open-pr

name	open-pr
description	Publish an existing branch safely by checking branch state, syncing it, and creating or reusing a pull request.
domain	workflow-automation
confidence	high
source	earned
tools	[{"name":"gh","description":"Inspect pull requests, push branches, and create PRs from the CLI.","when":"Use when a branch already exists locally and you need to publish or reuse a PR."}]

Context

Use this when a branch already contains the intended work and the job is to get it reviewed without rewriting history. It is especially useful for automation-heavy branches where the safest move is to verify state, push once, and avoid duplicate PRs.

Patterns

• Start with git status --short --branch to confirm whether there are uncommitted changes.
• Check whether the remote branch exists and whether local and remote SHAs match before pushing.
• Look for an existing PR with gh pr list --head <branch> before creating a new one.
• Create the PR only after the branch is pushed so reviewers see the exact remote tip.
• Summarize workflow behavior, fallback behavior, and affected files in the PR body instead of making reviewers reconstruct it from the diff.

Examples

• git rev-parse HEAD && git rev-parse origin/<branch> to detect whether a push is needed.
• gh pr list --head feat/automatic-repo-summurization --json number,title,url
• gh pr create --base master --head feat/automatic-repo-summurization --title "<title>" --body-file <file>

Anti-Patterns

• Do not amend or reorder existing commits just to publish the branch.
• Do not create a new PR until you have checked whether one already exists.
• Do not open the PR before pushing the latest local commits.