DEV Community: Deep PR Review

I Built a Claude Code Skill That Catches Bugs Before You Merge Them

Deep PR Review — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:40:00 +0000

I Built a Claude Code Skill That Catches Bugs Before You Merge Them

I kept hitting the same pattern: ask Claude Code to review my PR, it says "looks clean, maybe add some tests," I merge. Then something breaks.

The problem isn't Claude — it's that a single unstructured pass isn't how good code review works. Senior engineers check correctness, then security, then performance, then tests — each as a separate focused pass.

Deep PR Review — 5 Structured Passes

Deep PR Review is a Claude Code skill (one markdown file) that runs 5 structured review passes:

Correctness — Logic errors, edge cases, race conditions, type safety
Security — SQL injection, XSS, missing auth, data exposure (OWASP-aligned)
Performance — N+1 queries, unbounded operations, missing indexes
Maintainability — Dead code, complexity, naming consistency
Test Coverage — Specific missing test scenarios (not generic "add tests")

Every finding gets severity + file:line + concrete fix. Output is a structured verdict: APPROVE / REQUEST_CHANGES / NEEDS_DISCUSSION.

Real Bugs Caught

In a 45-line Express endpoint that passed a quick review:

SQL injection via string interpolation
No auth middleware — any user can search
LIKE '%query%' = full table scan on every request
No input validation on limit parameter
Zero test coverage

Install in 30 Seconds

mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp deep-pr-review.md .claude/skills/

That's it. Works with any language.

$19 on Polar: https://buy.polar.sh/polar_cl_KzwbRqVqMgarD3NrOc00TYmKB3vwAJjKDq5be2HB7ym?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=launch

Landing page: https://dpr.atlas1m.com

I built a Claude Code skill that actually catches bugs in code review

Deep PR Review — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:19:33 +0000

Claude Code reviews PRs if you ask, but the output is shallow — one pass, surface-level findings, generic test advice. It misses the systematic coverage a disciplined reviewer provides.

I built Deep PR Review — a Claude Code skill (a single markdown file) that forces 5 sequential review passes:

The 5 Passes

1. Correctness

Logic errors, edge cases, race conditions, type safety issues.

2. Security (OWASP-aligned)

Injection flaws, auth/authz gaps, data exposure, XSS.

3. Performance

N+1 queries, missing indexes, unbounded operations, full table scans.

4. Maintainability

Complexity, dead code, naming consistency, pattern violations.

5. Test Coverage

Specific missing test scenarios — not generic "add tests" advice.

What You Get

Every finding includes:

Severity (critical / high / medium / low)
Exact file + line number
What is wrong
How to fix it

Output is a structured verdict: APPROVE, REQUEST_CHANGES, or NEEDS_DISCUSSION.

Real Example

A 45-line Express endpoint that passed a standard "review this" prompt had 7 actionable findings when run through Deep PR Review:

SQL injection via string interpolation in the query
No auth middleware (any user could search)
LIKE %query% causing full table scans
No input validation on the limit parameter
Missing rate limiting
No error handling for database failures
Zero test coverage

Why It Works

The insight is simple: Claude already knows how to check for all of this. Without structure, it optimizes for a fast, helpful response. With the skill protocol, it is forced to do 5 complete passes and cannot skip the uncomfortable findings.

Install

cp deep-pr-review.md .claude/skills/

That is it. One file. Works with any language.

Get It

$19 on Polar: Deep PR Review

MIT-licensed. You are paying for the structured protocol, the ready-to-use package, and the examples.

Happy to answer questions or discuss the approach in the comments.

I Built a Claude Code Skill That Catches Bugs Before You Merge Them

Deep PR Review — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:45:00 +0000

I Built a Claude Code Skill That Catches Bugs Before You Merge Them

I kept hitting the same pattern: ask Claude Code to review my PR, it says "looks clean, maybe add some tests," I merge. Then something breaks.

Deep PR Review — 5 Structured Passes

So I built Deep PR Review — a Claude Code skill (one markdown file) that runs 5 structured review passes:

Correctness — Logic errors, edge cases, race conditions, type safety
Security — SQL injection, XSS, missing auth, data exposure (OWASP-aligned)
Performance — N+1 queries, unbounded operations, missing indexes
Maintainability — Dead code, complexity, naming consistency
Test Coverage — Specific missing test scenarios (not generic "add tests")

Every finding gets severity + file:line + concrete fix.

Real Bugs Caught

In a 45-line Express endpoint that passed a quick review:

SQL injection via string interpolation
No auth middleware
Full table scan on every request
No input validation
Zero tests

Install in 30 Seconds

mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp deep-pr-review.md .claude/skills/

$19 on Polar: https://buy.polar.sh/polar_cl_KzwbRqVqMgarD3NrOc00TYmKB3vwAJjKDq5be2HB7ym