lrc - LiveReview CLI

lrc is a command-line tool for submitting local code diffs to LiveReview for AI-powered code review.

What data is sent?

Only the staged diff bundle required for review is sent to LiveReview APIs. No full repository context is uploaded.

git-lrc now uses explicit boundaries for data handling:

storage/*: local file/DB persistence only (config, hook metadata, attestation DB/files, review outputs, self-update state files)
network/*: outbound HTTP calls only (review submit/poll, connector APIs, auth refresh, provisioning, self-update manifest/binary fetch)

Transmission behavior:

Review submission sends a zip/base64 of the selected diff (/api/v1/diff-review)
Optional telemetry sends CLI usage ping (/api/v1/diff-review/cli-used)
Connector setup/validation calls go to connector/auth endpoints when you run setup/UI flows

Local persistence behavior:

Credentials and connector state are written to ~/.lrc.toml
Hook/attestation artifacts are written under .git/lrc/...
Optional review artifacts are written only when you pass --save-* flags

Retention and deletion:

Local files are user-controlled and can be deleted directly from ~/.lrc.toml, ~/.lrc/update/*, and .git/lrc/*
Server-side retention/training policy is governed by LiveReview backend policy; the CLI does not independently retain uploaded diff payloads after submission

Data Handling Boundaries

To make confidentiality behavior explicit, the CLI uses two boundary packages:

storage/*: all local persistence (config files, hook/attestation files, sqlite mutations, output artifacts, self-update state)
network/*: all outbound HTTP traffic (setup/provisioning, review submit/poll, connector proxy/auth refresh, self-update fetches)

This gives one place to audit what is written locally vs what leaves the machine.

Installation

Build the binary:

make build-local

Or build directly:

go build -o lrc .

Usage

Basic Usage

Review staged changes:

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Git Hook Installation

Install pre-commit hooks for automatic code review:

# Install hooks
lrc hooks install

# Uninstall hooks
lrc hooks uninstall

# Force update existing lrc hooks
lrc hooks install --force

The hooks will:

Run lrc review --staged before each commit
Never block commits (always exits 0)
Can be skipped with Ctrl-C
Can be bypassed with git commit --no-verify
Add a commit trailer: LiveReview Pre-Commit Check: [ran|skipped]

Diff Sources

Staged changes (default):

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source staged

Working tree changes:

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source working

Git range:

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source range --range HEAD~1..HEAD

From file:

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source file --diff-file my-changes.diff

Configuration

You can provide configuration in three ways (in order of precedence):

Command-line flags: --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --api-url https://your-instance.com
Environment variables: export LRC_API_KEY="your-api-key" LRC_API_URL="https://your-instance.com"
Config file: Create ~/.lrc.toml with:
```
# Your LiveReview API key
```

api_key = "lr_example_token"

Your LiveReview API endpoint (base URL, without /api suffix)

The CLI automatically appends /api/v1/diff-review

api_url = "https://manual-talent.apps.hexmos.com"


