GitHub Pull Requests

Manage GitHub pull requests using the GitHub MCP server tools.

Available MCP Tools

Workflow

1. •Determine action: Create, merge, review, or query?
2. •Gather context: Get repo info, branch names, existing PRs
3. •Structure content: Use templates from references/templates.md
4. •Execute: Call the appropriate MCP tool
5. •Confirm: Report the PR URL and status to user

Creating Pull Requests

Required Parameters

owner: repository owner (org or user)
repo: repository name
title: clear, descriptive title
head: branch containing changes (source)
base: branch to merge into (target, usually 'main')

Optional Parameters

body: PR description (markdown)
draft: true/false (create as draft)
maintainer_can_modify: true/false

Title Guidelines

• •Use conventional commit style when appropriate: feat:, fix:, docs:
• •Be specific about the change
• •Keep under 72 characters
• •Examples:
  • •feat: Add dark mode support
  • •fix(auth): Resolve SSO login failure
  • •docs: Update API reference for v2

Body Structure

Use the PR template from references/templates.md. Key sections:

• •Summary: What changed and why
• •Changes: Bullet list of modifications
• •Testing: How to verify the changes
• •Checklist: Pre-merge verification items

Merging Pull Requests

Required Parameters

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number (integer)

Optional Parameters

merge_method: "squash" | "merge" | "rebase"
commit_title: custom merge commit title
commit_message: custom merge commit message

Merge Methods

Default: Use squash unless the user specifies otherwise.

Reviewing Pull Requests

Creating a Review

Use mcp_github_pull_request_review_write with method: "create":

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number
event: "APPROVE" | "REQUEST_CHANGES" | "COMMENT"
body: review comment text

Review Events

Request Copilot Review

For automated code review feedback:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number

Updating Pull Requests

Use mcp_github_update_pull_request to modify:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number (required)
# Optional - only include fields to change:
title: new title
body: new description
state: "open" | "closed"
base: new base branch
draft: true/false (mark as draft or ready)
reviewers: ["username1", "username2"]

Searching Pull Requests

Use mcp_github_search_pull_requests with GitHub search syntax:

Common Search Queries

Examples

Example 1: Create a PR

User: "Create a PR from my feature branch to main"

Action: Call mcp_github_create_pull_request:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "title": "feat: Add dark mode support",
  "head": "feature/dark-mode",
  "base": "main",
  "body": "## Summary\nAdds dark mode theme support.\n\n## Changes\n..."
}

Example 2: Merge with Squash

User: "Merge PR #70 using squash"

Action: Call mcp_github_merge_pull_request:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "pullNumber": 70,
  "merge_method": "squash",
  "commit_title": "feat: Add dark mode support (#70)"
}

Example 3: Request Changes

User: "Request changes on PR #42 - needs more tests"

Action: Call mcp_github_pull_request_review_write:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "pullNumber": 42,
  "method": "create",
  "event": "REQUEST_CHANGES",
  "body": "This PR needs additional test coverage before merging.\n\n..."
}

Example 4: Update PR to Ready

User: "Mark PR #55 as ready for review and add reviewers"

Action: Call mcp_github_update_pull_request:

{
  "owner": "jonathan-vella",
  "repo": "azure-agentic-infraops",
  "pullNumber": 55,
  "draft": false,
  "reviewers": ["teammate1", "teammate2"]
}

Branch Management

Create Branch First

Before creating a PR, ensure the branch exists using mcp_github_create_branch:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
branch: new branch name
from_branch: source branch (optional, defaults to default branch)

Update Branch with Base

To sync a PR branch with the latest changes from base:

owner: repository owner
repo: repository name
pullNumber: PR number

Tips

• •Always check if a PR already exists for the branch before creating
• •Use squash merge for cleaner history on feature branches
• •Request Copilot review for quick automated feedback before human review
• •Include issue references in PR body: Closes #123 or Fixes #456
• •For draft PRs, set draft: true to indicate work-in-progress
• •After merging, the source branch can be deleted via GitHub UI

Common Labels for PRs