Reviewing a PR stack

A PR stack is a chain of dependent PRs. Each PR builds on the one below it. SimpleEdit opens the whole stack as one review in the Review Room, one layer per PR.

The AI in the Review Room helps you read. It writes an overview, suggests a reading order and answers your questions. It never posts, approves or decides. Only comments you write or accept go to GitHub.

1. Find the PR

1. Open Screen PRs in the sidebar (⌘3).
2. Select Screen to triage your review queue. SimpleEdit sorts the PRs into Needs your attention, Quick pass and Waiting on author.
3. To open a PR that is not in your queue, paste its link (or owner/repo#123) into Search, or paste a PR link.

Screening can also run on a schedule. Set it in Settings → Screen PRs.

2. Open the stack

Select a PR. The Review Room opens with every PR of its stack as a layer, from the bottom of the stack to the top.

For each layer, SimpleEdit shows only the changes of that PR, not the changes of the PRs below it. This is true even when GitHub’s “Files changed” tab mixes them.

3. Get oriented

Each layer has two optional buttons:

• ☰ Overview writes what the PR changes, why, and its impact. It also suggests a Reading order and a list of things to look into.
• ⚡ Deep review runs several review lenses and turns their findings into threads.

Neither runs on its own. You choose when to use them.

4. Read the changes

1. After ☰ Overview, follow the Reading list in the outline. It lists the steps of the suggested reading order.
2. Select Viewed on each file when you are done with it. A viewed file collapses. If the file changes after a push, the mark goes away and the file shows “changed since viewed”.
3. Use the commit picker to read one commit at a time, or All changes for the whole layer.
4. On a return visit, select Show only the new changes to see what changed since you last looked.

5. Discuss with threads

Findings, other reviewers’ GitHub comments and your own notes are all threads.

1. Select a line, or + New thread.
2. Pick who gets your message:
   • Companion: a read-only agent that didn’t write the change and can read the code at the PR’s head. Select Ask. Use it to check a guess before you comment: “Is this function called anywhere else?” The conversation stays between you and the companion and is never posted.
   • Author: the agent session that asked for this review. It is offered only while that session runs. Select Ask. Your question interrupts the agent’s current work.
   • The PR: your comment for GitHub. Select Draft to turn what you typed into your comment. A thread has one draft, so this option disappears once the thread has one. On another reviewer’s GitHub comment it is labelled @name, and your draft is posted as a reply to them. On a local branch it is labelled Review.
3. When the companion proposes a comment, select Use this text or Keep mine.
4. Select Done when a thread needs nothing more.

6. Submit

1. Select Submit reviews….
2. Set a verdict for each layer: Approve, Comment or Request changes.
3. To keep a PR out of this submit, clear its Include box.
4. Submit. SimpleEdit posts one review per PR. “This posts to GitHub as you.”

Only your drafts are posted, never the conversation behind them.

If you already started a pending review on GitHub for a PR, SimpleEdit asks first: select Use it or Leave it out.

7. Come back later

Every review you started is in the Continue reviewing group in Screen PRs, with its progress. Reopening a review resumes at the file you were on. After the author pushes, the next review of the stack is the next round: your threads carry over.

On the phone

The PRs tab of the phone companion opens the same Review Room. Threads, drafts and Viewed marks are shared between the desktop and the phone.