Overview
PR Lens turns a pull-request diff into a graph of responsibilities, boundaries, relationships, deltas, and data flow, then validates, renders, and publishes it as a stable review aid. The series follows evidence from merge-base comparison through correction, deterministic visuals, GitHub delivery, and canvas capabilities. It improves orientation, not semantic completeness, correctness, or security judgment.
Learning outcomes
- A review map restores system relationships and unchanged context that a file-ordered diff leaves implicit.
- Git and the contract establish provenance and structural coherence; model-generated architecture remains an interpretation that may be incomplete.
- Deterministic, self-contained rendering and content-addressed delivery make visual changes easier to compare and stale assets harder to mistake for current ones.
- GitHub comments, agents, Actions, and canvases offer different control and trust boundaries, but none replaces code, correctness, or security review.
Keywords
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PlansFAQ
What problem does PR Lens solve?
PR Lens helps reviewers orient themselves in a pull-request change by showing responsibilities, relationships, context, and data flow before they inspect the code.
How do PR Lens architecture and data-flow views differ?
PR Lens architecture views show where responsibilities and blast radius sit, while data-flow views show how messages move in order; they are complementary, not zoom levels of one picture.
How does PR Lens keep a generated review map trustworthy?
PR Lens separates Git-derived facts, model proposals, contract checks, repository corrections, and rendered artifacts; these layers improve mechanical coherence but do not prove semantic completeness.
Can PR Lens replace code review or security analysis?
No. PR Lens is a comprehension layer that helps locate and follow a change, while correctness, security, and broader risk analysis still require code, tests, and human judgment.