Cynical Sally
Provides brutally honest code reviews, explanations, and refactoring suggestions via CLI and MCP tools.
README
<!-- mcp-name: io.github.w1ckedxt/cynicalsally -->
<p align="center"> <img src="assets/banner.png" alt="Cynical Sally" width="700" /> </p>
<h1 align="center">Cynical Sally</h1>
<p align="center"> <strong>Brutally honest code reviews. In your terminal and your AI editor.</strong><br/> <em>Because "You're absolutely right" is probably absolutely wrong.</em><br/> <code>npm i -g @cynicalsally/cli</code> · MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor & Windsurf </p>
<p align="center"> <a href="https://cynicalsally.com"><img src="https://cynicalsally.com/api/v1/badge/repo/w1ckedxt/cynicalsally-cli" alt="Cynical Sally Verdict" /></a> <a href="https://cynicalsally.com"><img src="https://img.shields.io/endpoint?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcynicalsally.com%2Fapi%2Fv1%2Fbadge%2Frepo%2Fw1ckedxt%2Fcynicalsally-cli%2Fshields" alt="Sally Score" /></a> <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cynicalsally/cli"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@cynicalsally/cli.svg" alt="npm version" /></a> <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cynicalsally/cli"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/@cynicalsally/cli.svg" alt="npm downloads" /></a> <a href="https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/?search=cynicalsally"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP-Registry-8a2be2.svg" alt="MCP Registry" /></a> <a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/lc9ab9mx51"><img src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/lc9ab9mx51/badges/score.svg" alt="Glama score" /></a> <a href="https://github.com/w1ckedxt/cynical-sally/blob/main/LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/license/w1ckedxt/cynical-sally.svg" alt="license" /></a> </p>
Your AI pair programmer is lying to you. Sally isn't.
She's the senior engineer your code hoped it'd never meet. Scores from 0 to 10, real issues backed by evidence, and fixes you can actually use.
Works as a CLI tool and as an MCP server in Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
<p align="center"> <img src="assets/SallyInTerminal.png" alt="Sally in your terminal" width="500" /> </p> <p align="center"> <img src="assets/SallyRoast1.png" alt="Sally code review with score and issues" width="500" /> <img src="assets/SallyRoast2.png" alt="Sally actionable fixes and verdict" width="500" /> </p>
Install
npm install -g @cynicalsally/cli
Or run without installing:
npx @cynicalsally/cli roast ./src/
Requirements: Node.js 18+
See exactly what leaves your machine
Sending code to a server you don't control deserves more than "trust me." So Sally lets you verify it instead:
sally roast --dry-run ./src/
--dry-run collects everything as if it were about to roast — then sends nothing. Instead it prints the exact payload: every file path, byte size, and token estimate; which files were held back and why (.env, keys, certs, binaries, .gitignore matches, size limits); and writes a local SHA-256 receipt to .sally/ so you can verify byte-for-byte what would have been uploaded.
WOULD SEND 3 files · 91 B · ~24 tokens (est.)
src/app.ts 36 B ~9 tok 68a3be428746…
HELD BACK 2 items — kept on your machine
✖ secret (2) — looks like a secret — never leaves your machine
.env
server.key
Secret files (.env, SSH keys, certs, credential files) are skipped on your machine before anything is sent — verify it yourself with --dry-run. Only review code you're allowed to upload. Local reports land in .sally/ — add it to your .gitignore:
.sally/
See Privacy & Security below for the full data-flow.
Quick Start
# Sally auto-detects what to review
sally roast
# → staged changes? reviews those
# → unstaged changes? reviews those
# → recent commit? reviews that
# → nothing? scans the directory
# Roast a file or directory
sally roast src/utils/auth.ts
sally roast ./src/
# Roast staged changes before you commit
sally roast --staged
# Compare your branch against main
sally roast --diff main
# Deep analysis with issues + actionable fixes
sally roast ./src/ -m full_truth
# Run deep analysis in the background (OS notification when done)
sally roast ./src/ -m full_truth --bg
# See exactly what would be sent — and send nothing
sally roast --dry-run ./src/
# Get a shareable roast card (saved to .sally/)
sally roast ./src/ --card
Roast Options
sally roast [paths...] [options]
--staged Review only staged git changes
--diff <branch> Compare against another branch (e.g., main)
-m, --mode <mode> "quick" (default) or "full_truth" (deep dive)
--tone <tone> "cynical" (default), "neutral", or "professional"
--lang <lang> Response language code (default: "en")
--json Output raw JSON (for piping or scripting)
--fail-under <score> Exit code 1 if quality score is below threshold
--ci CI mode: compact output, exit codes
--bg Run Full Truth in background, get OS notification when done
--dry-run Print the exact payload (files, sizes, tokens, SHA-256) and send NOTHING
--card Print + save a shareable roast card after the review
<h2 align="center">Sally's Full Suite</h2>
<p align="center"> <em>6 tools. Unlimited usage. The most honest code reviewer you'll ever work with — in your terminal and your AI editor.</em> </p>
<p align="center"> <img src="assets/full-suite.png" alt="Sally's Full Suite" width="600" /> </p>
Explain
<img src="assets/tool-explain.png" alt="sally explain" width="280" align="right" />
Sally reads the spaghetti someone left in your codebase and translates it into plain English. Just the cold, clear truth of what it actually does.
sally explain src/utils/auth.ts
# Pipe code directly
cat legacy-module.js | sally explain
# Explain the current directory
sally explain
<br clear="right"/>
Refactor
<img src="assets/tool-refactor.png" alt="sally refactor" width="280" align="right" />
Before and after, side by side. Sally explains why one of them is going to haunt your 3am on-call rotation.
sally refactor src/components/Dashboard.tsx
# Refactor current directory
sally refactor
<br clear="right"/>
PR Review
<img src="assets/tool-pr-review.png" alt="sally review-pr" width="280" align="right" />
Sally reviews your PR like a senior engineer who has time, opinions, and absolutely no reason to be polite.
