GitHub PR View Skill

View comprehensive pull request information using the gh CLI.

When to Use

User asks "show me the PR" or "what's the status of PR #123"
User wants to see PR reviews, checks, or comments
Before merging, to verify PR is approved and ready
To check CI/CD status on a PR
To see PR metadata (assignees, labels, reviewers)

Prerequisites

Verify GitHub CLI is installed and authenticated:

bash

gh --version
gh auth status

Execution Workflow

Step 1: Identify the PR

If user specifies PR number:

bash

gh pr view 123

If on a branch with PR:

bash

gh pr view

If user provides PR URL:

bash

gh pr view https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123

Step 2: Fetch PR Details

Get comprehensive JSON data:

bash

gh pr view 123 --json \
  number,title,body,state,isDraft,\
  author,assignees,reviewers,\
  labels,milestone,\
  createdAt,updatedAt,mergedAt,\
  baseRefName,headRefName,\
  mergeable,merged,\
  additions,deletions,\
  url,commits,reviews,\
  statusCheckRollup

Step 3: Format and Present

Parse the JSON and present in human-readable format:

markdown

## PR #123: Title Here

**Status**: Open | Draft | Merged | Closed
**Author**: @username
**Created**: 2 days ago
**Updated**: 1 hour ago

**Base**: main ← **Head**: feature-branch
**Changes**: +150 -30 (180 lines changed)
**Mergeable**: Yes | No | Conflicts

### Reviews

- ✓ @reviewer1 approved (2 hours ago)
- 🔄 @reviewer2 requested changes (1 day ago)
- ⏳ @reviewer3 review requested

### Checks

- ✓ CI/CD (passed)
- ✓ Tests (passed)
- ⚠ Coverage (78% - below threshold)
- ❌ Linting (failed)

### Labels

`bug` `priority-high` `ready-for-review`

### Assignees

@user1, @user2

🔗 [View on GitHub](https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123)

Step 4: Show Additional Details (if needed)

View diff:

bash

gh pr diff 123

View commits:

bash

gh pr view 123 --json commits --jq '.commits[] | "\(.oid[0:7]) \(.messageHeadline)"'

View comments:

bash

gh pr view 123 --comments

View CI checks:

bash

gh pr checks 123

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Quick Status Check

bash

# Show basic PR info
gh pr view 123

# Output:
# Feature: Add user authentication #123
# Open • user wants to merge 3 commits into main from feature-auth
#
# Summary of changes...
#
# View this pull request on GitHub: https://github.com/...

Scenario 2: Detailed Review Status

bash

# Get review status
gh pr view 123 --json reviews,reviewDecision \
  | jq -r '.reviews[] | "\(.author.login): \(.state)"'

# Get review decision
gh pr view 123 --json reviewDecision --jq '.reviewDecision'
# Output: APPROVED | CHANGES_REQUESTED | REVIEW_REQUIRED

Scenario 3: Check CI/CD Status

bash

# Watch checks in real-time
gh pr checks 123 --watch

# Get check status summary
gh pr checks 123 --json \
  | jq -r '.[] | "\(.name): \(.conclusion)"'

Scenario 4: View PR Timeline

bash

# Get complete timeline
gh pr view 123 --json \
  createdAt,updatedAt,mergedAt,closedAt,\
  timelineItems --jq '{
    created: .createdAt,
    updated: .updatedAt,
    merged: .mergedAt,
    timeline: .timelineItems
  }'

Scenario 5: Compare with Base

bash

# View diff stats
gh pr diff 123 --stat

# View full diff
gh pr diff 123

# View specific file
gh pr diff 123 --patch | grep -A 20 "src/auth.ts"

Scenario 6: List All PRs

bash

# List open PRs
gh pr list --state open

# List my PRs
gh pr list --author "@me"

# List draft PRs
gh pr list --json number,title,isDraft \
  | jq '.[] | select(.isDraft == true)'

# List PRs by label
gh pr list --label "priority-high"

# List PRs needing review
gh pr list --search "is:open review:required"

Scenario 7: View PR Comments and Discussion

bash

# Show all comments
gh pr view 123 --comments

# Show only review comments
gh pr view 123 --json reviews \
  | jq -r '.reviews[] | "\(.author.login) (\(.state)):\n\(.body)\n"'

Advanced Queries

Check if PR is Mergeable

bash

# Check mergeable status
MERGEABLE=$(gh pr view 123 --json mergeable --jq '.mergeable')

if [ "$MERGEABLE" == "MERGEABLE" ]; then
  echo "✓ PR can be merged"
elif [ "$MERGEABLE" == "CONFLICTING" ]; then
  echo "⚠ PR has merge conflicts"
else
  echo "? Merge status unknown"
fi

