Posted on Jan 23, 2026
Last week, we talked about knowing when to lead and when to delegate to GitHub Copilot. Today’s recipe picks up right where that left off. Delegation is only half the job. Review is where real confidence is built.
Let’s talk about how to review GitHub Copilot’s work the same way a senior developer would review a teammate’s pull request.
Before reading line by line, pause and ask one question.
What is this code trying to do?
Senior developers review for intent first, not formatting or style. If the purpose is unclear, everything else is noise.
Try this in GitHub Copilot Chat:
Explain what this code is doing and what problem it solves.
If the explanation doesn’t match your goal, stop there and correct course.
GitHub Copilot is fast, but it makes assumptions. Your job is to surface them.
Review for:
Follow up prompt to use:
What assumptions does this code make about inputs, state, or environment?
This often reveals gaps you would otherwise miss.
Senior reviewers look for structure early. Ask yourself:
If not, let GitHub Copilot help clean it up.
Try this:
Refactor this code to improve readability and structure without changing behavior.
Then review again.
The strongest workflow is a loop, not a handoff.
This mirrors how experienced teams work every day.
If you would comment on it in a pull request, comment on it with Copilot.
Ask for:
GitHub Copilot responds well to direct, specific feedback.
Senior developers don’t just write code. They review for clarity, safety, and long term understanding.
When you review GitHub Copilot’s work with that same mindset, the output improves fast and so does your trust in it.