PromptSharp › Prompt Library › Dev & Engineering › Security-first PR review: a diff read that hunts the bug class, not the typo
Security-first PR review: a diff read that hunts the bug class, not the typo
You're reviewing a big PR and low on time. Get a structured read that prioritizes correctness and security over style nits.
The prompt — copy and run it
You are a staff engineer reviewing a pull request — a review aid whose findings I will verify, not merge blindly. Produce: A) RISK SUMMARY — a one-line verdict (safe / needs-changes / blocked) and the single biggest concern. B) FINDINGS TABLE — each issue: file/area, severity (blocker / major / minor / nit), the specific concern, and a suggested fix — sorted severity-first, with security and correctness above style. C) MISSING TESTS — the behaviors and edge cases this diff changes that the tests don't cover. D) QUESTIONS FOR THE AUTHOR — the 2-3 things I should ask before approving, where intent isn't clear from the diff. Inputs: [PASTE THE DIFF OR KEY FILES] · [WHAT THE PR IS SUPPOSED TO DO] · [LANGUAGE / FRAMEWORK] · [ANYTHING RISKY I ALREADY SUSPECT] Rules: Do not claim a line is buggy without saying why; if you're unsure, list it as a question, not a finding. Don't invent APIs or behavior not visible in the diff. Keep proprietary source out of consumer AI tools per your employer's policy. This drafts the review; you verify every finding before you approve. Do not invent facts, numbers, or details you weren't given.
How to use this prompt
- Copy the full prompt above with the Copy button.
- Fill in your inputs. Replace each bracketed placeholder with your specifics:
[PASTE THE DIFF OR KEY FILES][WHAT THE PR IS SUPPOSED TO DO][LANGUAGE / FRAMEWORK][ANYTHING RISKY I ALREADY SUSPECT] - Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and run. Read the reality guardrail below before you act on the output.
Why this prompt works
Human reviewers burn attention on style and miss the security and correctness bugs; a severity-sorted findings table that ranks security and correctness above nits, plus a separate 'questions' bucket for uncertain calls, focuses the review where risk actually lives — and the no-guessing rule keeps hallucinated findings out of the author's inbox.
Get a prompt like this every day
The PromptSharp Dev Brief ships one desk-ready prompt every weekday — free on the web today. Free forever. Today's Dev & Engineering issue is live on the web right now — subscribe and we email you the sample issue immediately, then the Dev & Engineering daily every weekday as its email edition ships. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subscribe free → Read a sample issueFrequently asked
When should I use this prompt?
You're reviewing a big PR and low on time. Get a structured read that prioritizes correctness and security over style nits.
Why does this prompt work?
Human reviewers burn attention on style and miss the security and correctness bugs; a severity-sorted findings table that ranks security and correctness above nits, plus a separate 'questions' bucket for uncertain calls, focuses the review where risk actually lives — and the no-guessing rule keeps hallucinated findings out of the author's inbox.
What mistake does this prompt help you avoid?
Style-nit reviews that miss real bugs — findings are severity-sorted with security/correctness on top and uncertain calls routed to questions, not false findings.
Related Dev & Engineering prompts
Pre-review sweep: your own PR through a security-and-edge-case lens
The PR is 'done'. Run the pre-review sweep so human reviewers spend their attention on design — not on nits and the missed null ch…
Design doc skeleton with the alternatives you'll actually be asked about
New system or big refactor. Draft the design doc with real alternatives and failure modes before the review meeting drafts it for …
RFC skeleton: pressure-test the design before you write the code
You're about to build something non-trivial. Draft an RFC that names the tradeoffs and the rejected alternatives, so review is rea…
Test-plan generator: risk-ranked cases from a diff or spec
Feature complete, coverage thin. Generate the test plan ranked by what would actually hurt in production.…
Root-cause interrogation: a hypothesis ladder from a bug report
Prod bug, vague repro, clock ticking. Structure the investigation before you start changing code at random.…
Stack-trace triage: from a wall of errors to the two likeliest root causes
Production is throwing and the trace is a mess. Narrow it to the two most probable causes and the fastest way to confirm each.…
Edge-case hunt: the failure inputs your happy-path tests will miss
Your tests pass but you don't trust them. Enumerate the boundary and failure cases that the happy path never touches.…
All Dev & Engineering free prompts
The PromptSharp Dev Brief page — five full free prompts plus today's issue.
PromptSharp Daily — free
The cross-vertical sampler: one sharp, copy-paste prompt each day, rotating across the roster. Two things in one brief: you get better at AI and prompting, and you see the sharpest prompts from across the network.
Double-opt-in. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.
Even a sharp prompt starts from zero unless your AI knows you. Brainfile is persistent context — your work, voice, and priorities loaded into every session. Brainfile is the memory; PromptSharp is the playbook. Together they compound — the same prompt gets sharper because it runs on YOUR context.
Set up your brainfile →Want both? The All-Access + Brainfile annual bundle covers the pair.
Home · Daily Issues · Prompt Library · Glossary · Pricing · For Teams & Universities · Archive · Newsletter · Privacy · Terms · Refunds
Marketing · Sales · Dev & Engineering · Finance · Product Management · Vibe Coding · C-suite · Consulting & Strategy · Law · CPG · Personal Finance · Career & Job Search · Trading · Health & Fitness · Students · Focus & Productivity · Learning · Travel Planning