Create PR with Auto-Squash Merge

Overview

Efficiently push a branch, create a pull request, and configure auto-squash merge using git and GitHub CLI with proper error handling.

When to Use

dot

digraph when_to_use {
    "Work complete on branch?" [shape=diamond];
    "Need to push and create PR?" [shape=diamond];
    "Use this skill" [shape=box];
    "Use other approach" [shape=box];

    "Work complete on branch?" -> "Need to push and create PR?" [label="yes"];
    "Need to push and create PR?" -> "Use this skill" [label="yes"];
    "Need to push and create PR?" -> "Use other approach" [label="no"];
}

Use when:

•Implementation is complete and tested
•You need to push branch to origin
•You need to create a pull request
•You want auto-squash merge configured

Do NOT use when:

•Work is still in progress
•You need to draft a PR without auto-merge
•Branch already has an open PR

Core Pattern

Before (common mistakes):

bash

# ❌ Multiple commands, no error handling
git push origin feature-branch
gh pr create --title "My PR" --body "Description"
gh pr merge --squash --auto  # This merges immediately!

After (correct approach):

bash

# ✅ Comprehensive workflow with error handling
./create-pr-with-auto-squash.sh "main" "My PR Title" "PR description"

Quick Reference

Task	Command
Check branch status	`git status --porcelain`
Push if needed	`git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)`
Detect main branch	`git remote show origin
Check existing PRs	`gh pr list --head $(git branch --show-current)`
Create PR with auto-merge	`gh pr create --base main --title "Title" --body "Body" && gh pr merge --squash --auto`

Implementation

bash

#!/bin/bash
# create-pr-with-auto-squash.sh
set -euo pipefail

# Get current branch
CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
BASE_BRANCH="${1:-main}"
TITLE="${2:-$CURRENT_BRANCH}"
BODY="${3:-PR for $CURRENT_BRANCH}"

# 1. Check working tree is clean
if ! git diff --quiet || ! git diff --cached --quiet; then
    echo "❌ Working tree is not clean. Commit or stash changes first."
    exit 1
fi

# 2. Push branch to origin (create upstream if needed)
echo "📤 Pushing branch $CURRENT_BRANCH to origin..."
git push -u origin "$CURRENT_BRANCH"

# 3. Check if PR already exists
if gh pr list --head "$CURRENT_BRANCH" --json number --jq 'length' | grep -q '^[1-9]'; then
    echo "⚠️  PR already exists for branch $CURRENT_BRANCH"
    echo "Existing PRs:"
    gh pr list --head "$CURRENT_BRANCH"
    exit 1
fi

# 4. Auto-detect base branch if not main
if ! git rev-parse --verify "$BASE_BRANCH" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    BASE_BRANCH=$(git remote show origin | grep 'HEAD branch' | cut -d' ' -f5)
    echo "🔍 Auto-detected base branch: $BASE_BRANCH"
fi

# 5. Create PR with auto-squash merge
echo "🔄 Creating PR: $TITLE"
PR_URL=$(gh pr create \
    --base "$BASE_BRANCH" \
    --title "$TITLE" \
    --body "$BODY")

echo "✅ PR created: $PR_URL"

# 6. Configure auto-squash merge (does NOT merge immediately)
echo "⚙️  Configuring auto-squash merge..."
gh pr merge --squash --auto

echo "🎉 PR configured for auto-squash merge on completion!"

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
`gh pr merge --squash` without `--auto`	This merges immediately. Use `--auto` to configure only
Not checking for existing PRs	Check with `gh pr list --head <branch>` first
Hardcoding main branch	Auto-detect with `git remote show origin`
Not verifying clean working tree	Check with `git diff --quiet` before pushing
Forgetting `-u` flag on push	Use `git push -u origin` to set upstream tracking

Red Flags - STOP and Fix These

•Working tree has uncommitted changes
•Using gh pr merge without --auto flag
•Multiple PRs exist for same branch
•Branch has no upstream tracking set up

Error Handling

Branch not pushed:

bash

git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)

Main branch detection failed:

bash

# Try common alternatives
for branch in main master develop; do
    if git rev-parse --verify "$branch" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        BASE_BRANCH="$branch"
        break
    fi
done

PR creation failed (title exists):

bash

# Add branch name to title for uniqueness
TITLE="$TITLE ($CURRENT_BRANCH)"