review-steps

This skill is for polishing existing documents at $ARGUMENTS — not generating structure (flesh-out) or critiquing substance (strong-edit).

Stop after each stage and have changes reviewed with user.

Note: Review improves what exists within its structure. The agent handles mechanical checks and research; the developer holds final authority on judgment calls. When a suggestion changes meaning, ask — don't assume.

See responsibilities.md for the full agent/developer ownership matrix.

1. •

   Read and understand the document (developer confirms)

   • •Read the target document and identify its current state
   • •What is the document about and who is the intended audience?
   • •Is this a draft that needs polish, or does it need more fundamental work (flesh-out or strong-edit instead)?
   • •Confirm understanding before proceeding
2. •

   Review for language and consistency (agent leads, developer approves)

   • •Are there spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors?
   • •Is terminology used consistently throughout?
   • •Are there inconsistent patterns (e.g. mixing "e.g." and "for example")?
   • •Fix issues and present changes for approval
3. •

   Review for conceptual clarity (agent leads, developer approves)

   • •Are there incomplete sentences or unclear phrasing?
   • •Are acronyms expanded on first use?
   • •Are there concepts that need further explanation for the target audience?
   • •Are there terms that should be added to a glossary?
   • •Ask: are any deliberately terse sections intentional (e.g. notes-to-self, placeholders)?
4. •

   Review vs relevant structure (agent leads, developer approves)

   • •Do other documents in the same folder or project follow a defined structure?
   • •Does this document conform to that structure, or deviate for good reason?
   • •Are there missing sections that the structure expects?
   • •Ask: are structural deviations intentional?
5. •

   Review vs industry best practice (agent assists, developer leads)

   • •Web search for relevant frameworks and approaches in this domain
   • •How does this document compare against industry patterns?
   • •Are there gaps, missing considerations, or areas for improvement?
   • •Identify unique differentiators worth preserving
   • •Present findings as discussion points — the developer judges relevance and fit
6. •

   Tidy up (agent leads, developer approves)

   • •Add markup links for 3rd party tools and concepts referenced in the text
   • •Check with the user where to update the glossary
   • •Add terms that needed clarification

Pipeline Position

This skill sits in the middle of the composition pipeline: flesh-out -> review-steps -> strong-edit -> agent-optimize. Use it after a document has structure, before it needs critical evaluation.

When to Use This vs Other Skills