Chapter 1 of 8 · 4 checks · 2 min
Scope and size
Small, focused pull requests are reviewed faster and more carefully. These checks make sure the change does one thing and is a size a reviewer can handle.
The pull request does one thing you can describe in one sentenceMust
Why it matters and how to check
Google's guidance for authors says a change should be one self contained change that addresses just one thing, usually one part of a feature rather than the whole feature. A pull request that fixes a bug, adds a feature and upgrades a library is three reviews squeezed into one, and none of them gets full attention.
To verify, write the summary line for the pull request now. If you need the word "and" to describe it, or the title is vague like "updates", split the work into separate branches before you ask for review.
The diff is small enough to review in one sittingShould
Why it matters and how to check
Google's guidance says about 100 lines is usually a reasonable size for a change and about 1,000 lines is usually too large. File spread matters too: 200 lines in one file can be fine, while 200 lines spread across 50 files usually is not.
To verify, check the line and file counts on the pull request page, or run
git diff --stat main...HEAD. If the change is large, see whether it splits by layer, such as model, then API, then UI, or into a refactor followed by the feature. If it genuinely cannot be split, say so in the description and agree with the reviewer in advance.Refactors, renames and formatting are in their own pull requestShould
Why it matters and how to check
Mixing mechanical changes with behaviour changes hides the lines that matter. Google's guidance recommends doing refactorings in a separate change from feature changes and bug fixes. Small cleanups, such as renaming a local variable you are already editing, can stay.
To verify, scroll the diff and look for files where only names, imports or whitespace changed. If there are many, move them to a separate branch, merge that first, and rebase your feature on top.