Instruction file imported from clshortfuse/renodx (.github/instructions/renodx-code-review.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.

RenoDX Code Review Instructions

When reviewing RenoDX changes, check the domain behavior as well as syntax and buildability.

Every Copilot code review must include a RenoDX review checklist section in the review body. Do not leave a review without this checklist. Mark each relevant item as Pass, Needs comment, or N/A; leave actionable review comments for every Needs comment item.

RenoDX review checklist

• PR scope and commits are tidy: mod PRs are mostly target game/mod changes plus required shared support.
• Review comments are helpful: each issue explains the risky behavior or missing proof and suggests a concrete RenoDX pattern.
• Defaults preserve the original/vanilla look as closely as practical; extra HDR look, contrast, saturation, or brightness is opt-in.
• Preset Off/reset and Vanilla/0 behavior are clear; Vanilla/0 is not treated as full Off if grading/effects remain active.
• The PR does not implement final-frame inverse tonemapping from a completed SDR swapchain/backbuffer.
• Tonemap/LUT shaders prove the untonemapped, neutral_sdr, and graded_sdr signals used by ToneMapPass or UpgradeToneMap.
• ToneMapPass, PsychoV, and other tonemappers receive linear input; encoded/gamma/sRGB values are decoded before tonemapping.
• Vanilla LUT paths prove their domain, sampling, masks/strength/scaling, and HDR bridge/reconstruction strategy.
• Hard clips, saturate, UNORM writes, or lower-format copies do not destroy HDR range before HDR-critical work is complete, except scoped Vanilla/0 resource-clamp emulation.
• SwapChainPass is only final output encoding for a proven intermediate, not hidden tonemap replacement, LUT reconstruction, or inverse SDR expansion.
• Output mode prefers HDR10/PQ with an SDR/HDR toggle; scRGB is used only for rare, justified compatibility or integration cases.

Detailed checks

• Review comments should be helpful and actionable. Explain the risky behavior or missing proof, then suggest a concrete RenoDX pattern, bridge, API, or preservation path to employ. References to other mods are useful only when pointing to a specific relevant pattern; do not assume an entire mod is high quality or authoritative.
• Keep mod PR scope tidy. Changes should be mostly related to the target mod/game plus required shared support; flag unrelated core/global files, scratch/debug/generated artifacts, other-game edits, or drive-by cleanup. Multiple commits are fine when they are coherent and organized by topic.
• Defaults must match the original/vanilla look as closely as practical. HDR should extend proven range/resource limits; visual augmentation belongs in sliders or named presets such as HDR Look.
• If settings or presets are added, Preset Off or equivalent reset should restore true 100% vanilla as closely as practical. ToneMapPass with RENODX_TONE_MAP_TYPE == 0 / Vanilla can still allow user grading controls, so do not treat it as fully off unless custom grading, HDR-look controls, and effect overrides are disabled.
• A Vanilla/0 path may explicitly saturate or clamp to emulate the original implicit RGBA8U/UNORM resource write clamp after a resource upgrade. Do not treat that as the same issue as hard clipping HDR for a LUT bridge or neutral_sdr.
• Flag shader changes that add default contrast, saturation, colorfulness, or a new grade because HDR headroom exists.
• Reject final-frame inverse tonemap approaches. RenoDX should preserve or recover upstream scene/pre-SDR data, then forward-map it through ToneMapPass or SwapChainPass as appropriate.
• For tonemap/LUT shaders, require a proven untonemapped, neutral_sdr, or graded_sdr signal. When using three-argument ToneMapPass, neutral_sdr must be an engineered/proven reference baseline for UpgradeToneMap, not raw saturate(untonemapped).
• ToneMapPass, PsychoV, and other tonemappers require linear input. Flag encoded/gamma/sRGB values that flow into tonemapping without decode; encode only for a proven encoded LUT domain or output path.
• For games with LUT/color-grade passes, expect deliberate LUT handling instead of a raw sample bolted onto HDR. A simple sampler can preserve vanilla, but it is also a sign to check whether LUT domain, strength/scaling, masks/blends, SDR bridge, and HDR reconstruction were left on the table.
• Flag SDR LUT paths where HDR/pre-LUT scene is log-shaped or hard-clipped (saturate, min(max(...), 1)) into the vanilla LUT domain, sampled, then used as output or graded_sdr without a safe LUT-domain proxy, reconstruction path, or proven reference baseline. A valid SDR LUT bridge should map/compress the proven HDR/reference signal into the LUT's SDR domain, sample the vanilla LUT/grade, then reconstruct the HDR/reference signal or feed a graded ToneMapPass path with an engineered neutral/reference baseline. Do not accept raw saturate(untonemapped) as that baseline.
• Hard clip into a vanilla LUT is not enough by itself if the clip collapses saturated highlights to white or wrong hues. Expect proof that hue and saturation survive the LUT bridge, such as max-channel/N2 plus gamut compression/reconstruction or selective hue/saturation clip emulation when the vanilla clip effect is intentional.
• Prefer renodx::lut tooling for replacement paths: configure renodx::lut::Config with the proven input/output domain, size/precompute, strength/scaling, and sampling choice, then call renodx::lut::Sample/SampleTetrahedral. Direct Texture.Sample is acceptable when deliberately preserving exact vanilla packed-LUT addressing, but the domain and reconstruction still need to be proven. LUT centering/half-texel offsets are sampling fidelity, not the vanilla grade itself.
• Verify LUT domain assumptions. Most vanilla SDR LUTs are sRGB/gamma-domain; linear input is rare and needs proof. PQ, HDR, log, packed 2D, tetrahedral, masks, strength, or scaling may need explicit preservation.
• Flag saturate, min/max clamps, UNORM writes, or lower-format copies that destroy highlight range, negative channels, or precision before HDR-critical work is complete. A vanilla saturate on an already-tonemapped value may only trim small overflow, and a Vanilla/0 branch may need to emulate the original RGBA8U/UNORM resource clamp; hard clip of untonemapped/HDR for a LUT bridge or neutral_sdr is the issue.
• Treat SwapChainPass as final output encoding for a proven intermediate. Do not hide tonemap replacement, LUT reconstruction, or inverse SDR expansion inside a swapchain proxy shader.
• Prefer an HDR10/PQ output path with a clear SDR/HDR toggle and synchronized swapchain color space plus injected output preset. Treat scRGB as rare; require a concrete reason such as a dependency that needs a float/scRGB path, not just because the internal proxy/intermediate is RGBA16F.