What makes an AI coding loop reviewable?
It leaves clear requirements, scoped stories, changed files, reports, commits or workflow state, and a human checkpoint before merge.
Glossary
A reviewable AI coding loop is an agent-assisted workflow that leaves inspectable requirements, changes, reports, and checkpoints before merge.
Why it matters
A reviewable AI coding loop keeps agent work bounded, attributable, and inspectable instead of letting implementation disappear into a chat transcript.
A reviewable AI coding loop is a workflow where an AI coding agent works on a bounded task and leaves enough evidence for a developer to inspect the result. In Hal, that evidence can include PRD context, stories, validation state, reports, changed files, commits, and archive behavior.
Agent output can look plausible while missing product intent, edge cases, local standards, or security concerns. Reviewability does not make the output correct by itself. It makes the decision easier because the developer can compare the diff against the requirement and acceptance criteria.
hal plan "add account settings with one saved preference"
hal convert
hal validate
hal runA healthy loop has a checkpoint before hal run and another checkpoint after implementation. The first checkpoint reviews scope. The second reviews behavior, tests, changed files, and unresolved criteria.
| Reviewable loop | Unreviewable session |
|---|---|
| Starts from a PRD or scoped requirement. | Starts from a broad prompt. |
| Splits work into stories with acceptance criteria. | Lets scope expand inside the chat. |
| Preserves state, reports, and changed files. | Leaves decisions buried in conversation history. |
| Requires developer review before merge. | Treats completion as permission to merge. |
Hal is a terminal-first CLI for PRD-native coding loops. It treats the configured engine as the implementation worker while the loop supplies planning, validation, execution, reports, archive state, and review points.
Before adopting Hal, verify the current source repository, install guide, release notes, and documented engine support.
Short answers before you put this into an agent workflow.
It leaves clear requirements, scoped stories, changed files, reports, commits or workflow state, and a human checkpoint before merge.
No. Reviewable means easier to inspect. A developer still needs to test and decide whether to merge.
Keep exploring the pieces of a reviewable coding loop.
An AI coding loop is a repeated plan, implement, inspect, and continue workflow for agent-assisted software development.
PRD-native development means using a product requirements document as the source of truth for planning, implementation, and review.
Acceptance criteria define observable conditions a story must satisfy before generated code can be accepted after review.