pr-harden

name	pr-harden
description	Take a pull request labeled needs_work, address blocking review findings, strengthen test coverage, rerun validation, and flip it to ready_to_merge when it is clean.

PR Harden

Use this skill when a PR is labeled needs_work and the goal is to make the PR merge-ready.

Review target:

Goal

Turn a needs_work PR into a ready_to_merge PR by fixing the blocking issues directly on the PR branch.

Workflow

1. Start from a clean, current main

   • git status --short --branch
   • git fetch --prune origin
   • git checkout main
   • git pull --ff-only origin main

2. Inspect the PR before changing code

   • Read the PR description, files, current checks, merge state, comments, and reviews
   • Identify the blocking issues first: correctness, regressions, missing tests, red CI, merge conflicts
   • Use the existing review labels as truth: this skill is for PRs labeled needs_work

3. Check out the PR branch for editing

   • Use gh pr checkout <number> because this skill needs to commit back to the PR branch
   • If the PR comes from a fork, make sure the checkout leaves you on a writable branch before editing

4. Fix the PR, not main

   • Address all blocking findings directly on the PR branch
   • Keep the fix scoped to the PR’s goal unless a small follow-up is required to make the branch safe
   • Add or strengthen focused regression tests for each blocking bug or risky edge case you fix
   • Improve test quality, not just test count

5. Validate aggressively

   • Run the smallest focused test slice that proves each fix
   • Run any provider- or capability-specific suites touched by the change
   • Run mix quality unless the PR is strictly docs-only
   • If GitHub CI was failing, make sure local validation covers the failing area before pushing

6. Push the updated PR branch

   • Commit only the PR-branch fixes
   • Push back to the PR branch, not main

7. Update the review-state label

   • If blockers remain, keep or apply needs_work and remove ready_to_merge
   • If the PR is now merge-clean, blocking findings are resolved, and CI is green, apply ready_to_merge and remove needs_work

Use:

gh pr edit <number> --add-label needs_work --remove-label ready_to_merge
gh pr edit <number> --add-label ready_to_merge --remove-label needs_work

Review Standard

A PR is only ready_to_merge when all of these are true:

• No known correctness bugs or regressions remain
• Test coverage is adequate for the risk of the change
• GitHub CI is green
• The PR merges cleanly with main
• No unresolved blocking review comments remain

Output

Report:

• what blocking issues were fixed
• what tests were added or strengthened
• what validation ran
• whether the PR was relabeled to ready_to_merge or remains needs_work

Do not merge the PR as part of this skill.