Review the agent's report first, the diff second — Tips
CodingClaude CodeBackground agents

Review the agent's report first, the diff second

Make agents write a report with branch, verification and screenshots. Read the diff only when the report is vague.

A coding agent that only produces a diff is asking you to do its job twice. Require a report instead: what changed and why, how it was verified, screenshots for anything visual, and the branch name.

Then read the report the way you would read a colleague's PR description. If it is specific and the verification is real, skim the diff. If the report hand-waves, read every line.

  • Reports must include the command that was run and its exit status.
  • "Tests pass" without output is not verification.
  • Screenshots go in the repo so the next agent can compare.

This flips the ratio: most reviews take two minutes, a few take twenty, and the twenty-minute ones are exactly the ones that deserve it.

Aug 14, 2026 101