Graphite alternative for checks before opening a PR stack

Catch the fix an agent removes later.

A saved requirement makes a recurring mistake checkable. In this Perch capture from September 20, 2026, the same rule flags a missing guard and passes after the guard is restored.

def refund(order, payment):
    payment.refund(order.total)
    order.status = "refunded"
    return order

def refund(order, payment):
    if order.status == "refunded":
        return order
    payment.refund(order.total)
    order.status = "refunded"
    return order

Source: public order-service checkout.py at the linked commit. The captured standalone file is refund.py. Perch command output and timestamp. This saved-rule demonstration does not measure Graphite's detection rate.

Perch vs Graphite: what your team runs.

Perch turns project behavior into focused checks that agents can run before committing. Use these differences to choose the review workflow and billing model your team needs.

Graphite alternative for checks before opening a PR stack

Keep Graphite for a stacked-PR workflow and add Perch when the requirement needs checking before the commit. Perch gives the agent a direct working-tree check and a versioned rule. Team size adds no review seat fee to Perch's usage bill.

Review before committing

Graphite: gt provides a stacked-Git workflow; a standalone local AI review command was not verified. Graphite workflow documentation.

Perch reads the current working file with perch check. For a known requirement, select its rule name and method instead of requesting another broad review. A local CLI describes where the command runs; Perch sends relevant source to hosted TypeSafe models for analysis.

How do saved requirements differ?

Graphite: English review prompts and path-scoped customization. Graphite rule documentation.

Perch stores English ensure rules in perch.yaml or .perch/rules/. Project, file and method scopes determine what is checked. Run the named check after an edit and after the repair; a rule finding can fail the command and a CI gate. Perch rules · Working-file checks.

What does the review bill depend on?

Compare Graphite's billing unit and Perch's usage estimate

Is the CLI open source and offline?

Graphite: Commercial platform and CLI terms. Graphite product or license source.

Perch’s CLI is MIT-licensed; hosted model inference is a separate paid service included in its published check rate. It does not run the model offline. Unchanged requests can reuse cached answers for free. Fresh judgments can vary, and a passing requirement check does not prove application correctness. Perch MIT license.

When does Graphite fit the workflow?

Graphite combines AI PR review with stacked changes and merge workflows. Its Git CLI does not by itself establish that the same AI reviewer runs on uncommitted files; that standalone review command was not verified.

Estimate the review bill

Perch and Graphite: pricing, allowances and workload calculator

Make the agent check its next edit.

npm install -g @lakeday/perch

perch rules add refund-once \
  --where refund.py --each method \
  --ensure "Refunded orders cannot be refunded again."

perch check refund.py::refund --rules refund-once

Use perch scan for repository code at Git HEAD and changed-code CI checks for pull requests. New model judgments can vary. Repeatability comes from cached answers for unchanged requests; a pass does not prove application correctness.