#### Setting Up Your Config File

```bash
# Copy the sample config
cp cmd/lrc/.lrc.toml.sample ~/.lrc.toml

# Edit with your credentials
vim ~/.lrc.toml

# Protect your API key
chmod 600 ~/.lrc.toml

# Now you can run lrc without any flags
lrc

All other flags can be set via environment variables or command-line flags.

Flags

Flag	Environment Variable	Default	Description
`--repo-name`	`LRC_REPO_NAME`	current dir basename	Repository name
`--diff-source`	`LRC_DIFF_SOURCE`	`staged`	Diff source: `staged`, `working`, `range`, or `file`
`--range`	`LRC_RANGE`		Git range (e.g., `HEAD~1..HEAD`) for `range` mode
`--diff-file`	`LRC_DIFF_FILE`		Path to diff file for `file` mode
`--api-url`	`LRC_API_URL`	`http://localhost:8888`	LiveReview API base URL
`--api-key`	`LRC_API_KEY`	(from config)	API key for authentication
`--poll-interval`	`LRC_POLL_INTERVAL`	`2s`	Interval between status polls
`--timeout`	`LRC_TIMEOUT`	`5m`	Maximum wait time for review
`--output`	`LRC_OUTPUT`	`pretty`	Output format: `pretty` or `json`
`--save-bundle`	`LRC_SAVE_BUNDLE`		Save bundle to file for inspection before sending
`--save-json`	`LRC_SAVE_JSON`		Save JSON response to file after completion
`--save-text`	`LRC_SAVE_TEXT`		Save formatted text with comment markers to file
`--save-html`	`LRC_SAVE_HTML`		Save GitHub-style HTML review to file
`--verbose, -v`	`LRC_VERBOSE`	`false`	Enable verbose output

Examples

Setup API key in config file

# Create config file with your API key and endpoint
cat > ~/.lrc.toml << EOF
# Your LiveReview API key
api_key = "lr_example_token"

# Your LiveReview API endpoint
api_url = "https://manual-talent.apps.hexmos.com"
EOF

# Protect your config file
chmod 600 ~/.lrc.toml

# Now you can run lrc without specifying the key or URL
lrc

Inspect bundle before sending

# Save the bundle for inspection before submitting
lrc --save-bundle bundle.txt

# Review the bundle file to see what will be sent
less bundle.txt

Save review results to files

# Save both JSON and formatted text output
lrc --save-json review.json --save-text review.txt

# Save HTML output for viewing in browser
lrc --save-html review.html

# Save all formats
lrc --save-json review.json --save-text review.txt --save-html review.html

# Search for comments in the text file
grep -n ">>>COMMENT<<<" review.txt

# Or use your editor's search function to jump between comments
vim review.txt  # then search for: />>>COMMENT<<<

# Open HTML review in browser
xdg-open review.html  # Linux
open review.html      # macOS
start review.html     # Windows

Complete workflow with all output options

# Run review with all inspection/output options
lrc \
  --save-bundle bundle.txt \
  --save-json review.json \
  --save-text review.txt \
  --save-html review.html \
  --verbose

# Review the bundle that was sent
cat bundle.txt

# Check the raw JSON response
jq . review.json

# Navigate through comments in text file
# Search for ">>>COMMENT<<<" to jump between comments
vim review.txt

# Open HTML review in browser (best for visual inspection)
xdg-open review.html

Review uncommitted changes

# Review all staged changes
git add .
lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

# Review working directory changes (unstaged)
lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source working

Review a specific commit

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source range --range HEAD~1..HEAD

Review a saved diff

git diff main..feature-branch > changes.diff
lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --diff-source file --diff-file changes.diff

JSON output for scripting

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --output json > review-results.json

Verbose mode for debugging

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --verbose

Output Formats

Pretty (default)

Human-readable output with file sections and colored severity levels:

================================================================================
LIVEREVIEW RESULTS
================================================================================

Summary:
The code looks good overall. Minor suggestions below.

2 file(s) with comments:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILE: src/main.go
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  [WARNING] Line 42 (best-practices)
    Consider using context.WithTimeout instead of time.Sleep

  [INFO] Line 89 (style)
    Variable name could be more descriptive

================================================================================
Review complete: 2 total comment(s)
================================================================================

JSON

Machine-readable JSON output for automation:

{
  "status": "completed",
  "summary": "The code looks good overall. Minor suggestions below.",
  "files": [
    {
      "file_path": "src/main.go",
      "hunks": [...],
      "comments": [
        {
          "line": 42,
          "content": "Consider using context.WithTimeout instead of time.Sleep",
          "severity": "warning",
          "category": "best-practices"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

API Requirements

The lrc tool requires:

A running LiveReview API server (default: http://localhost:8888)
A valid API key (obtain from your LiveReview account settings)

The tool communicates with these endpoints:

POST /api/v1/diff-review - Submit diff for review
GET /api/v1/diff-review/:id - Poll for review status/results

Exit Codes

0 - Success
1 - Error (network failure, invalid input, review failed, timeout, etc.)

Troubleshooting

"API key not provided"

You can provide the API key in three ways:

# Option 1: Config file (recommended)
echo 'api_key = "your-key"' > ~/.lrc.toml

# Option 2: Environment variable
export LRC_API_KEY="your-key"

# Option 3: Command-line flag
lrc --api-key your-key

Inspecting what gets sent to the API

Use --save-bundle to see exactly what will be transmitted:

lrc --save-bundle bundle.txt --verbose

# The bundle file contains:
# - Original diff content
# - Zip archive info
# - Base64 encoded payload (what the API receives)

Analyzing review comments

Use --save-text to get a searchable text file with markers:

lrc --save-text review.txt

# Search for comments:
grep ">>>COMMENT<<<" review.txt

# Or use editor search to jump between comments:
vim review.txt  # then: />>>COMMENT<<<
code review.txt  # then: Ctrl+F ">>>COMMENT<<<"

"no diff content collected"

Make sure you have uncommitted changes:

git status
git diff --staged  # Check if there are staged changes

"API returned status 401"

Check your API key:

echo $LRC_API_KEY
# or
lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --verbose

"timeout waiting for review completion"

Increase the timeout:

lrc --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --timeout 10m

Connection refused

Ensure the LiveReview API server is running:

# Start the API server
./livereview api

# Or check if it's already running
curl http://localhost:8888/health

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

lrc - LiveReview CLI

What data is sent?

Data Handling Boundaries

Installation

Usage

Basic Usage

Git Hook Installation

Diff Sources

Configuration

Your LiveReview API endpoint (base URL, without /api suffix)

The CLI automatically appends /api/v1/diff-review

Flags

Examples

Setup API key in config file

Inspect bundle before sending

Save review results to files

Complete workflow with all output options

Review uncommitted changes

Review a specific commit

Review a saved diff

JSON output for scripting

Verbose mode for debugging

Output Formats

Pretty (default)

JSON

API Requirements

Exit Codes

Troubleshooting

"API key not provided"

Inspecting what gets sent to the API

Analyzing review comments

"no diff content collected"

"API returned status 401"

"timeout waiting for review completion"

Connection refused

FilesExpand file tree

LRC_README.md

Latest commit

History

LRC_README.md

File metadata and controls

lrc - LiveReview CLI

What data is sent?

Data Handling Boundaries

Installation

Usage

Basic Usage

Git Hook Installation

Diff Sources

Configuration

Your LiveReview API endpoint (base URL, without /api suffix)

The CLI automatically appends /api/v1/diff-review

Flags

Examples

Setup API key in config file

Inspect bundle before sending

Save review results to files

Complete workflow with all output options

Review uncommitted changes

Review a specific commit

Review a saved diff

JSON output for scripting

Verbose mode for debugging

Output Formats

Pretty (default)

JSON

API Requirements

Exit Codes

Troubleshooting

"API key not provided"

Inspecting what gets sent to the API

Analyzing review comments

"no diff content collected"

"API returned status 401"

"timeout waiting for review completion"

Connection refused