Reviewer Pattern — Problem

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

Statement

AI-touched changes merge on “tests green” or vibe checks, shipping AuthZ holes, invented path:line findings, or rubber-stamp approvals that no human can defend.

Measurable symptoms

Symptom	How you detect it
Green CI, bad AuthZ	Critical access-control defects found after merge
Unverifiable findings	Comments cite files/lines that do not exist
AI as merge boss	Bot approve without a named human owner
Severity theater	Everything is Medium; nothing blocks

Root cause

Review without a severity model and evidence bar collapses to either noise or false confidence. Models invent plausible citations unless forced to open the diff.

What breaks when this pattern is skipped

Security incidents trace to unreviewed AI diffs
Review threads argue tone instead of path:line evidence
Release trains slow because every finding is renegotiated

Non-goals of this pattern

Not a replacement for human merge authority
Not a full pentest
Not required for pure markdown typos with no behavior change

Failures — recovery table
Workflow — ordered steps
Checklist — exit criteria

Changelog

1.2 (2026-07-29): Reviewer problem page expanded with skip-impact and operator symptoms.