github-pr-workflow

name	github-pr-workflow
description	GitHub PR lifecycle: branch, commit, open, CI, merge.
version	1.1.0
author	Hermes Agent
license	MIT
platforms	["linux","macos","windows"]
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["GitHub","Pull-Requests","CI/CD","Git","Automation","Merge"],"related_skills":["github-auth","github-code-review"]}}

GitHub Pull Request Workflow

Complete guide for managing the PR lifecycle. Each section shows the gh way first, then the git + curl fallback for machines without gh.

Prerequisites

• Authenticated with GitHub (see github-auth skill)
• Inside a git repository with a GitHub remote

Quick Auth Detection

# Determine which method to use throughout this workflow
if command -v gh &>/dev/null && gh auth status &>/dev/null; then
  AUTH="gh"
else
  AUTH="git"
  # Ensure we have a token for API calls
  if [ -z "$GITHUB_TOKEN" ]; then
    if [ -f ~/.hermes/.env ] && grep -q "^GITHUB_TOKEN=" ~/.hermes/.env; then
      GITHUB_TOKEN=$(grep "^GITHUB_TOKEN=" ~/.hermes/.env | head -1 | cut -d= -f2 | tr -d '\n\r')
    elif grep -q "github.com" ~/.git-credentials 2>/dev/null; then
      GITHUB_TOKEN=$(grep "github.com" ~/.git-credentials 2>/dev/null | head -1 | sed 's|https://[^:]*:\([^@]*\)@.*|\1|')
    fi
  fi
fi
echo "Using: $AUTH"

Extracting Owner/Repo from the Git Remote

Many curl commands need owner/repo. Extract it from the git remote:

# Works for both HTTPS and SSH remote URLs
REMOTE_URL=$(git remote get-url origin)
OWNER_REPO=$(echo "$REMOTE_URL" | sed -E 's|.*github\.com[:/]||; s|\.git$||')
OWNER=$(echo "$OWNER_REPO" | cut -d/ -f1)
REPO=$(echo "$OWNER_REPO" | cut -d/ -f2)
echo "Owner: $OWNER, Repo: $REPO"

---

1. Branch Creation

This part is pure git — identical either way:

# Make sure you're up to date
git fetch origin
git checkout main && git pull origin main

# Create and switch to a new branch
git checkout -b feat/add-user-authentication

Branch naming conventions:

• feat/description — new features
• fix/description — bug fixes
• refactor/description — code restructuring
• docs/description — documentation
• ci/description — CI/CD changes

2. Making Commits

Use the agent's file tools (write_file, patch) to make changes, then commit:

# Stage specific files
git add src/auth.py src/models/user.py tests/test_auth.py

# Commit with a conventional commit message
git commit -m "feat: add JWT-based user authentication

- Add login/register endpoints
- Add User model with password hashing
- Add auth middleware for protected routes
- Add unit tests for auth flow"

Commit message format (Conventional Commits):

type(scope): short description

Longer explanation if needed. Wrap at 72 characters.

Types: feat, fix, refactor, docs, test, ci, chore, perf

3. Pushing and Creating a PR

Push the Branch (same either way)

git push -u origin HEAD

Create the PR

With gh:

gh pr create \
  --title "feat: add JWT-based user authentication" \
  --body "## Summary
- Adds login and register API endpoints
- JWT token generation and validation

## Test Plan
- [ ] Unit tests pass

Closes #42"

Options: --draft, --reviewer user1,user2, --label "enhancement", --base develop

With git + curl:

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)

curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/pulls \
  -d "{
    \"title\": \"feat: add JWT-based user authentication\",
    \"body\": \"## Summary\nAdds login and register API endpoints.\n\nCloses #42\",
    \"head\": \"$BRANCH\",
    \"base\": \"main\"
  }"

The response JSON includes the PR number — save it for later commands.

To create as a draft, add "draft": true to the JSON body.

4. Monitoring CI Status

Check CI Status

With gh:

# One-shot check
gh pr checks

# Watch until all checks finish (polls every 10s)
gh pr checks --watch

With git + curl:

# Get the latest commit SHA on the current branch
SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

# Query the combined status
curl -s \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/commits/$SHA/status \
  | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
print(f\"Overall: {data['state']}\")
for s in data.get('statuses', []):
    print(f\"  {s['context']}: {s['state']} - {s.get('description', '')}\")"

# Also check GitHub Actions check runs (separate endpoint)
curl -s \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/commits/$SHA/check-runs \
  | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for cr in data.get('check_runs', []):
    print(f\"  {cr['name']}: {cr['status']} / {cr['conclusion'] or 'pending'}\")"

Poll Until Complete (git + curl)

# Simple polling loop — check every 30 seconds, up to 10 minutes
SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
for i in $(seq 1 20); do
  STATUS=$(curl -s \
    -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
    https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/commits/$SHA/status \
    | python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['state'])")
  echo "Check $i: $STATUS"
  if [ "$STATUS" = "success" ] || [ "$STATUS" = "failure" ] || [ "$STATUS" = "error" ]; then
    break
  fi
  sleep 30
done

5. Auto-Fixing CI Failures

When CI fails, diagnose and fix. This loop works with either auth method.