Get PR Metrics

bash

# Calculate review turnaround time
gh pr view 123 --json createdAt,reviews \
  | jq -r '
    .reviews[0].submittedAt as $first_review |
    .createdAt as $created |
    (($first_review | fromdateiso8601) - ($created | fromdateiso8601)) / 3600 |
    floor | "\(.) hours to first review"
  '

# Count review cycles
gh pr view 123 --json reviews \
  | jq '.reviews | group_by(.author.login) | length | "Reviews from \(.) different people"'

Filter by Review State

bash

# Find PRs approved by specific user
gh pr list --json number,title,reviews \
  | jq '.[] | select(.reviews[] | select(.author.login == "user1" and .state == "APPROVED"))'

# Find PRs with changes requested
gh pr list --search "is:open review:changes-requested"

Check Required Status Checks

bash

# Get required checks status
gh pr view 123 --json statusCheckRollup \
  | jq -r '.statusCheckRollup[] |
    select(.isRequired == true) |
    "\(.name): \(.conclusion // .status)"'

Formatting Options

JSON Output

bash

# Raw JSON for scripting
gh pr view 123 --json number,title,state,reviews

# Pretty JSON
gh pr view 123 --json number,title,state | jq '.'

# Specific fields
gh pr view 123 --json title --jq '.title'

Template Output

bash

# Custom format using Go templates
gh pr view 123 --template '
PR #{{.number}}: {{.title}}
Status: {{.state}}
Author: {{.author.login}}
Reviews: {{range .reviews}}{{.author.login}}({{.state}}) {{end}}
'

Web View

bash

# Open PR in browser
gh pr view 123 --web

# Open PR comments in browser
gh pr view 123 --web --comments

Tips

Use JSON for scripting: Parse with jq for automation
Watch checks: Use --watch flag to monitor CI in real-time
Web view for details: Open complex PRs in browser with --web
Cache results: Store gh pr view output for repeated queries
Filter with jq: Powerful JSON filtering for specific data
Combine with git: Use gh pr view + git show for complete picture

Error Handling

Error: "Pull request not found"

Cause: PR doesn't exist or you don't have access
Solution: Verify PR number with gh pr list

Error: "No pull requests found"

Cause: Current branch doesn't have a PR
Solution: Specify PR number or create one with gh pr create

Error: "GraphQL error"

Cause: API rate limit or network issue
Solution: Check gh auth status and wait/retry

Error: "Not authorized"

Cause: Not authenticated or insufficient permissions
Solution: Run gh auth login or check repository access

Best Practices

Check before merge: Always view PR details before merging
Verify reviews: Ensure required reviewers have approved
Check CI status: Don't merge with failing checks
Read comments: Review all discussion threads
Monitor conflicts: Address merge conflicts promptly
Track changes: Note additions/deletions for impact assessment
Use JSON for automation: Script repetitive PR checks
Web view for complex reviews: Use browser for detailed code review
Check required checks: Verify all required status checks pass
Review timeline: Understand PR history before action

Output Examples

Basic View

Feature: Add user authentication #123
Open • alice wants to merge 5 commits into main from feature-auth
Draft

Summary:
Implements JWT-based authentication system.

Labels: feature, security
Assignees: alice, bob
Reviewers: charlie (APPROVED), diana (REVIEW_REQUESTED)

View this pull request on GitHub: https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123

Checks View

All checks have passed
✓ CI/CD — 2m 34s
✓ Tests — 1m 12s
✓ Lint — 45s
✓ Security Scan — 3m 01s

Diff Stats View

Showing diff for #123

src/auth/jwt.ts         | 145 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
src/auth/middleware.ts  |  67 +++++++++++++++++
tests/auth.test.ts      | 234 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3 files changed, 446 insertions(+)

Related Skills

gh-pr-create - Create pull requests
gh-pr-ready - Mark draft PR as ready
gh-pr-review - Review and approve PRs
gh-pr-merge - Merge approved PRs
gh-pr-edit - Edit PR details

Limitations

Requires GitHub CLI installed and authenticated
Some data requires repository access
Large diffs may be truncated in terminal
Real-time updates require polling or --watch flag
Webhook/notification data not available via CLI

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SKILL.md

GitHub PR View Skill

When to Use

Prerequisites

Execution Workflow

Step 1: Identify the PR

Step 2: Fetch PR Details

Step 3: Format and Present

Step 4: Show Additional Details (if needed)

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Quick Status Check

Scenario 2: Detailed Review Status

Scenario 3: Check CI/CD Status

Scenario 4: View PR Timeline

Scenario 5: Compare with Base

Scenario 6: List All PRs

Scenario 7: View PR Comments and Discussion

Advanced Queries

Check if PR is Mergeable

Get PR Metrics

Filter by Review State

Check Required Status Checks

Formatting Options

JSON Output

Template Output

Web View

Tips

Error Handling

Best Practices

Output Examples

Basic View

Checks View

Diff Stats View

Related Skills

Limitations

See Also