---

name: pull-request description: Execute Pull Request creation workflow including authentication, branch verification, change analysis, and gh CLI operations. Use when asked to create a PR, open a pull request, submit changes for review, or after completing work where PR creation is logical. This skill handles the HOW of creating PRs (workflow steps, commands, verification). For PR title and description FORMAT rules, use the appropriate skill.

Pull Request Skill

Execute Pull Request creation following a structured workflow that ensures authentication, branch safety, and proper change analysis.

Workflow

Step 1: Verify GitHub CLI Authentication

Before any GitHub operation, verify authentication status:

Copygh auth status

If authentication fails:

1. Inform the user: "GitHub CLI authentication is missing or expired."
2. Provide the command to re-authenticate:

   Copygh auth login --web
   

3. Wait for the user to complete authentication before proceeding.

Step 2: Verify Branch State

CRITICAL: Never create a PR from a protected branch.

Copy# Get current branch
git branch --show-current

# Get the repository's default branch
gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef --jq '.defaultBranchRef.name'

Protected branches (cannot be PR source):

• The default branch (usually main or master)
• develop or development
• Any branch matching release/* or hotfix/* patterns

If on protected branch, inform user and switch to or create a feature branch first.

Branch state verification:

Copy# Verify commits ahead of base
DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef --jq '.defaultBranchRef.name')
git log --oneline "${DEFAULT_BRANCH}..HEAD"

# Check for uncommitted changes
git status --short

# Push branch if needed
git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)

Pre-PR checklist:

• Current branch is NOT a protected branch
• Branch has commits ahead of base branch
• No uncommitted changes (commit or stash first)
• Branch is pushed to remote

Step 3: Analyze Changes for PR Description

Gather context for the PR description:

Copy# Get default branch name
DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef --jq '.defaultBranchRef.name')

# Get all commits in this PR
git log --format="%s%n%b" $DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD

# Get list of changed files
git diff --name-only $DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD

# Get diff stats
git diff --stat $DEFAULT_BRANCH..HEAD

Analyze for:

Step 4: Create the Pull Request

Copy# Get default branch for base
DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef --jq '.defaultBranchRef.name')

# Do NOT use double quotes for --body
gh pr create \
  --title "<type>: <description>" \
  --body '<generated description>' \
  --base "$DEFAULT_BRANCH"

For draft PRs:

Copy# Do NOT use double quotes for --body
gh pr create \
  --title "<type>: <description>" \
  --body '<generated description>' \
  --base "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" \
  --draft

Follow the PR Description Convention.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT use double quotes for --body to avoid shell interpolation issues.

Step 5: Confirm Success

After creating, verify and report:

Copy# Get PR URL
gh pr view

Report to the user:

• PR number and URL
• Title
• Base and head branches

Error Handling