Self-Critique - Quality Through Reflection

Self-Critique implements structured self-review workflows inspired by Constitutional AI and self-reflection research.

The core insight: Outputs improve significantly when you pause, review against criteria, and revise—especially your own work.

The Analogy: Code Review (With Yourself)

When to Use Self-Critique

Perfect for:

• 📝 Important writing (emails, docs, proposals)
• 💻 Code before commit (especially complex changes)
• 📊 Analysis and reports (where accuracy matters)
• 🎨 Design decisions (review trade-offs)
• 🤔 Any output with consequences (can't easily undo)

Skip for:

• ⚡ Drafts or quick notes (speed > quality)
• 🎯 Obvious answers ("What is 2+2?")
• 🔄 Pure exploration (brainstorming)

The Workflow

Step 1: Generate Initial Output

Create your first draft without self-censoring:

TASK: "Write project proposal for new feature"

[Generate complete first draft]

> ⚠️ Don't self-edit while generating. Get ideas out first.

Step 2: Switch to Critique Mode

Mentally switch roles. You are now the reviewer, not the creator:

ROLE CHANGE: I am now a critical reviewer examining this proposal.

CRITERIA FOR REVIEW:
- [ ] Clear objective stated upfront
- [ ] Problem well-defined
- [ ] Solution described in detail
- [ ] Scope clearly bounded
- [ ] Timeline realistic
- [ ] Risks identified
- [ ] Success metrics defined
- [ ] Stakeholders addressed
- [ ] No typos or unclear language
- [ ] Appropriate tone for audience

Step 3: Structured Critique

Review systematically against criteria. For each criterion:

CRITERION: "Clear objective stated upfront"

FINDING: ✓ PASS
- First paragraph states: "Build X to solve Y"
- Objective is specific and measurable

---

CRITERION: "Timeline realistic"

FINDING: ✗ FAIL
- Proposes 2 weeks for database migration
- Historical data: similar migrations took 6-8 weeks
- Missing time for testing and rollback

SEVERITY: High (project will fail if timeline is wrong)

SUGGESTED FIX:
- Revise timeline to 8 weeks
- Include phases: migration (4w), testing (2w), buffer (2w)
- Add milestone check-ins

Step 4: Aggregate Findings

Summarize all issues found:

CRITIQUE SUMMARY:

CRITICAL (Must fix before shipping):
1. Timeline unrealistic (8 weeks needed, not 2)
2. Missing risk: dependency on external team

MODERATE (Should fix):
3. Security section too vague—needs specific controls
4. No mention of monitoring plan

MINOR (Nice to have):
5. Typo in paragraph 3: "recieve" → "receive"
6. Could add diagram for architecture

POSITIVE (Keep doing):
✓ Clear problem statement
✓ Good stakeholder analysis
✓ Strong success metrics

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: Needs revision before submission
CONFIDENCE: High (clear issues identified)

Step 5: Revise

Address findings systematically:

REVISIONS:

[R1] Fix timeline (Critical #1)
- Change: "2 weeks" → "8 weeks with phases"
- Add: Detailed phase breakdown
- Add: Milestone checkpoints

[R2] Add external dependency risk (Critical #2)
- Add section: "External Dependencies"
- Document: Team X API needed, contact established
- Mitigation: Early integration testing

[R3] Expand security section (Moderate #3)
- Add: Specific encryption requirements
- Add: Access control details
- Reference: Company security standards

[Continue for all findings...]

Step 6: Second-Pass Critique (Optional)

For critical work, critique again:

SECOND CRITIQUE (lighter):

Did revisions address issues? ✓
Any new problems introduced? ✗ (none found)
Ready to ship? ✓

Step 7: Final Output

Ship the revised version:

FINAL OUTPUT: [Revised proposal with all fixes applied]

QUALITY SCORE: 9/10 (up from 6/10)
REVISIONS MADE: 8
TIME SPENT ON CRITIQUE: 15 minutes
CONFIDENCE: High

Critique Frameworks by Domain

For Code

CODE REVIEW CRITERIA:

FUNCTIONALITY:
- [ ] Does what it claims to do
- [ ] Handles edge cases
- [ ] Error handling complete
- [ ] No obvious bugs

SECURITY:
- [ ] Input validated
- [ ] No injection vulnerabilities
- [ ] Secrets not hardcoded
- [ ] Principle of least privilege

