dbt PR Review

Requirements

Agent: reviewer (read-only) — also works from analyst/builder. Tools used: dbt_pr_review (primary), impact_analysis, altimate_core_equivalence, altimate_core_check, lineage_check, read-only git.

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user wants to:

• Review a dbt pull request (changed models) before merge
• Get a single verdict (APPROVE / COMMENT / REQUEST_CHANGES) with evidence
• Understand the downstream blast radius of a model/column change
• Check whether a "refactor" actually preserves results (query equivalence)
• Catch PII exposure, contract breaks, or warehouse-cost anti-patterns pre-merge

What makes this different from a generic AI reviewer

Generic reviewers read the diff as text and guess. This review is backed by the Rust core: every blocking finding carries a deterministic proof (an equivalence counterexample, a downstream-model list, a PII classification). The verdict is signed into a replayable envelope keyed to the dbt manifest.

Workflow

1. Run the verdict engine. Call dbt_pr_review once:

   • dbt_pr_review({}) reviews the working tree against origin/main.
   • dbt_pr_review({ base: "origin/main", head: "HEAD", manifest_path: "target/manifest.json" }) for an explicit PR range.
   • The tool reads .altimate/review.yml for the per-repo rubric and mode.

2. Read the signed envelope. It contains the verdict, a risk tier (trivial / lite / full), and findings grouped by severity (critical / warning / suggestion), each with engine evidence.

3. Present the verdict exactly as returned. Group findings by severity. If the run is degraded (no manifest/warehouse), state that lineage, equivalence, and data-impact were NOT verified — it is a lint-only review.

4. Respect the safety invariant. An UNDECIDABLE equivalence result is a WARNING, never a block. Never claim a refactor is unsafe when equivalence could not be decided — recommend a data-diff instead.

Configuration (.altimate/review.yml)

mode: comment            # comment (never blocks) | gate (blocks on REQUEST_CHANGES)
severityThreshold: suggestion
manifestPath: target/manifest.json
dialect: snowflake
reviewers: []            # empty = tier defaults; or pin lanes e.g. [lineage_breakage, semantic_change]
exclude:
  - models/legacy/**
rubric:
  blockOn: [lineage_breakage, contract_violation, pii_exposure, semantic_change]
  warningPatternThreshold: 3
  thresholds:
    warehouseCostMinRows: 1000000

Verdict rubric (defaults)

• REQUEST_CHANGES — any blocking-category critical (broken lineage with downstream consumers, contract violation, PII exposure, proven non-equivalent rewrite), or ≥3 warnings (risk pattern).
• COMMENT — only suggestions, or a single non-blocking warning.
• APPROVE — no findings.

In comment mode (default), REQUEST_CHANGES is posted as comments rather than blocking the merge. Switch to gate per-repo once you trust the false-positive rate.