Code review is a critical quality assurance practice in software engineering development, and AI coding agents are increasingly generating review comments on pull requests. However, little is known about how developers actually respond to such agent-generated feedback. In this paper, we present the first large-scale empirical study on the resolution of agent-generated code review comments. We analyze $54{,}791$ comments generated by five widely used coding agents (i.e., Copilot, Cursor, Codex, Devin, and Claude) across $342$ Python repositories on GitHub. We examine (1) resolution rates across agents and comment types, (2) the role of developer experience, and (3) characteristics that influence comment usefulness. Our results show that resolution rate varies considerably across agents, with Copilot accounting for the majority of resolved comments (72.9\%). Core developers resolve the majority of agent-generated feedback, particularly for \textit{design} and \textit{evolvability}-related comments, while peripheral developers are more involved in resolving \textit{functional defect} comments. Through open card sorting of 470 unresolved comment discussions, we identify \textit{ten} discussion patterns explaining why comments remain unresolved, with \textit{incorrect suggestions} and \textit{intentional design decisions} being the most prevalent. Finally, our analysis reveals that the presence of an inline \textit{code suggestion} is the strongest predictor of comment resolution, while lengthy and complex comments are less likely to be acted upon. Our findings provide insights for improving AI-generated code review feedback and its integration into development workflows.
Shamse Tasnim Cynthia, Ratnadira Widyasari, Banani Roy et al.· 0 citations
Code review is essential for ensuring software quality and supporting collaboration, yet prior work shows that developers can interpret code review comments differently. These differences can hinder effective communication, particularly in collaborative settings. To address this challenge, we explore the potential of personified code review explanations. We report initial findings from an ongoing mixed-methods user study in which developers evaluated persona-aligned review comments across multiple code snippets. Our results suggest that preferences for explanation styles vary across problem-solving styles, experience levels, and roles. Across problem-solving style profiles, developers valued explanatory depth, learning support, practical suggestions, and risk awareness over conciseness, highlighting the need to balance personalization with clarity and trust. Based on these findings, we outline a vision for inclusive, human-centered AI-assisted code review systems that adapt feedback to developers'problem-solving preferences.
Shamse Tasnim Cynthia, Ratnadira Widyasari, Banani Roy et al.· 0 citations