Api Review

Constraints

• Apply @rules/api/general.mdc — this skill is the focused review lens for that rule.
• Apply @rules/php/core-standards.mdc
• Apply @rules/security/backend.md — for the error-text and authorization-leak surface of API responses (401/403/404 wording, no internal-detail leak).
• If the current project uses Laravel, also apply @rules/laravel/architecture.mdc and @rules/laravel/laravel.mdc — validation belongs in FormRequest / Data Validator, controllers stay slim.
• Apply @rules/reports/general.mdc — when the findings are folded into the GitHub PR comment by a CR wrapper they stay in canonical English per the rule's Exception — technical CR findings on the GitHub PR; a non-technical mirror on a linked issue / JIRA ticket follows the language of the source assignment. HTTP verbs, status codes, header names, and code identifiers stay verbatim regardless of the surrounding prose language.
• Output findings only — no praise, no summary of what was checked.
• Read-only skill — never modify code, never stage / commit / push, and never run any git write operation. Switching to the relevant branch and git pull to read the latest diff are allowed; mutating the working tree or pushing is not.

Use when

• A PR or change set adds or modifies HTTP endpoints, routes, controllers, API Resources, request/response payloads, or status-code handling.
• Run as part of every code review via @skills/code-review/SKILL.md (Specialized Reviews → Always run).
• A consumer-facing API contract needs a design check before release.

Scope

Review only the API surface on the diff — never untouched endpoints. Detect the surface from any of: route definitions, controller/__invoke request handlers, API Resources / DTOs serialized into responses, FormRequests, response() / abort() / status-code calls, and Idempotency-Key handling. If the diff touches no API surface, return no findings.

Core Checks

Walk the diff against each pillar of @rules/api/general.mdc and raise one finding per match.

1. Contract & consumer orientation

• Response leaks internal DB structure — raw column names, surrogate/internal keys, join tables, enum integers, or storage-only fields serialized without a DTO / API Resource boundary.
• Inconsistent contract shape for the same concept across endpoints (field casing, date format, pagination shape, error envelope).

2. Resource-oriented REST

• Action/verb in the endpoint path (/getUser, /createUser, /users/{id}/delete, /doPayment) instead of a resource noun + HTTP method.
• Singular collection nouns or flat URIs where a sub-resource nesting (/users/{id}/orders) reads clearer.

3. HTTP methods & idempotence

• Method whose side effects violate its contract — GET that mutates state, PUT/DELETE not idempotent on repetition.
• PUT used for a partial update or PATCH used for a full replacement.

4. Idempotency keys

• Critical, retry-prone, state-changing operation (payment, transfer, order placement) with no Idempotency-Key handling, so a client retry can double-execute.

5. Status codes

• Imprecise success code — 200 for a creation (201), for an async hand-off (202), or where 204 (no body) is correct; a body returned alongside 204; a missing Location header on 201.
• Error code collapsed into a generic one where a narrower code applies (400/401/403/404/409/422/429).
• 401-vs-403 inversion — 401 for an authorization failure or 403 for a missing/invalid credential.

6. Validation at the trust boundary

• Input reaching business logic or the database before schema/business validation runs (trust-boundary bypass).
• Validation inlined in the action/controller/model instead of the dedicated boundary layer (FormRequest / Data Validator).
• Authorization check missing or running before the input is known to be well-formed.
• Error responses that leak identity, resource existence, or internal detail — defer to @rules/security/backend.md Safe Validation & Error Messages and do not duplicate a finding @skills/security-review/SKILL.md already owns.

Prioritization

• Focus on contract defects a consumer would feel: double-charges, wrong status branching, breaking payload shapes, bypassed validation.
• Deprioritize purely cosmetic naming nits — keep them as Minor.
• Do not propose API features the current scope does not require (YAGNI per @rules/php/core-standards.mdc).

Report

Use the severity scale of @skills/code-review/SKILL.md so findings fold cleanly into the code review:

• Critical / Moderate / Minor — apply the severity declared in @rules/api/general.mdc CR Severity Rules.

Each finding includes:

• location (file:line)
• risk/impact (the consumer-facing consequence)
• the cited rule reference (e.g. @rules/api/general.mdc#Resource-Oriented REST)
• concrete fix

Each Critical and Moderate finding additionally includes:

• Faulty Example — minimal endpoint / route / payload snippet that reproduces the issue (redact secrets/PII)
• Expected Behavior — single assertable statement (status code, response shape, idempotent outcome, rejection before side effect)
• Test Hint — one sentence pointing at the test layer (feature/HTTP, integration) and the entry point
• Suggested Fix — minimal corrected snippet that complies with @rules/api/general.mdc, @rules/php/core-standards.mdc, and on Laravel projects @rules/laravel/architecture.mdc. Use n/a — only when a snippet adds nothing over the one-line fix.

Minor findings may omit these fields when no behavior change is implied.

These fields exist so @skills/process-code-review/SKILL.md can turn each finding into a reproducer test and apply the fix without re-deriving context.

Output Format

Use the template defined in templates/review-output.md. Omit any severity section that has no findings; never emit None. / n/a placeholders.

Done when

• Every API-surface change on the diff has been walked against the six Core Checks.
• Findings are grouped by severity with the mandatory reproducer fields on every Critical and Moderate item.
• No code, git, or remote state was modified (read-only).

Source & license

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

• Author: pekral
• Source: pekral/cursor-rules
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://pekral.cz

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