PERFORMANCE:
- [ ] No N+1 queries
- [ ] Algorithm appropriate for scale
- [ ] No unnecessary computation
- [ ] Memory usage reasonable

MAINTAINABILITY:
- [ ] Clear variable names
- [ ] Functions are focused
- [ ] Comments explain why, not what
- [ ] Follows project conventions

TESTING:
- [ ] Tests cover happy path
- [ ] Tests cover error cases
- [ ] Edge cases tested
- [ ] Tests are readable

DOCUMENTATION:
- [ ] Complex logic explained
- [ ] API documented
- [ ] Breaking changes noted

For Writing

WRITING REVIEW CRITERIA:

CLARITY:
- [ ] Main point obvious in first 2 sentences
- [ ] Each paragraph has one clear idea
- [ ] No ambiguous pronouns
- [ ] Technical terms defined

COMPLETENESS:
- [ ] Answers reader's likely questions
- [ ] Context provided
- [ ] Next steps clear (if applicable)
- [ ] Nothing assumed unstated

AUDIENCE:
- [ ] Tone appropriate
- [ ] Detail level matches audience
- [ ] Jargon minimized or explained
- [ ] Format appropriate

CORRECTNESS:
- [ ] Facts checked
- [ ] Numbers add up
- [ ] Links work
- [ ] No typos/grammar errors

IMPACT:
- [ ] Opening grabs attention
- [ ] Closing reinforces message
- [ ] Call to action clear (if needed)
- [ ] Length appropriate

For Analysis

ANALYSIS REVIEW CRITERIA:

DATA QUALITY:
- [ ] Source credible
- [ ] Sample size appropriate
- [ ] Time period relevant
- [ ] No obvious data errors

METHODOLOGY:
- [ ] Approach sound
- [ ] Assumptions stated
- [ ] Limitations acknowledged
- [ ] Alternative explanations considered

CONCLUSIONS:
- [ ] Supported by evidence
- [ ] Not overstated
- [ ] Confidence level appropriate
- [ ] Uncertainty quantified

VISUALIZATION:
- [ ] Charts clear and honest
- [ ] Axes labeled
- [ ] No misleading scaling
- [ ] Title explains takeaway

ACTIONABILITY:
- [ ] Recommendations specific
- [ ] Trade-offs explained
- [ ] Implementation considerations noted
- [ ] Next steps clear

For Decisions

DECISION REVIEW CRITERIA:

PROBLEM DEFINITION:
- [ ] Actual problem identified (not symptoms)
- [ ] Success criteria defined
- [ ] Constraints listed
- [ ] Stakeholders identified

OPTIONS CONSIDERED:
- [ ] Multiple alternatives explored
- [ ] No obvious option missed
- [ ] Trade-offs clear
- [ ] Each option evaluated against criteria

BIAS CHECK:
- [ ] Confirmation bias countered
- [ ] Sunk cost fallacy avoided
- [ ] Status quo bias questioned
- [ ] Groupthink avoided (if applicable)

RISKS:
- [ ] Downsides of chosen option clear
- [ ] Mitigation plans exist
- [ ] Rollback possible if needed
- [ ] Worst-case scenario acceptable

COMMUNICATION:
- [ ] Rationale explainable
- [ ] Dissenting views addressed
- [ ] Decision documented
- [ ] Review process defined

Severity Levels

When critiquing, classify each finding:

Common Critique Patterns

Pattern 1: The Fresh Eyes

Wait 10 minutes between generating and critiquing:

1. Generate output
2. Wait/coffee break
3. Return with fresh perspective
4. Critique
5. Revise

Pattern 2: The Role Play

Adopt a specific persona for critique:

CRITIQUE PERSONA: "Skeptical security engineer"

What would they look for?
- Input validation gaps
- Authentication bypasses
- Information disclosure
- Audit trail gaps

Other personas:

• Junior developer (confused by jargon?)
• Future maintainer (will this code make sense in 6 months?)
• Adversarial user (how could this be abused?)

Pattern 3: The Red Team

Actively try to break your own work:

RED TEAM QUESTIONS:
- What's the worst interpretation of this?
- How could someone misuse this?
- What assumptions am I making that might be wrong?
- What would prove this wrong?

