Git Workspace Review Skill for Claude

Git Workspace Review

When NOT To Use

• Writing the commit message (use sanctum:commit-messages)
• Running the full pre-PR gate (use sanctum:pr-prep)

Table of Contents

• Usage
• Required Progress Tracking

Verification

Run git status after review to verify workspace state matches expectations.

Testing

Run pytest plugins/sanctum/tests/test_git_workspace_review.py to validate review workflow.

Usage

Use this skill before workflows that depend on repository state, such as commit message generation, PR preparation, or release notes. Run it once per session or whenever staged changes are modified.

Required Progress Tracking

• git-review:repo-confirmed
• git-review:status-overview
• git-review:code-quality-check
• git-review:diff-stat
• git-review:diff-details

Mark each item as complete as you finish the corresponding step.

Step 1: Confirm Repository (repo-confirmed)

Run pwd to confirm you are in the correct repository directory. Execute git status -sb to view the current branch and short status, then capture the branch name and upstream information.

Step 2: Review Status Overview (status-overview)

Analyze the git status -sb output for staged and unstaged changes. Stage or unstage files so that subsequent workflows operate on the intended diff.

Step 3: Check Code Quality (code-quality-check)

Run make format && make lint to validate code quality before committing. Fix any errors immediately. Do not bypass pre-commit hooks with --no-verify. This check identifies issues early and avoids late-stage pipeline failures.

Step 4: Review Diff Statistics (diff-stat)

Run git diff --cached --stat for staged changes (or

git diff --stat for unstaged work). Note the number of

files modified and identify hotspots with large insertion

or deletion counts.

When sem is available (see leyline:sem-integration),

also run sem diff --format plain --staged to display an entity-level

summary alongside the stat output. This shows which

functions, classes, and methods changed rather than just

line counts.

Step 5: Review Detailed Diff (diff-details)

Run git diff --cached to examine the actual changes. For unstaged work, use git diff. Identify key themes, such as Makefile adjustments or new skill additions, to provide context for downstream summaries.

Exit Criteria

Complete all progress tracking items. You should have a clear understanding of modified files and areas, and the correct work should be staged. Subsequent workflows can then rely on this context without re-executing git commands.

Supporting Modules

• Git commands reference - diff, status, branch operations for sanctum workflows

Troubleshooting

If pre-commit hooks block a commit, resolve the reported issues instead of using --no-verify. Run make format to fix styling errors automatically and use make lint to isolate logical failures. If merge conflicts occur, use git merge --abort to return to a clean state before retrying.