prepare-pr

name	prepare-pr
description	Prepare a GitHub PR for merge by rebasing onto main, fixing review findings, running gates, committing fixes, and pushing to the PR head branch. Use after /review-pr. Never merge or push to main.

Prepare PR

Overview

Prepare a PR branch for merge with review fixes, green gates, and an updated head branch.

Inputs

• Ask for PR number or URL.
• If missing, auto-detect from conversation.
• If ambiguous, ask.

Safety

• Never push to main or origin/main. Push only to the PR head branch.
• Never run git push without specifying remote and branch explicitly. Do not run bare git push.
• Do not run git clean -fdx.
• Do not run git add -A or git add .. Stage only specific files changed.

Execution Rule

• Execute the workflow. Do not stop after printing the TODO checklist.
• If delegating, require the delegate to run commands and capture outputs.

Completion Criteria

• Rebase PR commits onto origin/main.
• Fix all BLOCKER and IMPORTANT items from .local/review.md.
• Run gates and pass.
• Commit prep changes.
• Push the updated HEAD back to the PR head branch.
• Write .local/prep.md with a prep summary.
• Output exactly: PR is ready for /merge-pr.

First: Create a TODO Checklist

Create a checklist of all prep steps, print it, then continue and execute the commands.

Setup: Use a Worktree

Use an isolated worktree for all prep work.

git rev-parse --show-toplevel
WORKTREE_DIR=".worktrees/pr-<PR>"

Run all commands inside the worktree directory.

Load Review Findings (Mandatory)

if [ -f .local/review.md ]; then
  echo "Found review findings from /review-pr"
else
  echo "Missing .local/review.md. Run /review-pr first and save findings."
  exit 1
fi

sed -n '1,200p' .local/review.md

Steps

1. Identify PR meta (author, head branch, head repo URL)

gh pr view <PR> --json number,title,author,headRefName,baseRefName,headRepository,body --jq '{number,title,author:.author.login,head:.headRefName,base:.baseRefName,headRepo:.headRepository.nameWithOwner,body}'
contrib=$(gh pr view <PR> --json author --jq .author.login)
head=$(gh pr view <PR> --json headRefName --jq .headRefName)
head_repo_url=$(gh pr view <PR> --json headRepository --jq .headRepository.url)

2. Fetch the PR branch tip into a local ref

git fetch origin pull/<PR>/head:pr-<PR>

3. Rebase PR commits onto latest main

git reset --hard pr-<PR>
git fetch origin main
git rebase origin/main

If conflicts happen: resolve each file, git add <file>, git rebase --continue. If you resolve conflicts 3+ times, stop and report.

4. Fix issues from .local/review.md

• Fix all BLOCKER and IMPORTANT items.
• NITs are optional.
• Keep scope tight.

Keep a running log in .local/prep.md.

5. Update CHANGELOG.md if flagged in review

6. Update docs if flagged in review

7. Commit prep fixes

Stage only specific files:

git add <file1> <file2> ...
git commit -m "fix: <summary> (#<PR>) (thanks @$contrib)"

8. Run full gates before pushing

Run build, lint, and test commands for the project. Require all to pass. Allow at most 3 fix-and-rerun cycles. If gates still fail after 3 attempts, stop and report.

9. Push updates back to the PR head branch

git remote add prhead "$head_repo_url.git" 2>/dev/null || git remote set-url prhead "$head_repo_url.git"

echo "Pushing to branch: $head"
if [ "$head" = "main" ] || [ "$head" = "master" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: head branch is main/master. Stopping."
  exit 1
fi
git push --force-with-lease prhead HEAD:$head

10. Verify PR is not behind main

git fetch origin main
git fetch origin pull/<PR>/head:pr-<PR>-verify --force
git merge-base --is-ancestor origin/main pr-<PR>-verify && echo "PR is up to date with main" || echo "ERROR: PR is still behind main, rebase again"
git branch -D pr-<PR>-verify 2>/dev/null || true

11. Write prep summary to .local/prep.md

12. Output diff stat and print: PR is ready for /merge-pr

Guardrails

• Worktree only.
• Do not delete the worktree on success. /merge-pr may reuse it.
• Do not run gh pr merge.
• Never push to main. Only push to the PR head branch.
• Run and pass all gates before pushing.