redpen

Code review checklist for AI-generated code. Step through prompts, paste into your AI, fix issues, mark done.

Overview

redpen is a CLI tool that guides you through a set of code review prompts. Each prompt tells an AI what to look for in your codebase. You copy the prompt, paste it into ChatGPT/Claude/Cursor, fix what it finds, then mark it done. Progress saves per git branch.

Features

• Interactive TUI: Arrow keys to navigate, single-key actions
• First-Run Setup: Auto-detects your stack, guided init wizard
• Fuzzy Search: Press / to quickly find prompts
• Progress Tracking: Saves per git branch in user directory (keeps project clean)
• Stack-Aware: Loads prompts for your specific stack (Next.js, Supabase, Flutter, etc.)
• Custom Prompts: Add your own prompts in .redpen/ folder
• CI Integration: Fail builds if prompts incomplete

Installation

npm install -g redpen

Usage

# Start the TUI (runs init wizard on first use)
redpen

# Or explicitly run setup
redpen init

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
r / Enter	Run: copy + mark done + advance
c	Copy only (no mark done)
s	Skip prompt + advance
n	Jump to next incomplete
d	Toggle done / undo
/	Search prompts (fuzzy)
?	Help overlay
← → h l	Previous / next prompt
↑ ↓ k j	Previous / next prompt
Home End	First / last prompt
q / Esc	Quit

Search Mode (/)

• Type to fuzzy filter prompts
• ↑ ↓ to navigate results
• Enter to select
• Esc to cancel

How It Works

1. Run redpen - TUI opens at first incomplete prompt
2. Press r - copies prompt, marks done, advances to next
3. Paste into your AI - it reviews your code
4. Fix what it finds
5. Repeat until complete

One key does it all - no more r then d then arrow key.

Commands

Command	Description
redpen	Interactive TUI (recommended)
redpen init	First-time setup
redpen next	Show next prompt
redpen copy [n]	Copy prompt n
redpen done [n]	Mark prompt n complete
redpen skip [n]	Skip prompt n
redpen undo	Undo last done
redpen status	Show progress
redpen list	List all prompts
redpen order [tag]	Show run order
redpen reset	Clear progress
redpen check [cats]	CI mode - exit 1 if incomplete
redpen report	Markdown summary

Prompts

Core (always loaded)

Category	What it checks
core/security/*	Auth, data safety, access control
core/quality/*	Test coverage, error handling
core/architecture/*	Logging, monitoring, observability
core/process/*	Documentation, code standards

Stack-Specific (based on config)

Stack	Prompts
Next.js	web/frontend/nextjs/*
React	web/frontend/react/*
Vue	web/frontend/vue/*
Supabase	web/backend/supabase/*
Firebase	web/backend/firebase/*
Prisma	web/backend/prisma/*
Flutter	mobile/flutter/*
React Native	mobile/react-native/*
Native iOS/Android	mobile/native/*

Custom Prompts

Add .txt files to .redpen/ in your project root:

your-project/
  .redpen/
    my-custom-check.txt
    team/coding-standards.txt

They get added to the run order automatically.

CI Integration

# GitHub Actions
- run: npx redpen check security,quality

Exits with code 1 if security or quality prompts are incomplete.

Configuration

Run redpen init or just run redpen - the TUI will guide you through setup on first use.

Config and progress are stored in your user directory (not in the project):

Platform	Location
Linux	~/.config/redpen/projects/<hash>/
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/redpen/projects/<hash>/
Windows	%APPDATA%\redpen\projects\<hash>\

Each project gets its own folder (identified by git remote URL hash). Inside:

config.json           # Your stack settings
progress-main.json    # Progress for 'main' branch
progress-feature.json # Progress for 'feature' branch

Example config.json:

{
  "platform": "web",
  "frontend": "nextjs",
  "backend": "supabase"
}

For mobile:

{
  "platform": "mobile",
  "framework": "flutter"
}

Run redpen doctor to see where your config is stored.

Auto-Detection

redpen automatically detects your stack from:

File	Detection
pubspec.yaml	Flutter
react-native in package.json	React Native
next in package.json	Next.js
@supabase/supabase-js	Supabase
firebase	Firebase
@prisma/client	Prisma

Detected values are pre-selected in the init wizard.

Shell Completion

# Add to your shell profile
eval "$(redpen completion)"

Why This Exists

AI writes code that compiles and looks correct. But it misses things: security holes, missing error handling, edge cases, no tests, production gotchas.

These prompts catch what AI misses. Run them before you ship.

License

MIT