code-review, such as Matt Pocock's, runs in place of the built-in command, while /review keeps running the built-in one. Treat any review as a second reader, check each finding, and keep running your tests.

The add-ons differ in style more than in power. Matt Pocock's code-review runs two subagents side by side and needs his setup skill to know where your issues live. caveman-review writes one line per finding. Superpowers pairs requesting-code-review, which hands finished work to a fresh reviewer, with receiving-code-review, which stops Claude from agreeing with every comment it gets.

For pull requests, the built-in command takes a PR number (/code-review 1234) and can post inline comments with --comment. Anthropic's code-review plugin in the official marketplace is another option. For security, Sentry's security-review reports only high-confidence findings, and CodeRabbit's skill runs the CodeRabbit CLI, so it needs that tool and an account.

Good for

  • Developers who want a second reader before they merge
  • Solo builders with no teammate to review their code
  • Teams that want the same review checklist on every pull request
  • Anyone checking AI-written code for bugs and security holes

Top picks

Skills whose instructions are about reviewing code changes, ordered by installs on skills.sh as of November 2, 2026, with GitHub stars beside them. Skills with more than 5,000 installs per star, and copies of popular repos under other accounts, are left out.

  1. 1
    code-reviewSkill

    Matt Pocock's skill. Checks your branch against your coding standards and the issue it was meant to solve, in two parallel subagents. It replaces the built-in /code-review; /review still runs that one.

    309,237 GitHub stars
  2. 2
    caveman-reviewSkill

    Writes terse review comments, one line per finding: location, problem, fix, with an optional bug, risk or nit tag.

    116,702 GitHub stars
  3. 3
    requesting-code-reviewSkill

    Part of Superpowers. Sends your finished work to a fresh reviewer subagent before you merge, so it is judged without your session's history.

    310,635 GitHub stars
  4. 4
    receiving-code-reviewSkill

    Part of Superpowers. Makes Claude check review feedback against the code before acting on it, instead of agreeing with every comment.

    310,635 GitHub stars
  5. 5
    code-review-and-qualitySkill

    Addy Osmani's review checklist on five axes: correctness, readability, architecture, security and performance.

    112,555 GitHub stars
  6. 6
    ponytail-reviewSkill

    Reviews a change like the senior developer who gets paged when it breaks: correct, safe, holds under load, tested, fast, lean.

    182,027 GitHub stars
  7. 7
    code-review-excellenceSkill

    Guidance for running reviews as a team: constructive feedback, checklists and mentoring through review.

    42,081 GitHub stars
  8. 8
    thermo-nuclear-code-quality-reviewSkill

    From Cursor's plugin repo. A deliberately strict maintainability review that looks for big simplifications, not just local cleanups.

    14,989 GitHub stars
  9. 9
    security-reviewSkill

    Sentry's security review. Reports only high-confidence vulnerabilities in the code you give it. Socket's audit on skills.sh failed it; read it before you install.

    1,107 GitHub stars
  10. 10
    coderabbitai-code-reviewSkill

    Runs the CodeRabbit CLI on your changes and reads back its findings by severity. Needs the CodeRabbit CLI and a sign-in.

    205 GitHub stars
  11. 11
    code-review (Anthropic)AnthropicSkill

    Anthropic's review command from its engineering plugin: looks at a PR or file for security, performance, correctness and maintainability.

    34,361 GitHub stars

Run your first code review in five minutes

Claude

  1. 1

    Try the built-in review first

    In Claude Code, on your branch, run:

    /code-review

    It reviews your branch and uncommitted changes in the background. Add a PR number (/code-review 1234) to review a pull request, or --fix to have Claude apply the findings.

  2. 2

    Add a review skill for a different style

    For a check against your issue and coding standards, install Matt Pocock's skill:

    npx skills add https://github.com/mattpocock/skills --skill code-review

    It takes over the /code-review name; /review still runs the built-in one. For short one-line comments, install caveman-review from https://github.com/juliusbrussee/caveman instead.

