| name | create-pr |
| description | Create a GitHub Pull Request from the current repository's work. |
Create PR Skill
Create a Pull Request from current work with automatic branch creation, commit creation, intelligent remote detection, and PR content generation.
Prerequisites Check (MUST verify first)
Before proceeding, verify:
git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
gh auth status
git status --porcelain
If checks fail, STOP and inform the user:
- Not in git repo → "This skill requires a git repository. Please navigate to a git project."
- gh not authenticated → "Please run
gh auth login first."
Do not stop or ask the user to switch branches, commit changes, or stash changes. Handle the current branch and uncommitted changes automatically in the workflow below.
Input
The user may optionally provide:
- Target base branch (defaults to main/master)
- Draft mode flag
- Specific reviewers
Workflow
Step 1: Detect Repository Configuration
git remote -v
CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef -q '.defaultBranchRef.name')
gh repo view --json owner,name,isFork,parent
Step 2: Identify Upstream and Fork Remotes
Determine the remote configuration:
git remote -v
IS_FORK=$(gh repo view --json isFork -q '.isFork')
if [ "$IS_FORK" = "true" ]; then
PARENT_OWNER=$(gh repo view --json parent -q '.parent.owner.login')
PARENT_NAME=$(gh repo view --json parent -q '.parent.name')
fi
Remote Classification Logic:
| Scenario | Upstream Remote | Push Remote |
|---|
| Single remote (origin) | origin | origin |
| Fork: origin=fork, upstream=parent | upstream | origin |
| Fork: origin=parent, fork remote exists | origin | fork remote |
| Multiple remotes, one is fork | non-fork remote | fork remote |
Detection Algorithm:
CURRENT_USER=$(gh api user -q '.login')
for remote in $(git remote); do
REMOTE_URL=$(git remote get-url $remote)
REMOTE_OWNER=$(echo "$REMOTE_URL" | sed -E 's/.*[:/]([^/]+)\/[^/]+\.git$/\1/' | sed 's/\.git$//')
if [ "$REMOTE_OWNER" = "$CURRENT_USER" ]; then
FORK_REMOTE=$remote
else
UPSTREAM_REMOTE=$remote
fi
done
UPSTREAM_REMOTE=${UPSTREAM_REMOTE:-origin}
FORK_REMOTE=${FORK_REMOTE:-origin}
Step 3: Create a Feature Branch and Commit Changes
Prepare the work for a PR before rebasing or pushing:
- Inspect
git status --short, staged changes, unstaged changes, and untracked file names.
- If
CURRENT_BRANCH is DEFAULT_BRANCH, main, or master, generate a concise branch name from the user's request and the changes. Follow repository naming conventions when present, avoid collisions with local and remote branches, create the branch, and update CURRENT_BRANCH.
- If the working tree contains changes, stage the intended current work and commit it. Generate a concise commit message from the request and diff, and follow repository commit style, sign-off, and signing requirements.
- Perform the branch creation and commit without asking the user to choose a branch name, switch branches, provide a commit message, or commit the changes themselves.
if [ "$CURRENT_BRANCH" = "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ] || \
[ "$CURRENT_BRANCH" = "main" ] || \
[ "$CURRENT_BRANCH" = "master" ]; then
git switch -c "$NEW_BRANCH"
CURRENT_BRANCH=$NEW_BRANCH
fi
if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
git status --short
git diff
git diff --cached
git add -A
git diff --cached
git commit -m "$COMMIT_MESSAGE"
fi
Do not include editor artifacts, generated secrets, credentials, or unrelated files in the commit. If repository instructions require tests before committing, run them and include the result in the PR description.
Step 4: Sync and Rebase onto the Upstream Default Branch
git fetch "$UPSTREAM_REMOTE" "$DEFAULT_BRANCH"
git rebase "$UPSTREAM_REMOTE/$DEFAULT_BRANCH"
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
echo "Rebase failed. Please resolve conflicts manually."
git rebase --abort
exit 1
fi
Step 5: Push Branch to Remote
Check if branch exists on remote and push:
REMOTE_BRANCH_EXISTS=$(git ls-remote --heads $FORK_REMOTE $CURRENT_BRANCH | wc -l)
if [ "$REMOTE_BRANCH_EXISTS" -eq 0 ]; then
git push -u $FORK_REMOTE $CURRENT_BRANCH
else
git push --force-with-lease $FORK_REMOTE $CURRENT_BRANCH
fi
Important: Always use --force-with-lease instead of --force for safety.
