Draft Pull Request Workflow

This skill provides procedural knowledge for creating well-structured Draft Pull Requests with clear titles and motivation-focused descriptions using GitHub CLI (gh).

Safety Constraints

•Never modify git config
•Never open browser (--web flag prohibited)
•Never force-push or rebase (unless explicitly requested)
•Never create a PR if no diffs exist between head and base
•Never include secrets or sensitive data in PR description

Input Parameters

Optional parameters that may be provided:

Parameter	Description	Default
`base`	Target base branch	Repository default branch
`reviewers`	GitHub handles (comma-separated)	None
`assignees`	GitHub handles (comma-separated)	None
`labels`	Labels (comma-separated)	None
`project`	Project name or ID	None
`milestone`	Milestone name	None
`title`	Explicit PR title	Agent drafts
`body`	Explicit PR body	Agent drafts

Procedure

1. Validate Context

bash

# Check current branch and status
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
git status -sb

# Check for existing PRs from this branch
gh pr list --limit 5 --head $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)

Stop conditions:

•Open PR already exists → Ask whether to update instead
•No commits ahead of base branch → Report "nothing to propose" and stop

2. Determine Base Branch

bash

# If base not provided, get default branch
gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef -q .defaultBranchRef.name

3. Run Quality Gates

Execute repository-standard validations:

bash

# Examples (adjust to repository):
pnpm lint
pnpm test
pnpm build
# or: npm run lint && npm run test
# or: make check

Stop condition: Any validation fails → Report outcomes and stop (do not create PR)

4. Draft PR Title and Body

Title Guidelines

•Semantic format: <type>(<scope>): <subject>
•Maximum 72 characters
•Focus on "why" + "what"
•No trailing period

Body Guidelines

•Read repository's .github/pull_request_template.md if it exists
•If no repository template exists, use templates/default-pr-template.md
•Fill every template section from the layout
•Keep each field concise (1-5 lines)
•Add checklists when applicable
•Write N/A with brief note when something does not apply

Security check: Scan for secrets before including in body → Stop if found

5. Propose and Confirm

Present the drafted Title and Body to the user:

code

## Proposed PR

**Title:** <drafted title>

**Body:**
<drafted body>

---
Please confirm or request edits.

Revise until user approves.

6. Create Draft PR

bash

gh pr create \
  --draft \
  ${base:+--base "$base"} \
  ${reviewers:+--reviewer "$reviewers"} \
  ${assignees:+--assignee "$assignees"} \
  ${labels:+--label "$labels"} \
  ${project:+--project "$project"} \
  ${milestone:+--milestone "$milestone"} \
  --title "$(cat <<'TITLE'
<title>
TITLE
)" \
  --body "$(cat <<'BODY'
<body>
BODY
)"

Notes:

•Stage any necessary generated files before PR creation
•Ensure branch is up to date with remote
•Let gh push if needed

7. Post-Creation

bash

# Capture and display PR URL from output
# Show next steps

Report to user:

•PR URL (clickable)
•Next steps: push more commits, convert to ready (gh pr ready), assign reviewers

PR Title Style

Format

code

<type>(<scope>): <subject>

Types

•feat: User-facing feature
•fix: User-facing bug fix
•docs: Documentation only
•style: Formatting, no logic change
•refactor: Code change without behavior change
•test: Add/modify tests only
•chore: Maintenance, tooling, infrastructure

Examples

code

feat: add user authentication flow
fix(api): handle timeout on large uploads
refactor: migrate to new config format
docs: update API reference for v2

Quick Reference

Validation Checklist

•No existing open PR for this branch
•Commits exist ahead of base branch
•Quality gates pass (lint, test, build)
•No secrets in title or body
•Title follows semantic format
•Title ≤72 characters
•Body fills template sections
•User approved title and body

Common Pitfalls

•Creating PR without running quality gates
•Vague titles like "Updates" or "Fix stuff"
•Empty or minimal PR body
•Missing template sections
•Including debug or WIP commits
•Not checking for existing PRs first

Useful gh Commands

bash

# List PRs from current branch
gh pr list --head $(git branch --show-current)

# Get default branch
gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef -q .defaultBranchRef.name

# View PR after creation
gh pr view

# Convert draft to ready
gh pr ready

# Add reviewers after creation
gh pr edit --add-reviewer <handle>