[noamsml]

Playing devil's advocate here: The only way to really learn the full ruleset of a team is by undergoing a couple of code reviews in which every issue is pointed out. Once your teammates see you've understood the prevailing style, they don't have to work as hard at code reviews.

That said, I usually hate petty/nitpicky code reviews. I try to focus only on issues that I think affect readability, maintainability or functionality.

[Niksko]

Makes sense, but there are ways of being even petty and nitpicky without being condescending or rude. State facts, don't throw insults, don't demean or belittle.

[coredog64]

One good rule I was given by a tech lead is to not use the word "you" in the PR comments. PR comments are a discussion on the failure of the code, not of the individual. Avoiding "you" allows for some separation between the two.

[cachemiss]

I always use "we", and I almost always phrase things as a question.

Example: "So we are doing X here, which I think will probably do Y, which could have adverse affects Z, are we sure we want to do this?"

[draw_down]

The point is that two different people can post the same code and get starkly different reviews. Senior people get a thumbs-up emoji, others get tedium and pedantry. So you can tell that it's not really about the code.