Pattern 4: The Checklist Method

Use domain-specific checklists (see frameworks above):

BEFORE SHIPPING, CHECK:
- [ ] All critical criteria pass
- [ ] At least 80% of moderate criteria pass
- [ ] No new critical issues introduced in revision

Examples

Example 1: Code Self-Critique

Initial Code:

def process_payment(user_id, amount):
    user = db.get_user(user_id)
    if user.balance >= amount:
        user.balance -= amount
        db.update(user)
        return True
    return False

Self-Critique:

CRITIQUE:

CRITICAL:
1. No transaction isolation—race condition possible
   FIX: Use database transaction with FOR UPDATE

2. No audit logging—can't trace what happened
   FIX: Log payment to audit table

3. No input validation—negative amounts?
   FIX: Validate amount > 0

4. No error handling—database failure crashes
   FIX: Try/except with proper error handling

MODERATE:
5. Should return payment object, not bool
   FIX: Return Payment record with ID

6. Missing docstring
   FIX: Add docstring with args/returns/raises

REVISION:
[Updated code with all fixes]

Example 2: Email Self-Critique

Initial Email:

Subject: Meeting

Hey,
Need to talk about the thing. Tuesday?
-J

Self-Critique:

CRITIQUE:

CRITICAL:
1. No context—recipient doesn't know "the thing"
   FIX: Specify what meeting is about

2. Vague timing—"Tuesday" what time?
   FIX: Propose specific time or ask for availability

3. No purpose—why meeting vs email?
   FIX: State what decision/action needed

4. Too casual for likely audience
   FIX: Professional but friendly tone

MODERATE:
5. No duration estimate
   FIX: "30 minute meeting"

6. Missing call details
   FIX: Include Zoom link or location

REVISION:

Subject: Quick sync on Q3 roadmap - Tuesday 2pm?

Hi Sarah,

Hope you're doing well! I'd like to get your input on the Q3 roadmap priorities before finalizing next week.

Would you be available for a 30-minute call on Tuesday at 2pm PT? I'll send a calendar invite with Zoom details.

If that time doesn't work, I'm flexible Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.

Thanks!

J

### Example 3: Analysis Self-Critique

**Initial Analysis:**

Our API latency increased 50% after the v2 deployment.

The new auth middleware is likely the cause.

We should optimize it.

**Self-Critique:**

CRITIQUE:

CRITICAL:

1. 50% claim not verified—need actual numbers

FIX: Include baseline (100ms) vs current (150ms) p99

1. "Likely" not rigorous—correlation ≠ causation

FIX: Check other variables (traffic, dependencies)

FIX: A/B test or profile before/after

1. "Optimize it" too vague

FIX: Specific recommendation with trade-offs

1. No confidence interval or sample size

FIX: Statistical significance check

1. Missing impact assessment

FIX: User impact, revenue impact

1. No mitigation if optimization fails

FIX: Rollback plan, alternatives

REVISION:

API latency (p99) increased from 100ms to 150ms (n=1M requests) 
after v2 deployment on March 1. This correlates with new auth 
middleware but other factors possible.

Evidence:
- Profiling shows auth middleware +40ms
- Traffic patterns unchanged
- No dependency latency changes

Impact: 5% of requests now timeout for mobile users

Options:
1. Cache auth tokens (est. -30ms, 2 days work)
2. Async auth validation (est. -50ms, 1 week work)
3. Rollback to v1 (immediate, feature delay)

Recommendation: Option 1 first, if insufficient try Option 2.

Integration with Other Skills

Self-Critique + Plan First:

1. Plan the task
2. Execute step
3. Self-critique output
4. Revise
5. Next step

Self-Critique + Team Code:

1. Agent generates output
2. Same agent self-critiques
3. Revises
4. Submits
5. Manager integrates

Quick Start Template

## Original Output
[Your first draft]

## Critique Persona
[Who am I being? e.g., "Skeptical security reviewer"]

## Criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
...

## Findings

### Critical
1. [Issue] → [Fix]

### Moderate
1. [Issue] → [Fix]

### Minor
1. [Issue] → [Fix]

## Summary
[What needs revision]

## Revised Output
[Final version with fixes]

References

• Research: "Constitutional AI: Harmlessness from AI Feedback" (Anthropic, 2022)
• Related: Self-reflection, Chain-of-Verification, Self-Consistency
• See references/examples.md for more detailed examples