Review Debt Ratio

Review Debt Ratio is the ratio of AI-generated code volume to the human review capacity an agency can sustain on a retainer. Agentic tools such as Verdent and DSCode can produce full-stack scaffolds or terminal-driven patches in minutes, but every generated line still needs architectural review before it reaches a client environment. When the ratio climbs past roughly 3:1, review becomes a rubber stamp and defects ship. The model matters because agencies bill for delivery speed but carry the warranty risk. A concrete signal: MIT Technology Review and Snowflake found fewer than half of agent-generated insights lead to action, which mirrors how much agent code passes review without real scrutiny. Track the ratio per client engagement and cap agent output at what your senior reviewers can genuinely inspect each week.