crub

crub (Code Review User Experience) is a CLI tool that streamlines AI-assisted development with proper code review workflows. It enforces a PR-based review process for AI-generated code, ensuring changes go through proper review before merging.

What It Does

crub manages the full lifecycle of AI-assisted feature development:

1. Instruct the agent with project-specific guidance
2. Create a feature branch
3. Work on it using AI coding tools (or manually)
4. Submit changes as a GitHub PR
5. Review and address PR feedback automatically with AI
6. Wrap up by cleaning branches after merge

Why Use crub?

• Enforces code review: AI-generated code goes through PRs, not directly to main
• Tool agnostic: Works with any AI coding tool (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.)
• Automates PR feedback: AI can automatically address review comments
• Simple workflow: Familiar git-style commands

Installation

pip install crub

Or install from source:

git clone https://github.com/alexanderkyoo/crub.git
cd crub
pip install -e .

Setup

1. GitHub Authentication

crub needs a GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) to create and manage PRs.

Create a token:

1. Go to GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
2. Generate new token with:
   • repo (for private repos)
   • public_repo is enough for public-only workflows

Configure crub:

• No explicit login command is required.
• On first GitHub action (submit, review, wrap, status), crub prompts for a token and stores it in your keyring.
• To clear a saved token: crub auth clear

2. Configure Your AI Tool

crub works with any AI coding CLI tool. Set the CRUB_AI_COMMAND environment variable to your preferred tool:

# For Claude Code
export CRUB_AI_COMMAND="claude-code {instruction}"

# For Cursor CLI (if available)
export CRUB_AI_COMMAND="cursor --ai {instruction}"

# For a custom wrapper script
export CRUB_AI_COMMAND="my-ai-wrapper {instruction}"

Add this to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to make it permanent.

If {instruction} is present, crub replaces it with your instruction text. If {instruction} is omitted, crub appends the instruction as the last argument.

Usage

Basic Workflow

# 1. Print project guidance for the agent
crub instruct

# 2. Create a new feature branch
crub create auth-feature

# 3. Do your work (use your AI tool directly, or work manually)
# Your AI tool makes changes, you review them locally

# 4. Submit a PR when ready
crub submit

# 5. Address review comments automatically
crub review

Commands

crub

Shows the guided workflow help screen.

crub instruct

Prints the AGENT_GUIDE.md bundled inside the installed crub package.

crub instruct

crub create <branch-name>

Creates a new branch and switches to it.

crub create user-authentication

crub submit [branch-name] [--base <target-branch>]

Creates a GitHub PR from your branch.

# Submit current branch to main (default)
crub submit

# Submit specific branch
crub submit auth-feature

# Submit to a different base branch
crub submit auth-feature --base develop

The PR title defaults to your latest commit message. The branch is automatically pushed to GitHub.

crub revise <branch-name> "<instruction>"

Manually instruct the AI to make changes.

crub revise auth-feature "convert all variable names to camelCase"
crub revise auth-feature "add error handling to the login function"

Changes are automatically committed and pushed.

crub review [branch-name] [--pr <number>] [--comment]

Automatically addresses PR review comments using AI.

# Review current branch's PR
crub review

# Review specific branch
crub review auth-feature

# If multiple PRs exist for the branch
crub review auth-feature --pr 123

# Add a comment on the PR after pushing changes
crub review --comment

The AI fetches all PR comments, makes the requested changes, commits, and pushes.

crub status [branch-name]

Shows current (or specified) branch and associated PR(s).

# Status for current branch
crub status

# Status for a specific branch
crub status auth-feature

crub wrap [branch-name] [--pr <number>]

Cleans up branches after a PR is merged.

# Wrap up current branch
crub wrap

# Wrap up specific branch
crub wrap auth-feature

This command:

• Verifies the PR is actually merged
• Switches to the base branch
• Deletes local and remote branches
• Keeps you on the base branch

crub auth clear

Removes your stored GitHub token.

crub auth clear

Advanced Usage

Working with Stacked PRs

If you're working on a feature that builds on another unmerged feature:

# Create base feature
crub create feature-1
# ... work on it ...
crub submit

# Create dependent feature
crub create feature-2
# ... work on it ...

# Submit as a stacked PR (targets feature-1, not main)
crub submit --base feature-1

Using Different AI Tools

You can switch AI tools by changing the CRUB_AI_COMMAND environment variable:

# Try a different tool for this session
CRUB_AI_COMMAND="aider {instruction}" crub revise my-branch "refactor for clarity"

Multiple PRs for One Branch

If you have multiple PRs from the same branch (e.g., to different base branches):

# crub will error and ask you to specify which PR
crub review my-branch --pr 123

Configuration

Environment Variables

• CRUB_AI_COMMAND: Your AI CLI command (required for revise and review)
  • {instruction} placeholder is optional
  • Example: "claude-code {instruction}"

GitHub Token Storage

Tokens are stored securely using your system's keyring:

• macOS: Keychain
• Linux: Secret Service API / KWallet
• Windows: Windows Credential Locker

Examples

Example 1: Simple Feature Development

# Start new feature
crub create user-profile

# Use your AI tool directly to build the feature
claude-code "implement user profile page with avatar upload"

# Submit for review
crub submit

# Teammate leaves comments asking for changes
# Address them automatically
crub review --comment

# After PR is merged
crub wrap

Example 2: Quick Fix with AI Revision

# Create fix branch
crub create fix-typos

# Make a quick change with AI
crub revise fix-typos "fix all typos in README.md"

# Submit
crub submit

Example 3: Complex Multi-Step Feature

# Start feature
crub create payment-integration

# Work iteratively with AI
crub revise payment-integration "add Stripe SDK and basic setup"
crub revise payment-integration "implement checkout flow"
crub revise payment-integration "add error handling and logging"

# Submit for review
crub submit

# Address review feedback
crub review --comment

# After merge
crub wrap

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Git
• GitHub account with repository access
• An AI coding tool (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) - optional but recommended

Troubleshooting

"Not inside a git repository"

• Make sure you're in a git repository directory
• Run git init if starting a new project

"Missing remote.origin.url"

• Your git repo needs a GitHub remote
• Add one: git remote add origin git@github.com:username/repo.git

"Set CRUB_AI_COMMAND to your AI CLI"

• You need to configure which AI tool to use
• Set the environment variable: export CRUB_AI_COMMAND="your-tool {instruction}"

"No open PR found for branch"

• You need to create a PR first with crub submit
• Or the PR might be closed/merged already

Authentication errors

• Run crub auth clear to remove the cached token
• Re-run any GitHub command (crub submit, crub status, etc.) to enter a new token
• Make sure your token has repo permissions

Contributing

Issues and pull requests welcome! This tool is designed to be simple and focused.

License

MIT