Step 1: Get Failure Details

With gh:

# List recent workflow runs on this branch
gh run list --branch $(git branch --show-current) --limit 5

# View failed logs
gh run view <RUN_ID> --log-failed

With git + curl:

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)

# List workflow runs on this branch
curl -s \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/runs?branch=$BRANCH&per_page=5" \
  | python3 -c "
import sys, json
runs = json.load(sys.stdin)['workflow_runs']
for r in runs:
    print(f\"Run {r['id']}: {r['name']} - {r['conclusion'] or r['status']}\")"

# Get failed job logs (download as zip, extract, read)
RUN_ID=<run_id>
curl -s -L \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/runs/$RUN_ID/logs \
  -o /tmp/ci-logs.zip
cd /tmp && unzip -o ci-logs.zip -d ci-logs && cat ci-logs/*.txt

Step 2: Fix and Push

After identifying the issue, use file tools (patch, write_file) to fix it:

git add <fixed_files>
git commit -m "fix: resolve CI failure in <check_name>"
git push

Step 3: Verify

Re-check CI status using the commands from Section 4 above.

Auto-Fix Loop Pattern

When asked to auto-fix CI, follow this loop:

1. Check CI status → identify failures
2. Read failure logs → understand the error
3. Use read_file + patch/write_file → fix the code
4. git add . && git commit -m "fix: ..." && git push
5. Wait for CI → re-check status
6. Repeat if still failing (up to 3 attempts, then ask the user)

6. Merging

With gh:

# Squash merge + delete branch (cleanest for feature branches)
gh pr merge --squash --delete-branch

# Enable auto-merge (merges when all checks pass)
gh pr merge --auto --squash --delete-branch

With git + curl:

PR_NUMBER=<number>

# Merge the PR via API (squash)
curl -s -X PUT \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/pulls/$PR_NUMBER/merge \
  -d "{
    \"merge_method\": \"squash\",
    \"commit_title\": \"feat: add user authentication (#$PR_NUMBER)\"
  }"

# Delete the remote branch after merge
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
git push origin --delete $BRANCH

# Switch back to main locally
git checkout main && git pull origin main
git branch -d $BRANCH

Merge methods: "merge" (merge commit), "squash", "rebase"

Enable Auto-Merge (curl)

# Auto-merge requires the repo to have it enabled in settings.
# This uses the GraphQL API since REST doesn't support auto-merge.
PR_NODE_ID=$(curl -s \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/pulls/$PR_NUMBER \
  | python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['node_id'])")

curl -s -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  https://api.github.com/graphql \
  -d "{\"query\": \"mutation { enablePullRequestAutoMerge(input: {pullRequestId: \\\"$PR_NODE_ID\\\", mergeMethod: SQUASH}) { clientMutationId } }\"}"

7. Complete Workflow Example

# 1. Start from clean main
git checkout main && git pull origin main

# 2. Branch
git checkout -b fix/login-redirect-bug

# 3. (Agent makes code changes with file tools)

# 4. Commit
git add src/auth/login.py tests/test_login.py
git commit -m "fix: correct redirect URL after login

Preserves the ?next= parameter instead of always redirecting to /dashboard."

# 5. Push
git push -u origin HEAD

# 6. Create PR (picks gh or curl based on what's available)
# ... (see Section 3)

# 7. Monitor CI (see Section 4)

# 8. Merge when green (see Section 6)

---

8. GitHub Issues Management

Full guide: github-issues skill. Key operations summarized here.

Viewing Issues

gh issue list
gh issue list --state open --label "bug"
gh issue view 42

Creating Issues

gh issue create \
  --title "Bug: login redirect ignores ?next=" \
  --body "## Description\n..." \
  --label "bug" --assignee "username"

Triage & Manage

gh issue edit 42 --add-label "priority:high"
gh issue edit 42 --add-assignee @me
gh issue comment 42 --body "Investigated — root cause is in auth middleware."
gh issue close 42
gh issue close 42 --reason "not planned"

Issue vs PR Templates

Issue templates are in templates/bug-report.md and templates/feature-request.md.

