Should Code Smells Block a Pull Request?
Code smells rarely break production, but they can predict future pain. Here's a practical take on when to block a merge—and when to let it go.
Code Smells
The Code Review Journal
Code review best practices, tools, and metrics.
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Code Smells
SonarQube vs. Semgrep vs. Human Review: Which Actually Kills Code Smells?
Static analysis and human review catch different smells. We compare SonarQube, Semgrep, and human review on three criteria and declare a winner for ea...
Code Smells
Why I Let Machines Catch Code Smells (And You Should Too)
Stop burning out your reviewers on complexity thresholds and duplication. Let tools flag the boring stuff. Save humans for the weird, judgment-heavy p...
Team Processes
Your Code Review Process Is Broken. Here's How to Fix It Without Driving Everyone Crazy.
Most teams drown in giant pull requests and slow feedback. I've been there. Here's a practical guide to making reviews faster, smaller, and less painf...
Team Processes
Your Code Review Process Is Too Slow — Here's How to Fix It
Google's data shows median review latency under 4 hours, but most teams take a day or more. Here's a practical walkthrough to speed up your team's cod...
Code Smells
SonarQube vs. Semgrep vs. Human Review for Code Smells
I pit SonarQube, Semgrep, and human review against each other to help you decide how to catch code smells without wasting your team's time.
Tooling & Automation
Automate the Grind, Keep Humans on Design
A field report on shifting code review tooling from style checks to real design review, with concrete thresholds and a pragmatic quality gate.
Code Smells
Code Smells Are a Symptom: Fix the Process, Not Just the Code
Chasing code smells with static analysis alone misses the real fix: process. Google's data shows review speed and small changes matter most.
Team Processes
Make Code Review a Team Ritual: My Playbook for Fast, Kind, Effective Reviews
Code review isn't a gate to pass—it's a tool for shared ownership and speed. Here’s my step-by-step playbook for making review a team ritual that actu...
Code Smells
Code Smells: How to Spot Them in Review and Actually Fix Them
Stop ignoring code smells in review. Here's my hands-on guide to catching them early, fixing them fast, and keeping your codebase healthy—without bike...
Tooling & Automation
Automate the Boring Part of Code Review, Not the Thinking
Code review is drowning in trivia. Linters and static analyzers should catch the mechanical stuff so humans can focus on design. Here's the line to dr...
Tooling & Automation
Automate the Boring Parts: Static Analysis vs. Human Review
Static analysis tools are not a substitute for human review—they're a force multiplier. Here's how to pair linters, secret scanners, and dependency ch...
Code Smells
Are Code Smells the Wrong Metric? A Case for Cognitive Complexity
I argue that chasing code smells hurts code review. The real target should be cognitive complexity and maintainability, not isolated smells.