# Review PR #42 (requires GitHub CLI)
sally review-pr 42
# Review current branch vs main
sally review-pr
# Pipe a diff
git diff main | sally review-pr
<br clear="right"/>
Brainstorm
<img src="assets/tool-brainstorm.png" alt="sally brainstorm" width="280" align="right" />
Pitch your architecture idea and Sally tells you the three ways it falls apart at scale. Cheaper than a post-mortem.
sally brainstorm "Microservices for a 2-person team?"
# Brainstorm about the current project
sally brainstorm
<br clear="right"/>
Frontend Review
<img src="assets/tool-frontend.png" alt="sally frontend" width="280" align="right" />
Sally tells you why your component re-renders on every keystroke and why your z-index is load-bearing.
sally frontend src/components/Header.tsx
# Review all frontend code in a directory
sally frontend ./src/
<br clear="right"/>
Marketing Review
<img src="assets/tool-marketing.png" alt="sally marketing" width="280" align="right" />
Run your copy by Sally before your customers do. They won't be this constructive about it.
sally marketing "Ship faster with AI-powered code reviews"
# Review your README and landing page copy
sally marketing README.md
<br clear="right"/>
Every tool accepts file paths, raw text, or piped stdin. Each includes 1 free trial, no account needed.
CI/CD Integration
Gate your pipeline on code quality:
# GitHub Actions
- name: Sally Code Review
run: npx @cynicalsally/cli roast ./src/ --fail-under=5 --ci
--ci gives compact output with exit codes. --fail-under fails the build when the score drops below your threshold. Add --json for machine-readable output.
MCP Server
Sally works as an MCP server inside Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
Claude Code
claude mcp add cynical-sally -- npx @cynicalsally/cli mcp
Cursor
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per project):
{
"mcpServers": {
"cynical-sally": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@cynicalsally/cli", "mcp"]
}
}
}
Windsurf
Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"cynical-sally": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@cynicalsally/cli", "mcp"]
}
}
}
Available tools
| MCP Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
sally_roast |
Code review with score, issues, and fixes |
sally_explain |
Explain code with Sally's personality |
sally_review_pr |
Review PR diffs |
sally_refactor |
Refactoring suggestions with before/after |
sally_brainstorm |
Feedback on ideas and approaches |
sally_frontend |
Frontend/UI code review |
sally_marketing |
Marketing copy review |
sally_usage |
Check quota and account status |
Roast by path — the agent can call sally_roast with just paths (files or directories); Sally reads them locally and skips binaries and secret files, so the agent doesn't have to read and pass content itself.
Prompts — Sally also exposes ready-made slash-command intents (roast, review-pr, explain) in clients that surface MCP prompts.
Run sally mcp in your terminal to see setup instructions.
All Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sally roast [paths...] |
Review files, directories, or git changes |
sally explain [file] |
Explain what code actually does |
sally refactor [file] |
Refactoring with before/after code |
sally review-pr [pr] |
Review a PR diff |
sally brainstorm "idea" |
Feedback on ideas and approaches |
sally frontend [file] |
Frontend/UI code review |
sally marketing "copy" |
Marketing copy review |
sally login <email> |
Log in via magic link |
sally logout |
Clear stored session |
sally usage |
Check your quota and account status |
sally upgrade |
Upgrade to Sally's Full Suite |
sally results |
View background review results |
sally mcp |
MCP server setup instructions |
Free to Use
90 free roasts per month, no account needed. Every premium tool includes a free trial.
sally usage # Check your quota
sally upgrade # Unlock the Full Suite
Privacy & Security
Your code is yours. Don't take our word for it — run sally roast --dry-run and see the exact payload before anything is sent. Here's what happens to it:
- Verify before you send.
--dry-runprints every file, size, token estimate, and a SHA-256 receipt of exactly what would be uploaded — and sends nothing. The MCPsally_roasttool has the samepreviewmode. - Sent only to be reviewed. The files you choose are transmitted over HTTPS and processed in real-time to generate the review — that's the only reason they leave your machine.
- Never written to disk, logs, or analytics. Your source code is processed in memory and discarded after analysis. It is never persisted to a database, never written to application logs or error traces, and never sent to any third-party APM or analytics. We keep the review (score, issues), not your source.
- Never trained on, sold, or shared. Analysis runs through Anthropic's API, which doesn't train on submitted content.
- Only what you point at. Sally doesn't browse your repo, read files you didn't give her, or scan your projects or plans. Secret files (
.env, keys, certs, credential files) are skipped on your machine before anything is sent — and--dry-runshows you exactly which ones. - Anonymous by default. Reviews are tied to a random device ID, not your identity — until you link an email for Full Suite. Config stored locally at
~/.sally/config.json. - Signed releases. npm packages are published with provenance — a cryptographic, public attestation linking each release to the exact source commit and CI build that produced it.
Full engineering detail — data-flow diagram, what's retained, subprocessors, and log policy — is in docs/PRIVACY.md. User-facing summary: cynicalsally.com/privacy.
Contributing
Found a bug or have a feature idea? Open an issue. Sally promises to only judge your issue title a little.
License
<p align="center"> <a href="https://cynicalsally.com">cynicalsally.com</a> · <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cynicalsally/cli">npm</a> · <a href="https://github.com/w1ckedxt/cynical-sally/issues">issues</a> </p>
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