---

9. Code Review

Full guide: github-code-review skill. Workflow summarized here.

Review Local Changes (Pre-Push)

# See what would be in a PR
git diff main...HEAD --stat
git diff main...HEAD

# Check for common issues
git diff main...HEAD | grep -n "print(\|console\.log\|TODO\|FIXME"
git diff main...HEAD | grep -in "password\|secret\|api_key"

Review a PR on GitHub

gh pr view 123
gh pr diff 123 --name-only
gh pr checks 123 --watch
gh pr checkout 123  # checkout PR branch locally

Leave a Review

# Approve
gh pr review 123 --approve --body "LGTM!"

# Request changes with inline comments
gh pr review 123 --request-changes --body "See inline comments."

Review Checklist

• Correctness: Edge cases, error paths, nulls
• Security: No hardcoded secrets, input validation, SQL injection, XSS
• Code Quality: Naming, complexity, DRY
• Testing: Coverage, happy + error paths
• Performance: No N+1 queries, appropriate caching
• Documentation: Public APIs, non-obvious logic

---

10. Repository Management

Full guide: github-repo-management skill. Key operations summarized here.

Clone / Create / Fork

gh repo clone owner/repo
gh repo create my-project --public --clone
gh repo fork owner/repo --clone

# Keep fork in sync
git fetch upstream && git checkout main && git merge upstream/main

Releases

gh release create v1.0.0 --title "v1.0.0" --generate-notes
gh release list

Secrets (GitHub Actions)

gh secret set API_KEY --body "your-secret-value"
gh secret list

Large File Pitfalls

See references/github-large-file-pitfalls.md

GitHub's 100 MB file size limit, .curator_backups/ exclusion patterns, BFG repo-cleaner, and Git LFS setup.

---

Authentication Setup

See github-auth skill for full details. Key patterns for GitHub workflows:

# Detect available auth method
if command -v gh &>/dev/null && gh auth status &>/dev/null; then
  AUTH="gh"
else
  AUTH="git"
  # Extract token from ~/.git-credentials
  GITHUB_TOKEN=$(grep "github.com" ~/.git-credentials 2>/dev/null | head -1 | sed 's|https://[^:]*:\([^@]*\)@.*|\1|')
fi

# Or extract from ~/.hermes/.env
GITHUB_TOKEN=$(grep "^GITHUB_TOKEN=" ~/.hermes/.env | head -1 | cut -d= -f2 | tr -d '\n\r')

PAT Retrieval (When Token is Redacted)

See references/push-protection-secrets.md for full details on redaction patterns, what they mean, and how to avoid triggering Push Protection.

If a PAT sent via chat gets redacted (ghp_xx...xxxx), recover from git config raw bytes:

python3 -c "
with open('/path/to/.git/config', 'rb') as f:
    raw = f.read()
start = raw.find(b'TOKEN_PREFIX')  # replace with your token's prefix
end = raw.find(b'@', start)
print(raw[start:end].decode('utf-8'))
"

# Alternatively: ask user for the complete token directly

Push Protection Gotcha

See references/push-protection-secrets.md for full details including the re-clone recovery pattern.

GitHub Push Protection scans every push for secret patterns — not just code blocks, but also prose, comments, string literals, and variable names. A single ghp_ prefix in any context will trigger a block.

Common triggers:

• Inline text: `ghp_Fc...ZhBU` (even inside backticks as an example)
• Python byte literals: b'ghp_' in example code
• URL fragments: https://user:[e-mail]/...
• Variable names or comments mentioning the pattern

Safe token placeholders:

# GOOD: TOKEN_NAME_HERE
# GOOD: YOUR_TOKEN_HERE
# GOOD: ghp_xx...xxxx  (clearly fake — not a real prefix)

Recovery when blocked: If a commit is already blocked, a fresh clone is often needed to escape the stale index state. See the reference file for the step-by-step.

---

Useful PR Commands Reference

Action	gh	git + curl
List my PRs	gh pr list --author @me	curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" "https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/pulls?state=open"
View PR diff	gh pr diff	git diff main...HEAD (local) or curl -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.diff" ...
Add comment	gh pr comment N --body "..."	curl -X POST .../issues/N/comments -d '{"body":"..."}'
Request review	gh pr edit N --add-reviewer user	curl -X POST .../pulls/N/requested_reviewers -d '{"reviewers":["user"]}'
Close PR	gh pr close N	curl -X PATCH .../pulls/N -d '{"state":"closed"}'
Check out someone's PR	gh pr checkout N	git fetch origin pull/N/head:pr-N && git checkout pr-N