GitHub PR Manager

Instructions

When to Invoke This Skill

• Creating a pull request after implementing changes
• Checking status of an existing PR (mergeable, checks, reviews)
• Merging an approved PR
• Validating PR state before operations

Capabilities

1. Create Pull Request

   • Generate PR from current branch
   • Create descriptive title and body
   • Link to related issues
   • Add appropriate labels

2. View PR Status

   • Check if PR is open/closed/merged
   • Verify mergeable state
   • Review CI check status
   • Check review approvals

3. Merge Pull Request

   • Squash merge with single commit
   • Auto-delete remote branch
   • Validate before merging

Standard Workflows

Creating a PR

1. Verify Current Branch

   bashCopy

   git branch --show-current
   

   Ensure you're on a feature branch, not main/master

2. Push Branch (if not already pushed)

   bashCopy

   git push -u origin HEAD
   

3. Create PR

   bashCopy

   gh pr create --title "<type>: <description>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
   ## Summary
   Resolves #<issue_number>
   
   <Brief description of changes>
   
   ## Changes Made
   - <List key changes>
   
   ## Testing
   - <How to test these changes>
   
   🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
   EOF
   )"
   

Checking PR Status

1. Fetch PR Information

   bashCopy

   gh pr view <pr_number> --json state,mergeable,statusCheckRollup,reviewDecision
   

2. Interpret Results

   • state: "OPEN", "CLOSED", "MERGED"
   • mergeable: "MERGEABLE", "CONFLICTING", "UNKNOWN"
   • reviewDecision: "APPROVED", "CHANGES_REQUESTED", "REVIEW_REQUIRED"

Merging a PR

1. Validate PR State

   bashCopy

   gh pr view <pr_number> --json headRefName,state,mergeable
   

   • Verify state is "OPEN"
   • Verify mergeable is "MERGEABLE"
   • Extract branch name for cleanup

2. Perform Squash Merge

   bashCopy

   gh pr merge <pr_number> --squash --delete-branch
   

   This will:

   • Squash all commits into one
   • Merge to main/master
   • Delete remote branch
   • Delete local tracking branch (if it exists)

3. Update Local Repository

   bashCopy

   git checkout main
   git pull origin main
   

4. Clean Up Local Branch (if still exists)

   bashCopy

   # Check if branch still exists
   git branch --list <branch-name>
   
   # Delete only if exists
   if git branch --list <branch-name> | grep -q <branch-name>; then
     git branch -d <branch-name>
   fi
   

   Note: The --delete-branch flag usually handles this, but verify to ensure cleanup

Error Handling

Authentication Issues:

• Run: gh auth status
• If not authenticated: gh auth login

PR Not Mergeable:

• Check for conflicts: Inform user to resolve merge conflicts
• Check for failing CI: Wait for checks to pass
• Check for required reviews: Request reviews from team

Branch Deletion Fails:

• Branch may be protected
• User may have the branch checked out
• Branch may not exist locally (already deleted or never checked out)
• Always check branch existence before deletion
• Ignore "branch not found" errors - treat as already cleaned up

PR Title and Body Standards

Title Format:

<type>: <brief description>

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

Body Format:

## Summary
Resolves #<issue>

<1-2 sentence description>

## Changes Made
- <Bullet list of key changes>

## Testing
- <How changes were tested>
- <Manual test steps if needed>

## Screenshots (if UI changes)
<Optional screenshots>

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Examples

Example 1: Create PR from feature branch

User: "Create a PR for this feature"
Action:
1. Verify on feature branch
2. Push if needed
3. Create PR with structured body linking to issue
Output: PR URL and number

Example 2: Check PR status before merging

User: "Is PR #123 ready to merge?"
Action:
1. Fetch PR status
2. Check mergeable state, CI status, reviews
Output: "PR #123 is ready to merge" or list blockers

Example 3: Merge approved PR

User: "Merge PR #123"
Action:
1. Validate PR state and extract branch name
2. Squash merge with branch deletion
3. Switch to main and pull
4. Verify local branch cleanup (check existence first)
Output: "PR #123 merged successfully, branch cleaned up"