Review Api Compat

API Compatibility Review

Structured review of API contract evolution. Detects breaking changes in protobuf services, OpenAPI specs, and (where applicable) GraphQL schemas; classifies them as wire-breaking, behavior-breaking, or policy-breaking; recommends remediation (deprecate-then-remove, version bump, new field).

Out of scope (defer to siblings):

• Internal Go API surface (function signatures, struct fields) — review-code covers this through SOLID/coupling lens
• New field validation correctness — review-code / review-security
• Protobuf style / lint pass-fail (naming, comments, package layout) — review-code runs buf lint

review-api-compat is the diff-aware counterpart: same proto/OpenAPI files, but compared against a base ref to catch what changed.

Workflow

1. Scope and explore

• Confirm scope with the user: changed files (PR or branch diff — the default), explicit paths to a previous version (e.g. a tag), or full codebase against main.
• Resolve scope. This skill is fundamentally diff-based:
• Default: base_ref is main (or the PR base). Compute changed files via git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d ...HEAD. Filter to API spec files (see below).
• PR: use gh pr view --json baseRefName -q .baseRefName for the base, gh pr diff --name-only for changed files.
• Tag-vs-tag: user supplies ...; same diff machinery.
• If invoked from review-all: receive file_list, has_changes, base_ref, REVIEW_DIR, and pr_url. If has_changes is false, exit early with status "no API spec changes in scope" — there is nothing to compare.

File classification:

• Protobuf: *.proto files; presence of buf.yaml / buf.gen.yaml / buf.lock confirms a buf workspace.
• OpenAPI: openapi.yml, openapi.yaml, openapi.json, swagger.yml, swagger.yaml, swagger.json, files with top-level openapi: or swagger: keys.
• GraphQL (lighter coverage): *.graphql, *.gql, files with schema { ... } or type Query { ... }.

2. Determine compatibility policy

Detect the project's stance from configuration; ask the user if unclear:

• Protobuf: buf.yaml breaking: block (rule set: FILE, PACKAGE, WIRE, WIRE_JSON); breaking.except: exclusions; buf.yaml modules with versioning (v1, v1beta1, v2).
• OpenAPI: SemVer in info.version; declared compatibility policy in repo docs (e.g. API.md); existing release notes for prior breaks.
• GraphQL: deprecation policy; usage of @deprecated directive.

Record the resolved policy. Findings are graded against it (a WIRE policy allows JSON-but-not-wire breaks; a WIRE_JSON policy doesn't).

3. Run the breaking-change tools

# Protobuf — against the base ref (preferred, integrates with buf.yaml policy)
command -v buf >/dev/null && buf breaking --against "$(git rev-parse $base_ref).git#format=git"

# Protobuf — alternative when buf is not configured
command -v protolock >/dev/null && protolock status --lockdir . --uptodate

# OpenAPI — multiple options; pick whichever is on PATH
command -v oasdiff >/dev/null && oasdiff breaking  
command -v openapi-diff >/dev/null && openapi-diff  

# GraphQL
command -v graphql-inspector >/dev/null && graphql-inspector diff  

To get the base version of a spec file: git show $base_ref: into a temp file, then diff.

Tool output is input to the review; the subagent triages and contextualizes.

4. Launch investigation subagent

Launch a single investigation subagent (subagent_type="generalPurpose", model: sonnet per subagent-model-routing) with: resolved policy, tool outputs, and the changed-spec file list.

Prompt it to:

• For each detected change, classify as: wire-breaking / behavior-breaking / policy-breaking / non-breaking. See [reference.md](reference.md) for the matrix.
• For each breaking change, recommend remediation: deprecate-then-remove, version bump, new alternative field/method, additive change instead.
• For each non-breaking change, sanity-check that it's truly additive (no enum value reuse, no field number reuse, no required→optional flip in a strict consumer).
• Cite the wire/behavior rule violated.
• Search the repo for any documented intent (CHANGELOG.md, MIGRATION.md, doc comments) that legitimizes a deliberate break.

