newcomer-lens-reviewlisted

# newcomer-lens-review Review as a competent engineer who just joined: general engineering knowledge, but no project-specific context — design decisions, domain terms, historical constraints, team conventions. ## Steps 1. **Read the diff or files.** Mark every point where understanding requires information not present in the code. 2. **Categorize each gap** (see "Gap categories" below). 3. **Produce findings first** using the output contract below. 4. **Prioritize**: top 3 gaps that most need documentation. ## Context boundary **Assumed**: language semantics, common algorithms, industry standard patterns. **Not assumed**: why this approach, project terminology, past attempts, implicit requirements, domain concepts. ## Gap categories - **Design rationale** — why this algorithm/data structure/pattern over the obvious alternative? - **Domain knowledge** — what do project-specific terms mean? what business rules drive this? - **Historical context** — what's behind the TODO/workaround? why is approach X avoided? - **System constraints** — where does this timeout/limit/threshold come from? what failure modes? ## Flag vs don't flag **Flag if a newcomer must:** - Guess at unstated requirements. - Assume domain knowledge. - Infer from tribal knowledge. - Ask "why not the obvious alternative?" **Don't flag:** - Standard language or framework usage. - Common industry patterns. - Anything inferable from immediate surrounding code. - Style preferences. ## Output contract - Lea