    Uses code-review

  3. 3

    Point it at your changes

    Name what to compare against: a branch, a commit or main. Matt Pocock's code-review asks for this if you leave it out, then reads the diff and the issue it links to.

    Prompt
    Review my changes since main.
  4. 4

    Check each finding

    Read every finding against the code before you act. Ask Claude to fix the ones you agree with, one at a time, and rerun your tests after each.

    Prompt
    Fix the two bugs you flagged in the auth handler and leave the style notes for now.

    Tip: Example prompts are illustrations; use your own branch and file names.

Comparison

Start with the built-in /code-review: it needs no install and handles branches and pull requests. Add Matt Pocock's code-review to check work against its issue, or caveman-review for short comments.

OptionReviewsUses subagentsExtra setupInstalls
Built-in /code-reviewThis pageBranch or PRYesNone–
code-reviewBranch diffYesSetup skill834,148
caveman-reviewAny diffNoNone419,162
requesting-code-reviewFinished taskYesNone269,131
CodeRabbitLocal changesNoCLI and sign-in15,318
code-review pluginPull requestYesPlugin install–

Questions

What is the best Claude Code review skill?

Start with the one built into Claude Code: type /code-review. Of the add-ons, Matt Pocock's code-review is the most installed on skills.sh in November 2026, followed by caveman-review and Superpowers' requesting-code-review.

Does Claude Code have a built-in code review?

Yes. /code-review (alias /review) reviews your branch and uncommitted changes for bugs in a background subagent, on any plan. Add a PR number to review a pull request, --fix to apply the findings, or --comment to post them on GitHub.

Will installing a code-review skill replace the built-in one?

Yes, if the skill is named code-review, as Matt Pocock's is. It then runs when you type /code-review, and /review keeps running the built-in review.

Is there an official Claude code review plugin?

Yes. Anthropic maintains a code-review plugin in the official Claude Code marketplace. Install it with /plugin install code-review@claude-plugins-official; it reviews pull requests with several agents.

How do I review a pull request with Claude Code?

Run /code-review with the PR number, for example /code-review 1234, and add --comment to post the findings as inline comments. Anthropic's code-review plugin in the official marketplace also reviews pull requests.

Can Claude review code for security issues?

Yes. Sentry's security-review skill reports only high-confidence vulnerabilities in the code you give it, and Anthropic's security-guidance plugin warns about risky patterns as Claude edits. Neither replaces a real security audit.

Are code review skills safe to install?

Mostly. Review skills read code and run git commands, and some bundle scripts. Check the skills.sh audit results and read the SKILL.md first; Socket's audit failed Sentry's security-review, for example.

Do these skills work in Codex or Cursor?

Yes. Codex reads skills from .agents/skills and Cursor from .cursor/skills, .agents/skills and .claude/skills, so the same skill folders work there.

What is the difference between code-review and requesting-code-review?

code-review checks a branch against your coding standards and its issue and reports back. requesting-code-review, part of Superpowers, hands finished work to a fresh reviewer subagent as a step in a larger build routine.

Does a code review skill replace human review?

No. It is a fast second reader that catches bugs and missed requirements, but it can be wrong. Check each finding against the code and keep running your tests.

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 16
  1. Review locally with /code-review · code.claude.com
  2. mattpocock/skills: code-review · github.com
  3. Anthropic's marketplaces · code.claude.com
  4. juliusbrussee/caveman: caveman-review · github.com
  5. obra/superpowers: requesting-code-review · github.com
  6. getsentry/skills: security-review · github.com
  7. coderabbitai/skills: coderabbitai-code-review · github.com
  8. skills.sh · skills.sh
  9. addyosmani/agent-skills: code-review-and-quality · github.com
  10. dietrichgebert/ponytail: ponytail-review · github.com
  11. wshobson/agents: code-review-excellence · github.com
  12. cursor/plugins: thermo-nuclear-code-quality-review · github.com
  13. anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins: anthropics-code-review · github.com
  14. Install and manage plugins · code.claude.com
  15. Build skills (Codex) · learn.chatgpt.com
  16. Agent Skills in Cursor · cursor.com

Updated Nov 2, 2026.