5. Present results

Resolve the review output directory (same pattern as siblings):

REVIEW_DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
REVIEW_DIR=".reviews/${REVIEW_DATE}"
if [ -d "$REVIEW_DIR" ]; then REVIEW_DIR=".reviews/${REVIEW_DATE}-$(date +%H%M)"; fi
~/.claude/scripts/ensure-gitignore.sh '.reviews/'
mkdir -p "$REVIEW_DIR"

Capture run metadata (see [Run metadata header](#run-metadata-header)) and prepend to ${REVIEW_DIR}/API-COMPAT-REVIEW.md.

Output structure:

1. Run metadata header
2. Resolved policy (which rule set + exclusions)
3. Findings table (grouped by surface: proto / openapi / graphql)
4. Tool availability notes
5. Recommended remediation order

Present the report to the user.

---

Run metadata header

RUN_DATETIME=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M UTC")
GIT_BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
GIT_COMMIT=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
GIT_COMMIT_FULL=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
GIT_SUBJECT=$(git log -1 --pretty=%s)
BASE_REF=; BASE_COMMIT=$(git rev-parse --short "$BASE_REF")

> **Run:** {RUN_DATETIME}
> **Branch:** {GIT_BRANCH} @ {GIT_COMMIT} (`{GIT_COMMIT_FULL}`)
> **Subject:** {GIT_SUBJECT}
> **Base:** {BASE_REF} @ {BASE_COMMIT}
> **Scope:** {scope description}
> **Policy:** {resolved policy, e.g. buf FILE + WIRE}

---

Finding link wrapping (PR mode)

When pr_url is provided (or gh pr view --json url -q .url 2>/dev/null returns one for standalone runs), wrap every path:line reference inside the finding tables as a Markdown link:

~/.claude/scripts/pr-deeplink.sh "$pr_url"  

The display text stays path:line. Pass L for findings about removed code. Findings follow terse-comments: concrete fix, optional bug:/risk:/nit:/unsure: prefix.

---

Output Templates

API compatibility findings

| Priority | Surface | Change | Class | Recommendation | Tracked |
|----------|---------|--------|-------|----------------|---------|
| P0 | proto | `pkg.Service.Method` removed at file:line | wire-breaking | Deprecate first; remove in next major version | — |
| P1 | openapi | `GET /users` response field `name` type changed | behavior-breaking | Add new field, keep old; remove in next major | #123 |
| P2 | proto | New field `created_at` added | non-breaking | OK; document in changelog | — |

Class column values: wire-breaking, behavior-breaking, policy-breaking, non-breaking.

Re-evaluation table (for follow-up reviews)

| Finding | Status | What Changed |
|---------|--------|--------------|
| ~~1. Description~~ | RESOLVED | Reverted; field re-added |
| 2. Description | Still applicable | No changes |

---

Guidelines

• The default position on a wire-breaking change is block unless an explicit version bump or migration plan is in the PR.
• A non-breaking classification still warrants a changelog entry if the change is user-visible.
• Search the organization's codebase (Sourcegraph, GitHub) for consumers of the changed surface before scoring a break as low-impact. A removed proto field that nobody reads is annoying; one that 200 services read is a P0.
• When the user asks for a follow-up review, find the most recent review directory and append the re-evaluation table.
• For detailed framework categories, see [reference.md](reference.md).
• REVIEW.md integration: If a REVIEW.md context section was provided by the review-all orchestrator (or exists at the repository root when running standalone), treat its rules as additional review criteria. "Always check" items are HIGH severity; domain-specific items (API compatibility section) are MEDIUM severity. "Skip" patterns exclude matching files from review scope.
• Findings must cite probed evidence (path:line, grep output, command result), not pattern-matched suspicion. Per ~/.claude/rules/probe-not-assume.md.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: paultyng
• Source: paultyng/skill-issue
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.