Review Loop

A persistent, incremental diff reviewer for pi.

Review Loop keeps a native review window open while the agent works. Submitting a review records the current workspace as a session-backed checkpoint, so the next review can show only the changes made afterward.

Install

pi install git:github.com/earendil-works/pi-review-loop

Update an existing installation with:

pi update --extensions

Start pi in a Git repository and open the reviewer:

/diff-review

The command returns immediately; it does not replace pi's editor. Running /diff-review again brings the existing review window forward.

Review workflow

1. Open the window with /diff-review.
2. Select a file from Recently Changed or the Files tree.
3. Review its diff.
4. Hover a line number to reveal a +, then click it to add an inline comment.
   • The left pane refers to Reviewed content in Since review mode or HEAD in vs HEAD mode.
   • The right pane refers to the Current on-disk content.
   • Inline comments work on either pane.
5. Use Add file note for feedback that is not tied to a line.
6. Comment-count badges appear beside files in both sidebar sections.
7. Click the review button in the top-right.
   • All files currently changed since the checkpoint are marked reviewed, whether or not each file was opened.
   • The current workspace becomes the new review checkpoint.
   • Review feedback is inserted into pi's normal editor.
   • Feedback is not sent automatically; inspect or edit it in pi, then submit it normally.
8. Keep the window open. Later changes appear as the next review batch.

Submitting with no comments simply marks the current workspace as reviewed.

Diff modes

Since review

Compares:

last review checkpoint → current workspace

This is the default review queue. After submitting a review, it becomes empty until files change again.

Before the first checkpoint, the baseline is the HEAD captured when Review Loop opens.

vs HEAD

Compares:

current HEAD → current workspace

This shows the complete current working-tree change set, including changes already covered by a review checkpoint. Files that still match the last checkpoint display a green reviewed checkmark; files changed afterward retain the blue pending indicator.

Changing modes does not alter the checkpoint. Submitting a review always checkpoints the current workspace.

Recently Changed and the file tree

Both sidebar sections follow the active diff mode:

• In Since review, they contain files different from the review checkpoint.
• In vs HEAD, they contain files different from the current HEAD, including reviewed files.

Recently Changed is a flat list ordered by filesystem modification time. Files presents the same mode's files as a directory tree.

Review Loop does not parse or attribute pi tool calls. Any on-disk change—whether made by the agent, the user, or another process—updates the viewer. Deleted files use their parent directory's modification time as an ordering fallback.

Diff controls

• Cmd+F on macOS, or Ctrl+F elsewhere: search within the focused diff pane
• Double-click a word: select it and highlight its other occurrences, including overview/minimap markers
• Cmd+K on macOS, or Ctrl+K elsewhere: focus the sidebar file filter
• Wrap lines toggles line wrapping in both diff panes
• Minimap and overview markers show changes, matches, and occurrences
• Scroll positions are remembered separately for each file and diff mode, including horizontal offsets
• A file opened for the first time starts at the top-left

Inline comments remain attached to the recorded pane and line number. If that file changes again before the review is submitted, verify that the comment still refers to the intended code.

Session persistence

Each submitted review appends a review-loop/checkpoint custom entry to the active pi session. The checkpoint stores:

• the exact HEAD used by the checkpoint,
• compressed contents for files that differed from that HEAD,
• deleted-file state,
• reviewed paths,
• and the composed feedback.

When the session is resumed, /diff-review restores the latest checkpoint on the active session branch and compares it with the current workspace. Session branching therefore also branches review state.

Custom entries do not participate in model context. In an ephemeral --no-session run, checkpoint state lasts only for that process.

The review window closes when pi shuts down, switches sessions, or reloads extensions. Run /diff-review again after a reload or session switch.

Requirements

• Node.js 20+
• pi
• A Git repository
• macOS, Linux, or Windows supported by Glimpse

Development

git clone https://github.com/earendil-works/pi-review-loop
cd pi-review-loop
npm install
npm run build
npm test
pi -e ./src/index.ts

When testing from a sibling repository, load the package directory directly:

cd ~/workspaces/some-project
pi -e ../pi-review-loop

After changing web/src, run npm run build:web; the extension serves the generated self-contained web/dist/index.html.