Company
Date Published
Author
Matt Dupree
Word count
1379
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

Heap's code review process faced challenges with slow and inconsistent PR comments due to manually catching trivial issues, prompting the adoption of automation tools like Prettier, Danger, custom StyleLint rules, and a Buildkite step for specific checklists based on file changes in their monorepo. These tools were implemented to enhance consistency, provide a tighter feedback loop, and allow reviewers to focus on more critical issues rather than minor ones easily spotted by automation. The adoption of Prettier, despite initial concerns about limited configuration options, proved successful after illustrating its use by major companies, while Danger helped automate compliance checks and transition efforts from CoffeeScript to TypeScript. Custom StyleLint rules addressed overlooked CSS issues, and folder-specific PR checklists improved manual review processes. The result has been more consistent, high-quality code merges with less focus on trivialities, and the company plans to continue investing in code review automation, acknowledging the early positive outcomes and inviting collaboration on developer tooling improvements.