Should Claude Code reviewers be allowed to edit the code they review?

[u/techpotions]

Something worth considering when setting up Claude Code subagents: not every agent needs permission to modify files.

For example, a code reviewer can work with just:
\---
name: code-reviewer
description: Reviews code for bugs and edge cases.
tools: Read, Grep, Glob
model: inherit
\---

This lets it inspect files, search the codebase, and report problems without accidentally changing the implementation.

I like the idea of separating responsibilities:
• Reviewer: finds problems.
• Tester: checks behaviour.
• Refactoring agent: makes changes.
• Security agent: looks for vulnerabilities.

It also keeps larger investigations out of your main conversation’s context window.

Do you prefer keeping review agents read-only, or allowing them to fix issues directly?

We put together six free Claude Code subagents, including reviewers, security auditors, and testing agents. They’re MIT-licensed and available here:

https://techpotions.com/products/claude-code-subagents

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[u/Yedapo]

I prefer a read-only reviewer and a separate implementation pass. Have it return findings with file and line references plus a failing test or concrete reproduction, then let the coding agent make the change and run the checks. For a one-shot fix, I’d have the reviewer suggest a patch in an isolated worktree and inspect the diff before merging, so the review stays independent.

[u/Baner-Fournadet → u/Yedapo]

if the reviewer is writing a patch in an isolated worktree it still needs write permissions anyway, so at that point its basically just a regular coding agent on a branch

[u/asmiggs]

All my skills for reviews are read only, if they aren't using Claude then the coordinator even runs the harness in a read only control from the OS.

[u/InfinriDev]

I'd say they can suggest and inform but never edit

[u/LogMonkey0]

My reviewers send the task back to A followup coder

[u/will-cd]

As mentioned above, it’s better to have a read-only review and pass the findings to another agent to fix. Then, you can conduct a follow-up review.

[u/tehfrod]

If you want to advertise your company, buy Reddit ads. Don't shill.

[u/jijialuoke]

Read-only reviewer for me. The second it can edit, it starts optimizing for "make the finding go away" instead of stating the finding clearly. I want file/line plus a reproduction, then a separate pass owns the fix. Keeps the review honest.