create-pr

name	create-pr
description	Create a GitHub pull request following project conventions. Use when the user asks to create a PR, submit changes for review, or open a pull request. Handles commit analysis, branch management, PR template usage, and PR creation using the gh CLI tool.

Create PR

This skill guides you through creating a well-structured GitHub pull request that follows project conventions and best practices.

Prerequisites Check

Before proceeding, verify the following:

1. Check if gh CLI is installed

gh --version

If not installed, inform the user:

The GitHub CLI (gh) is required but not installed. Please install it:

• macOS: brew install gh
• Other: https://cli.github.com/

2. Check if authenticated with GitHub

gh auth status

If not authenticated, guide the user to run gh auth login.

3. Verify clean working directory

git status

If there are uncommitted changes, ask the user whether to:

• Commit them as part of this PR
• Stash them temporarily
• Discard them (with caution)

Gather Context

1. Identify the current branch

git branch --show-current

Ensure you're not on main or master. If so, ask the user to create or switch to a feature branch.

2. Find the base branch

Determine the default branch once and reuse it as BASE_BRANCH in all later commands:

BASE_BRANCH=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@')

# Fallback when origin/HEAD is not configured
if [ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]; then
  BASE_BRANCH=$(git remote show origin | sed -n '/HEAD branch/s/.*: //p')
fi

This is typically main or master, but may differ per repo.

3. Analyze recent commits relevant to this PR

git log "origin/${BASE_BRANCH}..HEAD" --oneline --no-decorate

Review these commits to understand:

• What changes are being introduced
• The scope of the PR (single feature/fix or multiple changes)
• Whether commits should be squashed or reorganized

4. Review the diff

git diff "origin/${BASE_BRANCH}..HEAD" --stat

This shows which files changed and helps identify the type of change.

Information Gathering

Before creating the PR, you need the following information. Check if it can be inferred from:

• Commit messages
• Branch name (e.g., fix/upload-timeout, feat/custom-shortcuts)
• Changed files and their content

If any critical information is missing, ask the user directly:

Required Information

1. Related Issue Number (optional): Look for patterns like #123, fixes #123, or closes #123 in commit messages. If none is found, omit the Related Issue section from the PR body — do not use placeholders like #XXXX.
2. Description: What problem does this solve? Why were these changes made?
3. Type of Change: Bug fix, new feature, breaking change, refactor, cosmetic, documentation, or workflow
4. Test Procedure: How was this tested? What could break?

Only ask about a related issue when the change clearly looks like it should close one (e.g. branch name fix/issue-123). For small or self-contained changes, skip the question and leave the section out.

Git Best Practices

Before creating the PR, consider these best practices:

Commit Hygiene

1. Atomic commits: Each commit should represent a single logical change
2. Clear commit messages: Follow conventional commit format when possible
3. No merge commits: Prefer rebasing over merging to keep history clean

Branch Management

1. Rebase on latest base branch (if needed):

   git fetch origin
   git rebase "origin/${BASE_BRANCH}"
   

2. Squash if appropriate: If there are many small "WIP" commits, consider interactive rebase:

   git rebase -i "origin/${BASE_BRANCH}"
   

   Only suggest this if commits appear messy and the user is comfortable with rebasing.

Push Changes

Ensure all commits are pushed:

git push origin HEAD

If the branch was rebased, you may need:

git push origin HEAD --force-with-lease

Create the Pull Request

Use CONTRIBUTING.md (Pull Request 流程) as the source of truth for PR content. If .github/pull_request_template.md exists, follow that template exactly. Otherwise, use this structure:

• Summary — what changed and why
• Related Issue — only when a real issue is linked (e.g. Closes #123); omit entirely if none
• Type of Change — check applicable boxes
• Test Procedure — how you verified the change
• Pre-flight Checklist — mark items that apply

When filling out the PR body:

• Include Related Issue only when a real issue number is known (e.g. Closes #123). Do not add a Related Issue section or #XXXX placeholder when there is no linked issue.
• Fill in all other sections with relevant information gathered from commits and context
• Mark the appropriate "Type of Change" checkbox(es)
• Complete the "Pre-flight Checklist" items that apply

Create PR with gh CLI

Use a temporary file for the PR body to avoid shell escaping issues, newline problems, and other command-line flakiness:

1. Write the PR body to a temporary file (e.g. $env:TEMP/pr-body.md on Windows, /tmp/pr-body.md on macOS/Linux).

2. Create the PR using the file:

   gh pr create --title "PR_TITLE" --body-file /tmp/pr-body.md --base "$BASE_BRANCH"
   

3. Clean up the temporary file after the PR is created.

For draft PRs:

gh pr create --title "PR_TITLE" --body-file /tmp/pr-body.md --base "$BASE_BRANCH" --draft

Why use a file? Passing complex markdown with newlines, special characters, and checkboxes directly via --body is error-prone. The --body-file flag handles all content reliably.

Post-Creation

After creating the PR:

1. Display the PR URL so the user can review it
2. Remind about CI checks: Tests and linting will run automatically
3. Suggest next steps:
   • Add reviewers if needed: gh pr edit --add-reviewer USERNAME
   • Add labels if needed: gh pr edit --add-label "bug"

Error Handling

Common Issues

1. No commits ahead of base branch: The branch has no changes to submit

   • Ask if the user meant to work on a different branch

2. Branch not pushed: Remote doesn't have the branch

   • Push the branch first: git push -u origin HEAD

3. PR already exists: A PR for this branch already exists

   • Show the existing PR: gh pr view
   • Ask if they want to update it instead

4. Merge conflicts: Branch conflicts with base

   • Guide user through resolving conflicts or rebasing

Summary Checklist

Before finalizing, ensure:

• gh CLI is installed and authenticated
• Working directory is clean
• All commits are pushed
• Branch is up-to-date with base branch
• Related Issue section included only when a real issue is linked (no #XXXX placeholder)
• PR description follows the template or project conventions
• Appropriate type of change is selected
• Pre-flight checklist items are addressed