Free one-pager: STOP conditions for AI agent PRs

AI-assisted pull requests can be smaller and safer—but only if “looks plausible” is not treated as a review.

STOP is a compact pause point for AI-authored PRs. It is not anti-AI; it is a reminder to stop merging when evidence is missing.

The STOP check

Pause when any of these conditions is true:

• Scope drift: the diff changes files, behavior, or dependencies outside the stated task.
• Weak tests: the summary says “all good,” but relevant tests were not run or do not exercise the changed path.
• Opaque risk: new permissions, network calls, migrations, generated code, or security-sensitive logic appear without a clear explanation.
• Possible data exposure: logs, fixtures, prompts, environment values, or copied snippets need a deliberate secrets check.

A practical review loop:

1. Write down the intended boundary before reading the agent’s summary.
2. Inspect the diff, not just the explanation. Ask what changed and what did not.
3. Require evidence for behavior claims: focused tests, CI results, and a rollback path.
4. Split the PR or send it back when the agent expanded the task instead of guessing at intent.

This pairs well with “commit before agent” and “plan before multi-file.” Small checkpoints make it easier to see the real change and reject a confident but unsupported summary.

The goal is not to slow every PR. It is to spend a few minutes up front so an AI shortcut does not become an on-call incident, surprise dependency, or hard-to-reproduce security problem.

Free one-pager

Printable checklist: https://chopragunji.gumroad.com/l/zpnmdn

For the longer self-serve workflow with Cursor rules and review prompts, the Riven Desk AI Agent Code Review Kit is here ($29): https://chopragunji.gumroad.com/l/nxoboi

Use the free page first; the kit is simply for teams that want the surrounding workflow.