Specialist code review catches the issues each specialist is trained to see. The backend reviewer catches the API issue, the data engineer catches the schema issue, the security reviewer catches the auth issue. None of them catch the integration gap: the API endpoint that does what it says, the schema that supports the use case, the auth that protects the route, but the combination of the three has a subtle inconsistency that does not appear in any one specialist's lane. Cross-cutting review is what catches the gap, and it is exactly the work specialists do not own.
The /apex-review skill performs the cross-cutting pass. It looks at the body of work as a whole: API design, data model, security, observability, tests, documentation. The questions it asks are integration questions: does the API surface match the data model, does the auth coverage match the routes, does the observability surface the new failure modes, do the tests cover the new error paths, does the documentation reflect the new behavior. Each question is the kind that gets dropped between specialists, and each is the kind that produces a postmortem when missed.
What cross-cutting review catches
Six categories of integration gap. API and data model misalignment: the API exposes a field the data model does not store reliably. Auth coverage gaps: a new route is missing the auth middleware applied to others. Observability blind spots: new failure modes that have no metric, log, or alert. Test coverage holes: new paths that are not in the test suite. Documentation drift: the change is in the code but the docs still describe the previous behavior. Cross-team consistency: the new endpoint uses a different convention from the rest of the API.
How /apex-review works
The skill reads the body of work (a PR, a feature branch, a recent set of merges) and walks each layer. For each, it checks the integration with the others. It surfaces the gaps with specific file references and proposed fixes. The output is the cross-cutting review the specialists individually could not produce.
Cross-cutting review is most valuable just before merge or just after a feature branch is ready. Earlier and the work is too in-flux; later and the issues have already shipped. /apex-review is calibrated to the merge boundary.
Tonone's /apex-review skill performs cross-cutting review across API, data model, security, observability, tests, and documentation, catching the integration gaps specialists miss.
When to use /apex-review
/apex-review is the right call when a body of work is ready to merge and the team wants the cross-cutting pass before shipping, or when an existing feature is being audited for integration gaps after the fact. Skip it for trivial single-layer changes.
| Capability | Tonone | Generalist chatbot | Cursor / Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews multiple layers together | Yes, API + data + security + observability + tests + docs | Single layer at a time | Specialist-only |
| Catches integration gaps | Yes, by design | By accident | Variable |
| Surfaces docs drift alongside code | Yes, docs and code together | Code only | Docs separate |
| References specific files | Yes, with proposed fixes | Generic comments | Variable |
Related skills
/apex-review performs the cross-cutting review. For specialist code review, the per-specialist review skills cover their lane (/spine-review for backend, /prism-audit for frontend). For threat modeling at the design layer, /warden-threat is the right call.
Install
/apex-review ships with the Apex agent in Tonone for Claude Code. Install Tonone, invoke /apex-review against a body of work, and the skill produces the cross-cutting review.
1. Add to marketplace
2. Install Apex
Frequently asked questions
- What does /apex-review do?
- It performs cross-cutting review across API, data model, security, observability, tests, and documentation, catching integration gaps that arise when specialists work in their own lane.
- When should I use /apex-review?
- When a body of work is ready to merge and the team wants the cross-cutting pass, or when auditing an existing feature for integration gaps.
- How is /apex-review different from /spine-review?
- /spine-review is backend-specific. /apex-review is cross-cutting across all layers.
- How do I install /apex-review?
- Install Tonone for Claude Code via tonone.ai/get-started. /apex-review ships with the Apex agent. Tonone is free and MIT-licensed.