Git Pull Request Skill

Create GitHub pull requests using the gh CLI tool with parallel context gathering for efficiency.

PHASE 1: Parallel Context Gathering (MANDATORY FIRST STEP)

Execute ALL of the following commands IN PARALLEL to minimize latency:

Group 1: Repository State

git status
git branch --show-current
git log --oneline -10

Group 2: Change Analysis

git diff main...HEAD --stat
git diff main...HEAD
git log main..HEAD --format='%h %s%n%b'
git remote get-url origin

Capture these data points simultaneously:

1. Working tree status (clean or dirty)
2. Current branch name
3. Recent commit history for context
4. Files changed (diff stats)
5. Full diff content
6. Commits on this branch (hash, subject, body)
7. Remote repository URL

PHASE 2: Branch Status Check

Check if branch is tracking remote and push status:

git branch -vv | grep "<current-branch>"

Determine:

• Is branch tracking a remote?
• Is branch ahead/behind remote?
• Does branch need to be pushed?

PHASE 3: Push Branch (If Needed)

If branch is not pushed or needs updating:

git push -u origin <branch-name>

Notes:

• Use -u flag to set upstream tracking
• If already pushed and up-to-date, this is a no-op

PHASE 4: Create Pull Request

Use gh pr create with heredoc for the body to ensure proper formatting:

gh pr create --title "<PR Title>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary

- <bullet point 1>
- <bullet point 2>
- <bullet point 3>

## Changes

<Description of what changed and why>

1. **Section 1**: <description>
2. **Section 2**: <description>
3. **Section 3**: <description>
EOF
)" --base main

Critical:

• Use <<'EOF' (with quotes) to prevent variable expansion in the heredoc
• The --base flag specifies the target branch (usually main)
• Title should be concise and descriptive
• Body uses markdown formatting

PR Body Structure

Summary Section

• 1-3 bullet points capturing the high-level changes
• Focus on what and why

Changes Section

• Detailed description of modifications
• Numbered list for multiple distinct changes
• Use bold for section/file names
• Use regular bullet points, never checkboxes

IMPORTANT: No Checkboxes

NEVER use checkboxes (- [ ] or - [x]) in PR bodies.

Checkboxes require manual updating after PR creation which is tedious and gets ignored. Use regular bullet points instead.

Error Handling

Branch not pushed

Branch needs to be pushed first:
git push -u origin <branch-name>

PR already exists

Check first:

gh pr list --head <branch-name>

Not on a feature branch

You're on main/master. Checkout a feature branch first.

No commits ahead

Branch has no commits ahead of main. Nothing to create a PR for.

Quick Reference Commands

Trigger Phrases

Use this skill when user says:

• "Create a PR"
• "Open a pull request"
• "Make a PR for this branch"
• "Submit this for review"
• "Create a pull request"
• "PR this"

Example Workflow Execution

# PHASE 1: Parallel context gathering
# Group 1
git status
git branch --show-current
git log --oneline -10

# Group 2 (parallel with Group 1)
git diff main...HEAD --stat
git diff main...HEAD
git log main..HEAD --format='%h %s%n%b'
git remote get-url origin

# PHASE 2: Check tracking
git branch -vv | grep "feature-branch"

# PHASE 3: Push if needed
git push -u origin feature-branch

# PHASE 4: Create PR
gh pr create --title "Add feature X" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary

- Added feature X to improve Y
- Fixed issue with Z
- Updated documentation

## Changes

This PR implements feature X which allows users to do Y more efficiently.

1. **Component A**: Added new handler for X
2. **Component B**: Updated interface to support X
3. **Docs**: Added usage examples
EOF
)" --base main

Output: https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123