Create Pull Request Skill

⚠️ MANDATORY SKILL - YOU MUST INVOKE THIS

Purpose

Complete, safe pull request creation workflow that handles branch management, committing, pushing, and PR creation in one go.

CRITICAL: You MUST invoke this skill for PR creation. NEVER push and create PRs manually with git/gh commands.

CRITICAL: When to Use

This skill MUST be invoked ONLY when user explicitly says:

• "raise a PR"
• "create a PR"
• "draft PR"
• "open a PR"
• "create pull request"

This is the ONLY scenario where automatic committing is allowed without user approval.

🚫 NEVER DO THIS

• ❌ Running git push && gh pr create manually
• ❌ Creating PRs through GitHub UI manually
• ❌ Committing and pushing without invoking safe-commit
• ❌ Creating PRs for phrases other than "raise/create/draft PR"

If user wants to create a PR, invoke this skill. Manual PR creation is FORBIDDEN.

⚠️ SKILL GUARD - READ BEFORE USING BASH/GH TOOLS

Before using Bash/gh tools for PR creation, answer these questions:

❓ Did the user say "raise a PR", "create a PR", or "draft PR"?

→ STOP. Invoke create-pr skill instead.

❓ Are you about to run git push followed by gh pr create?

→ STOP. Invoke create-pr skill instead.

❓ Are you about to commit changes and then push to remote?

→ STOP. Is this for a PR? If YES, invoke create-pr skill instead.

❓ Are you manually crafting a PR description?

→ STOP. Let create-pr skill handle it (invokes pr-description-writer).

IF YOU PROCEED WITH MANUAL PR CREATION, YOU ARE VIOLATING YOUR CORE DIRECTIVE.

This skill handles:

• ✅ Branch validation/creation (ensures mriley/ prefix)
• ✅ Auto-commit via safe-commit (runs all safety checks)
• ✅ Push to remote
• ✅ PR creation with verified description
• ✅ Returns PR URL

Manual PR creation SKIPS ALL OF THESE. Use this skill.

What This Skill Does

1. Validates or creates branch with mriley/ prefix
2. Commits all changes (invokes safe-commit without user approval)
3. Pushes to remote repository
4. Creates pull request (draft or final)
5. Returns PR URL to user

Workflow (Quick Summary)

Core Steps

1. Understand State: Invoke check-history (branch, changes, commits, base)
2. Validate/Create Branch: Ensure mriley/ prefix or create via manage-branch
3. Analyze Changes: Review diff and log since base branch
4. Auto-Commit: Invoke safe-commit (NO user approval - PR exception) with security/quality/test checks
5. Push: Push to remote with -u if needed, handle conflicts
6. Generate Description: Invoke pr-description-writer for verified PR description
7. Create PR: Use gh pr create (draft by default) with generated description
8. Report Success: Return PR URL and suggest next steps

For detailed workflow with git commands and examples:

Read `~/.claude/skills/create-pr/references/WORKFLOW-STEPS.md`

Use when: Performing PR creation, need specific git commands, or understanding each step

PR Title Generation

Single commit: Use commit subject as-is Multiple commits: Analyze all commits, generate encompassing title with most significant type

For PR title generation patterns and examples:

Read `~/.claude/skills/create-pr/references/PR-TITLE-GENERATION.md`

Use when: Generating titles for multi-commit PRs or complex scenarios

Error Handling

Common errors: gh CLI not installed, not authenticated, no commits, checks failed, push failed

For detailed error handling with messages and solutions:

Read `~/.claude/skills/create-pr/references/ERROR-HANDLING.md`

### Error: Not authenticated with gh

❌ Not authenticated with GitHub

Please authenticate GitHub CLI: gh auth login

Then retry PR creation.

### Error: No commits to PR

❌ No commits to create PR from

Your branch has no commits ahead of main.

Please make changes and commit them first, then create PR.

### Error: Commit failed (security/quality/tests)

❌ Cannot create PR: Pre-commit checks failed

[Details from failed skill]

Please fix the issues and try again:

1. Fix reported issues
2. Re-run: "create PR"

### Error: Push failed

❌ Push failed: [error message]

Please resolve the push issue and retry.

Common solutions:

• Pull remote changes: git pull --rebase origin
• Check permissions: Ensure you have write access
• Check network: Verify GitHub is accessible

---

## Integration with Other Skills

This skill invokes:

- **`check-history`** - Step 1 (understand current state)
- **`manage-branch`** - Step 2 (if branch invalid)
- **`safe-commit`** - Step 4 (auto-commit mode)

---

## PR Draft vs Final

**Default to draft PR unless user specifies final:**

| User says   | Action                      |
| ----------- | --------------------------- |
| "draft PR"  | Create draft (`--draft`)    |
| "create PR" | Create draft (`--draft`)    |
| "raise PR"  | Create draft (`--draft`)    |
| "final PR"  | Create final (no `--draft`) |
| "ready PR"  | Create final (no `--draft`) |

**Draft PRs are safer** - allows for review/CI before marking ready.

---

## Multi-Commit PRs

If branch already has commits:

1. **Don't re-commit** - Skip safe-commit if HEAD is clean
2. **Analyze all commits** - Review entire branch history
3. **Generate comprehensive description** - Cover all changes
4. **Create PR with all commits**

**Check for clean state:**

```bash
git status

If clean and commits exist:

• Skip to Step 5 (push)
• Use all commits in PR description

Best Practices

1. Always draft first - Unless user explicitly wants final
2. Comprehensive descriptions - Help reviewers understand changes
3. Link issues - Use "Closes #123" or "Fixes #123"
4. Highlight breaking changes - Call out backwards-incompatible changes
5. Show test coverage - Demonstrate quality
6. No AI attribution - PR description is human-authored

After PR Creation

Suggest next steps:

PR created successfully!