bmad-checkpoint-preview

Guides human reviewers through code changes via structured walkthrough, risk, and testing steps.

Updated Sep 3, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish --skill bmad-checkpoint-preview-watchthelight
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: bmad-checkpoint-preview
Source: https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish/tree/main/.claude/skills/bmad-checkpoint-preview
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/watchthelight/shatterfish --skill bmad-checkpoint-preview-watchthelight

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Reviewing a code change without structure leads to missed risks and shallow approvals. This Skill turns an LLM into a review guide that walks a human through a change step by step — from intent and orientation, through a concern-based walkthrough and risk-spot detail pass, to hands-on testing suggestions and a final approve/rework/discuss decision. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Change Orientation: Identifies the change from PRs, commits, branches, specs, or sprint status, then summarizes intent and surface-area stats (files, modules, boundary crossings, new public interfaces). - Review Trail Generation: Builds a suggested review order of path:line stops grouped by design concern when no author-produced trail exists. - Risk & Testing Passes: Surfaces high-blast-radius spots (auth, schema, billing, security, config) and suggests concrete manual observations of changed behavior. - Use Case: After a teammate opens a PR, say "walk me through this change" and get a guided tour ending in an informed approve/rework decision, with optional gh pr review --approve support. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to walk you through the current branch or a specific PR as a checkpoint review.

Frequently Asked Questions about bmad-checkpoint-preview

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I review a pull request with an AI assistant?

Invoke the checkpoint review with a PR reference, commit SHA, or branch name. The workflow resolves the change, summarizes its intent and diff stats, then walks you through concerns, risk spots, and testing suggestions before you decide to approve or request rework.

How does the checkpoint review decide what code to show first?

It uses a Suggested Review Order from the change's spec if one exists, or generates a trail from the diff by grouping changes into 2-5 design concerns. Stops are ordered so each builds on the previous, leading with the highest-leverage entry point.

Can the review workflow be customized per team or per user?

Yes. A customize.toml file defines activation steps and persistent facts, which can be overridden by team-level and user-level TOML files under _bmad/custom. Overrides merge with scalars replacing and arrays appending.

What happens if git is unavailable during a review?

The workflow degrades gracefully: diff stats are skipped with a note, trail generation falls back to a non-trail path, and the walkthrough proceeds from whatever context is available. If no change can be identified after three exchanges, the workflow halts.

Does the checkpoint review approve PRs automatically?

No. The human always makes the final approve, rework, or discuss decision. The assistant can offer to run gh pr review --approve, but only after explicit confirmation since it is a visible action on a shared resource.