github-pull-requests

name	github-pull-requests
description	Manage GitHub pull requests using MCP tools. Use this skill when users want to create PRs, review code, merge branches, request reviews, update PR details, or check PR status. Triggers on requests like "create a PR", "merge this branch", "request a review", "update the PR description", "check PR status", or any pull request lifecycle task.

GitHub Pull Requests

Manage GitHub pull requests using the GitHub MCP server tools.

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose
mcp_github_create_pull_request	Create new pull requests
mcp_github_merge_pull_request	Merge pull requests
mcp_github_update_pull_request	Update PR title, body, reviewers
mcp_github_update_pull_request_branch	Sync PR branch with base
mcp_github_pull_request_review_write	Create/submit/delete reviews
mcp_github_request_copilot_review	Request GitHub Copilot code review
mcp_github_search_pull_requests	Search PRs with GitHub search syntax
mcp_github_list_pull_requests	List PRs in a repository

Workflow

1. Determine action: Create, merge, review, or query?
2. Gather context: Get repo info, branch names, existing PRs
3. Structure content: Use templates from references/templates.md
4. Execute: Call the appropriate MCP tool
5. Confirm: Report the PR URL and status to user

Creating Pull Requests

Required Parameters

owner: repository owner (org or user)
repo: repository name
title: clear, descriptive title
head: branch containing changes (source)
base: branch to merge into (target, usually 'main')

Optional Parameters

body: PR description (markdown)
draft: true/false (create as draft)
maintainer_can_modify: true/false

Title Guidelines

• Use conventional commit style when appropriate: feat:, fix:, docs:
• Be specific about the change
• Keep under 72 characters
• Examples:
  • feat: Add dark mode support
  • fix(auth): Resolve SSO login failure
  • docs: Update API reference for v2

Body Structure

Use the PR template from references/templates.md. Key sections:

• Summary: What changed and why
• Changes: Bullet list of modifications
• Testing: How to verify the changes
• Checklist: Pre-merge verification items

Merging Pull Requests

Required Parameters

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number (integer)

Optional Parameters

merge_method: "squash" | "merge" | "rebase"
commit_title: custom merge commit title
commit_message: custom merge commit message

Merge Methods

Method	Use Case
squash	Clean history, combine all commits into one
merge	Preserve full commit history
rebase	Linear history without merge commits

Default: Use squash unless the user specifies otherwise.

Reviewing Pull Requests

Creating a Review

Use mcp_github_pull_request_review_write with method: "create":

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number
event: "APPROVE" | "REQUEST_CHANGES" | "COMMENT"
body: review comment text

Review Events

Event	Use When
APPROVE	Changes look good, ready to merge
REQUEST_CHANGES	Issues must be addressed before merge
COMMENT	Feedback without explicit approval/blocking

Request Copilot Review

For automated code review feedback:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number

Updating Pull Requests

Use mcp_github_update_pull_request to modify:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number (required)
# Optional - only include fields to change:
title: new title
body: new description
state: "open" | "closed"
base: new base branch
draft: true/false (mark as draft or ready)
reviewers: ["username1", "username2"]

Searching Pull Requests

Use mcp_github_search_pull_requests with GitHub search syntax:

Common Search Queries

Goal	Query
Open PRs in repo	repo:owner/repo is:open
PRs by author	author:username
PRs needing review	review:required
Draft PRs	draft:true
PRs with label	label:bug
Recently updated	updated:>2024-01-01
PRs mentioning text	"search term" in:title,body

Examples

Example 1: Create a PR

User: "Create a PR from my feature branch to main"

Action: Call mcp_github_create_pull_request:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "title": "feat: Add dark mode support",
  "head": "feature/dark-mode",
  "base": "main",
  "body": "## Summary\nAdds dark mode theme support.\n\n## Changes\n..."
}

Example 2: Merge with Squash

User: "Merge PR #70 using squash"

Action: Call mcp_github_merge_pull_request:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "pullNumber": 70,
  "merge_method": "squash",
  "commit_title": "feat: Add dark mode support (#70)"
}

Example 3: Request Changes

User: "Request changes on PR #42 - needs more tests"

Action: Call mcp_github_pull_request_review_write:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "pullNumber": 42,
  "method": "create",
  "event": "REQUEST_CHANGES",
  "body": "This PR needs additional test coverage before merging.\n\n..."
}

Example 4: Update PR to Ready

User: "Mark PR #55 as ready for review and add reviewers"

Action: Call mcp_github_update_pull_request:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "pullNumber": 55,
  "draft": false,
  "reviewers": ["teammate1", "teammate2"]
}

Branch Management

Create Branch First

Before creating a PR, ensure the branch exists using mcp_github_create_branch:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
branch: new branch name
from_branch: source branch (optional, defaults to default branch)

Update Branch with Base

To sync a PR branch with the latest changes from base:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number

Tips

• Always check if a PR already exists for the branch before creating
• Use squash merge for cleaner history on feature branches
• Request Copilot review for quick automated feedback before human review
• Include issue references in PR body: Closes #123 or Fixes #456
• For draft PRs, set draft: true to indicate work-in-progress
• After merging, the source branch can be deleted via GitHub UI

Common Labels for PRs

Label	Use For
ready-for-review	PR is ready for code review
work-in-progress	Still being worked on
needs-tests	Missing test coverage
breaking-change	Contains breaking API changes
documentation	Documentation updates
dependencies	Dependency updates