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Checkpoint Review Workflow

Free

Streamline your change review process with guided steps.

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Free · Opens the source repo

What Checkpoint Review Workflow does

The Checkpoint Review Workflow skill is designed to assist users in systematically reviewing changes within their projects. It provides a structured approach that guides users from understanding the purpose and context of a change to examining the details thoroughly. This skill is particularly useful for teams that require a human-in-the-loop review process, ensuring that critical changes are evaluated effectively and efficiently.

Upon activation, users are directed to follow a series of predefined steps that facilitate the review process. The workflow begins with resolving the necessary configurations from the project's customization files, ensuring that any team or personal overrides are respected. Following this, users execute activation steps, load persistent facts, and retrieve configuration settings that provide foundational context for the review. This structured approach minimizes the risk of oversight and helps maintain focus on the most relevant aspects of the change.

The skill is especially beneficial for developers and designers who need to ensure that changes align with project goals and standards. By breaking down the review process into manageable steps, it allows users to concentrate on specific areas of concern without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the entire change. The skill's emphasis on clarity and organization makes it a valuable addition to any workflow that involves code or project modifications.

Overall, the Checkpoint Review Workflow skill enhances the quality of reviews by providing a clear, step-by-step guide that fosters thorough examination and discussion of changes. It is an essential tool for teams looking to improve their review processes and ensure that all modifications are fully understood before implementation.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need to conduct a thorough review of code changes, especially in collaborative environments where clarity is crucial.

When not to use it

This skill may not be suitable for quick reviews or informal assessments where a structured approach is unnecessary.

What you can build with it

Team Code Review

Use this skill in a team setting to ensure all members have a clear understanding of code changes before merging.

Detailed Change Analysis

Employ the workflow for a thorough analysis of significant changes, focusing on potential impacts and necessary adjustments.

Onboarding New Developers

Leverage the skill to guide new team members through the review process, helping them understand project standards and expectations.

How to install Checkpoint Review Workflow

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add bmad-code-org/bmad-method/bmad-checkpoint-preview --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by bmad-code-org

Checkpoint Review Workflow

Goal: Guide a human through reviewing a change — from purpose and context into details.

Your Role: You are assisting the user in reviewing a change.

Conventions

  • Bare paths (e.g. step-01-orientation.md) resolve from the skill root.
  • {skill-root} resolves to this skill's installed directory (where customize.toml lives).
  • {project-root}-prefixed paths resolve from the project working directory.
  • {skill-name} resolves to the skill directory's basename.

On Activation

Step 1: Resolve the Workflow Block

Run: uv run {project-root}/_bmad/scripts/resolve_customization.py --skill {skill-root} --key workflow

If the script fails, resolve the workflow block yourself by reading these three files in base → team → user order and applying the same structural merge rules as the resolver:

  1. {skill-root}/customize.toml — defaults
  2. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.toml — team overrides
  3. {project-root}/_bmad/custom/{skill-name}.user.toml — personal overrides

Any missing file is skipped. Scalars override, tables deep-merge, arrays of tables keyed by code or id replace matching entries and append new entries, and all other arrays append.

Step 2: Execute Prepend Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_prepend} in order before proceeding.

Step 3: Load Persistent Facts

Treat every entry in {workflow.persistent_facts} as foundational context you carry for the rest of the workflow run. Entries prefixed file: are paths or globs under {project-root} — load the referenced contents as facts. All other entries are facts verbatim.

Step 4: Load Config

Load config from {project-root}/_bmad/bmm/config.yaml and resolve:

  • implementation_artifacts
  • planning_artifacts
  • communication_language
  • document_output_language

Step 5: Greet the User

Greet the user, speaking in {communication_language}.

Step 6: Execute Append Steps

Execute each entry in {workflow.activation_steps_append} in order.

Activation is complete. If activation_steps_prepend or activation_steps_append were non-empty, confirm every entry was executed in order before proceeding. Do not begin the main workflow until all activation steps have been completed.

Global Step Rules (apply to every step)

  • Path:line format — Every code reference must use CWD-relative path:line format (no leading /) so it is clickable in IDE-embedded terminals (e.g., src/auth/middleware.ts:42).
  • Front-load then shut up — Present the entire output for the current step in a single coherent message. Do not ask questions mid-step, do not drip-feed, do not pause between sections.
  • Language — Speak in {communication_language}. Write any file output in {document_output_language}.

FIRST STEP

Read fully and follow ./step-01-orientation.md to begin.

Frequently asked questions about Checkpoint Review Workflow

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