What is nero-review?

nero-review is a terminal-first AI code review tool.
It analyzes source files, understands their role and structure, validates AI output, and delivers clear, structured, actionable feedback — without pulling you into a browser or UI.

Built for developers who live in the terminal.

Installation

Install globally using npm:

npm install -g nero-review

Basic Usage

nero-review reviews one file at a time.

Run it from your project root and pass the path to a single source file:

nero-review <filepath>

Example

nero-review ./api/login/route.ts

Environment Variable Setup

nero-reivew currently supports OpenRouter as its AI provider

You must configure and OpenRouter API key and model before running the CLI.

Linux / macOS (Recommended)

Create a secrets file:

~/.config/nero/secrets.sh

Add your configuration:

export NERO_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
export NERO_MODEL="your_model_name"

Then source it in your shell config (.zshrc, .bashrc, etc.):

[ -f "$HOME/.config/nero/secrets.sh" ] && source "$HOME/.config/nero/secrets.sh"

Windows (PowerShell)

Set environment variables using PowerShell:

setx NERO_API_KEY "your_api_key_here"
setx NERO_MODEL "your_model_name"

Restart your terminal or VS Code after setting them.

Recommended OpenRouter Models

nero-review performance depends heavily on the selected model.

For the best experince, use one of the following OpenRouter models:

Fast & Balanced (Recommended)

Best choice for everyday use. Good speed with reliable reasoning.

Free

mistralai/devstral-2512:free
google/gemma-3-27b-it:free

Paid

anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet
openai/gpt-4o-mini

High Quality (Slower)

Free

qwen/qwen3-coder:free

Paid

anthropic/claude-3-opus
openai/gpt-4o

How nero-review works

File → Analyze → Prompt → AI → Validate → Format → Output

Security Notes

• API keys are read only from environment variables
• No keys are logged or printed
• No data is stored or cached
• Requests are sent only for the file under review