Awesome Reviewers

When implementing set-based selection/reconciliation algorithms, ensure (1) deterministic outcomes and (2) invariant-preserving persisted state across runs.

A. Deterministic tie-breaking (order-independent “argmax”) If you pick a “best” owner based on computed scores, explicitly define what happens when scores are equal—do not rely on Map/array iteration order.

function pickBestOwner(scores) {
  let best = null;
  let bestScore = -Infinity;
  for (const [owner, score] of scores) {
    if (score > bestScore) {
      best = owner;
      bestScore = score;
    } else if (score === bestScore) {
      // deterministic tie-break (example: lexical)
      if (best === null || owner < best) best = owner;
    }
  }
  return best;
}

B. Persist the canonical desired set (not a derived delta) In multi-run reconciliation (markers/comments, requested reviewers, etc.), persisted state must represent the canonical target. If you persist a filtered/derived view (e.g., desired - reviewed), later runs can lose elements and permanently drift from the intended target.

// Canonical marker persistence: store full desired, not effectiveDesired.
const newMarkerBody = `${MARKER} {"desired":${JSON.stringify([...desired].sort())}} -->`;

Checklist for PRs in this area

• Equal-score/ equal-priority choices have an explicit, order-independent tie-break.
• Any persisted “desired/current” marker/comment reflects the canonical target set, not an intermediate computation that changes after events (like reviews).
• Marker parsing and drift logic are consistent with what you persisted (so “restore” semantics work reliably across runs).

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