Reviewer Pattern — Failures

Pattern: Reviewer
Component: failures.md
Version: 1.2 | Updated: 2026-07-29

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Purpose

Recover when the Reviewer pattern is misapplied — without abandoning the gate.

Failure → detection → recovery

Failure	Detection	Recovery
Invented citations	path:line does not open	Re-run with filesystem/GitHub read; drop unverified items
Approve on CI only	No severity pass	Block merge; run five-pass review
Severity inflation	All findings Critical	Recalibrate against checklist; keep Block list short
Scope blindness	Missed AuthZ file outside “main” hunk	Require planned-path coverage check

Escalation from Reviewer failures

• Security-class impact during Reviewer → Security skill + human security owner
• Production SEV while misusing Reviewer → Hotfix containment first
• Learning after Reviewer containment → Root Cause

Do not

• Skip the Reviewer human gate “just this once” after a failure
• Delete Reviewer evidence to hide a bad run
• Replace Reviewer with unstructured chat under pressure

Related

• Checklist
• Enterprise notes
• Example

Changelog

• 1.2 (2026-07-29): Reviewer failure recovery table and escalation paths expanded.