critique by b-open-io/prompts

Review git diffs with syntax highlighting, split view, and word-level diff. Show users what code was changed during a session using terminal UI or web preview.

Prerequisites

Critique requires Bun (does not work with Node.js):

# Run directly (no install needed)
bunx critique

# Or install globally
bun install -g critique

Core Commands

View Current Changes

# Unstaged changes (includes untracked files)
critique

# Staged changes only
critique --staged

# Watch mode - auto-refresh on file changes
critique --watch

View Commits

# Last commit
critique HEAD

# Specific commit
critique --commit HEAD~1
critique --commit abc1234

# Combined changes from last N commits
critique HEAD~3 HEAD

Compare Branches (PR-style)

# What feature-branch added vs main
critique main feature-branch

# What current branch added vs main
critique main HEAD

Filter Files

# Filter by glob pattern
critique --filter "src/**/*.ts"
critique --filter "src/**/*.ts" --filter "lib/**/*.js"

Web Preview

Generate an HTML preview viewable in a browser - ideal for sharing or detailed review:

# Generate web preview
critique --web

# Generate and open in browser
critique --web --open

# Web preview for commits
critique HEAD --web --open
critique main HEAD --web --open

The web preview provides:

Full syntax highlighting
Split view with before/after
Shareable HTML output
Better for large diffs

AI-Powered Review

Generate AI explanations of code changes. Best for reviewing AI-generated changes:

# Review unstaged changes (uses OpenCode by default)
critique review

# Use Claude Code as the AI backend
critique review --agent claude

# Review specific commits
critique review HEAD
critique review --commit HEAD~1

# Review branch diff (like a PR)
critique review main HEAD

# Include session context for better explanations
critique review --agent claude --session <session-id>

# Generate web preview of AI review
critique review --web
critique review --web --open

AI review features:

Orders hunks in logical reading order
Splits large hunks into digestible chunks
Explains changes with diagrams and tables
Groups related changes across files

Integrations

Git Difftool

Configure as default git difftool:

git config --global diff.tool critique
git config --global difftool.critique.cmd 'critique difftool "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"'

Then use: git difftool HEAD~1

Lazygit

Add to ~/.config/lazygit/config.yml:

git:
  paging:
    pager: critique --stdin

Running from Claude Code

Since the TUI runs inside the Bash tool (hidden/folded), use one of these approaches:

Option 1: Split Pane (macOS with iTerm2, Recommended)

Open critique in a split pane that auto-closes when done:

# Horizontal split (top/bottom)
/path/to/skills/critique/scripts/open-critique-pane.sh /path/to/repo -h

# Vertical split (side by side)
/path/to/skills/critique/scripts/open-critique-pane.sh /path/to/repo -v

Option 2: New Terminal Tab (macOS with iTerm2)

Open critique in a new tab:

/path/to/skills/critique/scripts/open-critique.sh /path/to/repo

Option 3: Web Preview (Cross-platform)

Opens in browser - works everywhere:

bunx critique --web --open

Recommended Usage After Claude Work

When a user asks to see what changed after Claude has made modifications:

New terminal tab (macOS): Use osascript to open critique in iTerm
Web preview: Run critique --web --open for browser view
AI-explained review: Run critique review --agent claude --web --open
Compare to starting point: Run critique HEAD~N HEAD --web --open

Navigation Keys (Terminal UI)

Key	Action
`j/k` or `↓/↑`	Navigate lines
`h/l` or `←/→`	Switch files
`Tab`	Toggle split/unified view
`q`	Quit
`?`	Help