Step 6: Gather PR Content Information
git log $UPSTREAM_REMOTE/$DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD --pretty=format:"%h %s%n%b" --no-merges
git diff --stat $UPSTREAM_REMOTE/$DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD
git diff $UPSTREAM_REMOTE/$DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD
git diff --name-only $UPSTREAM_REMOTE/$DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD
Step 7: Check for PR Template
PR_TEMPLATE=""
for template_path in \
".github/pull_request_template.md" \
".github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md" \
"docs/pull_request_template.md" \
"PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md"; do
if [ -f "$template_path" ]; then
PR_TEMPLATE="$template_path"
break
fi
done
if [ -z "$PR_TEMPLATE" ] && [ -d ".github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE" ]; then
if [ -f ".github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/default.md" ]; then
PR_TEMPLATE=".github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/default.md"
fi
fi
if [ -n "$PR_TEMPLATE" ]; then
cat "$PR_TEMPLATE"
fi
Step 8: Generate PR Title and Description
Title Generation Rules:
- If single commit: Use commit message subject line
- If multiple commits: Summarize the overall change
- Follow conventional commit format if project uses it:
<type>(<scope>): <description>
- Keep under 72 characters
Description Generation:
If PR template exists, fill in the template sections:
| Common Template Section | How to Fill |
|---|
## Summary / ## Description | Summarize changes from commits and diff |
## Changes / ## What | List key changes from diff |
## Why / ## Motivation | Extract from commit bodies or infer from changes |
## Testing | List test files changed or suggest manual testing |
## Screenshots | Leave placeholder if UI changes detected |
## Checklist | Leave checkboxes for user to complete |
Fixes # / Closes # | Extract issue references from commits |
If no template, generate structured description:
## Summary
[2-3 sentences summarizing what this PR does]
## Changes
- [Key change 1]
- [Key change 2]
- [Key change 3]
## Testing
[How the changes were tested or should be tested]
---
[Any issue references found in commits]
Step 9: Create the Pull Request
if [ "$IS_FORK" = "true" ]; then
BASE_REPO="$PARENT_OWNER/$PARENT_NAME"
gh pr create \
--repo "$BASE_REPO" \
--base "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" \
--head "$CURRENT_USER:$CURRENT_BRANCH" \
--title "$PR_TITLE" \
--body "$PR_BODY"
else
gh pr create \
--base "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" \
--head "$CURRENT_BRANCH" \
--title "$PR_TITLE" \
--body "$PR_BODY"
fi
Use HEREDOC for body to preserve formatting:
gh pr create --title "$PR_TITLE" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
[Generated summary here]
## Changes
- Change 1
- Change 2
EOF
)"
Step 10: Report Results
After PR creation, provide:
gh pr view --json url,number,title,state
Output Format
PR Created Successfully
PR: #[NUMBER] - [TITLE]
URL: [PR_URL]
Base: [BASE_BRANCH] ← Head: [HEAD_BRANCH]
Remote: Pushed to [FORK_REMOTE]
Summary
[Brief description of what the PR contains]
Files Changed
| File | Changes |
|---|
path/to/file.ts | +[additions] -[deletions] |
Next Steps
Error Handling
| Situation | Action |
|---|
| No commits ahead of base | "No changes to create PR. Your branch is up to date with [base]." |
| Branch name already exists | Generate another meaningful name with a short numeric suffix and continue. |
| Commit fails | Report the exact failure while preserving the user's working tree and staged changes. |
| Rebase conflicts | "Rebase failed due to conflicts. Please resolve manually and re-run." |
| Push rejected | "Push failed. Check if you have write access to the remote." |
| PR already exists | "A PR already exists for this branch: [URL]. Opening existing PR." |
| No remote access | "Cannot access remote. Check your authentication with gh auth status." |
| Fork detection failed | "Could not determine fork relationship. Please specify the target repo." |
Advanced Options
Draft PR
gh pr create --draft --title "$PR_TITLE" --body "$PR_BODY"
Add Reviewers
gh pr create --reviewer "user1,user2" --title "$PR_TITLE" --body "$PR_BODY"
Add Labels
gh pr create --label "enhancement,needs-review" --title "$PR_TITLE" --body "$PR_BODY"
Link to Issue
If commits reference issues (e.g., "Fixes #123"), automatically add to PR body:
ISSUES=$(git log $UPSTREAM_REMOTE/$DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD --pretty=format:"%B" | grep -oE "(Fixes|Closes|Resolves) #[0-9]+" | sort -u)
Important Notes
- Safety First: Always use
--force-with-lease instead of --force when pushing after rebase
- Fork Awareness: Automatically detect and handle fork workflows
- Template Respect: Always check for and use PR templates when available
- Conventional Commits: If project uses conventional commits, follow the format
- Issue Linking: Preserve issue references from commit messages
- Review Before Submit: Show generated title/description for user approval before creating PR
- No Branch or Commit Prompt: Automatically create a feature branch and commit current work; never ask the user to perform or confirm those operations