create-github-pr

Create GitHub Pull Request

Create pull requests on GitHub using the gh CLI.

Prerequisites

• The gh CLI must be authenticated (gh auth status)
• You must have commits on a branch that's pushed to the remote
• For issue-backed work, the branch should follow <issue-number>-<description>/<username>. Exempt issue-less changes may use <description>/<username>.

Before Creating a PR

Check Config Documentation

If the branch changes gateway TOML parsing, [openshell.gateway] fields, [openshell.drivers.<name>] fields, driver config defaults, or Helm rendering of gateway.toml, verify that docs/reference/gateway-config.mdx is updated in the same branch. If the change affects user-facing compute-driver setup, also update docs/reference/sandbox-compute-drivers.mdx or the relevant deployment docs.

Check Agent Infrastructure

Use the sync-agent-infra skill's maintenance map to identify related skill updates when the branch changes behavior, commands, or development workflows. Run its full consistency check when the branch adds, removes, or renames skills or crates; changes workflow relationships or skill coverage; modifies issue or PR templates; or changes agent cross-references. Resolve any drift before creating the PR.

Run Pre-commit Checks

Run the local pre-commit task before opening a PR:

mise run pre-commit

Verify Branch State

Before creating a PR, verify:

1. You're not on main - Never create PRs directly from main:

   # Should NOT be "main"
   git branch --show-current

2. Branch follows naming convention - Use <issue-number>-<description>/<initials> for issue-backed work or <description>/<initials> for an exempt issue-less change.

   # Example: 1234-add-pagination/jd
   git branch --show-current

3. Consider squashing commits - For cleaner history, squash related commits before pushing:

   # Squash last N commits into one
   git reset --soft HEAD~N
   git commit -m "feat(component): description"

Push Your Branch

Ensure your branch is pushed to the remote:

git push -u origin HEAD

Creating a PR

Basic PR creation (opens editor for description):

gh pr create

With title and body:

gh pr create --title "PR title" --body "PR description"

PR Title Format

PR titles must follow the conventional commit format:

<type>(<scope>): <description>

Types:

• feat - New feature
• fix - Bug fix
• docs - Documentation only
• refactor - Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
• test - Adding or updating tests
• chore - Maintenance tasks (CI, build, dependencies)
• perf - Performance improvement

Scope is typically the component name (e.g., evaluator, cli, sdk, jobs).

Examples:

• feat(evaluator): add support for custom rubrics
• fix(jobs): handle timeout errors gracefully
• docs(sdk): update authentication examples
• refactor(models): simplify deployment logic
• chore(ci): update Python version in pipeline

Link to an Issue

Features, user-visible behavior changes, public API changes, architecture changes, and multi-PR efforts must link an accepted issue. Use Closes #<issue-number> in the body to auto-close the issue when merged:

gh pr create \
  --title "Fix validation error for empty requests" \
  --body "Closes #123
 
## Summary
- Added validation for empty request bodies
- Returns 400 instead of 500"

Small documentation fixes, mechanical maintenance, and obvious localized bug fixes may omit a separate issue when the PR contains enough context to review the decision and implementation together. In that case, write No issue required: <brief reason> in the Related Issue section. Do not use this exception for security fixes; follow SECURITY.md.

Create as Draft

For work-in-progress that's not ready for review:

gh pr create --draft --title "WIP: New feature"

With Labels

gh pr create --title "Title" --label "area:cli" --label "topic:security"

Target a Different Branch

Default target is main. To target a different branch:

gh pr create --base "release-1.0"

PR Description Format

PR descriptions must follow the project's PR template structure:

## Summary
<!-- 1-3 sentences: what this PR does and why -->
 
## Related Issue
<!-- Fixes #NNN / Closes #NNN, or "No issue required: <reason>" for an exempt change -->
 
## Changes
<!-- Bullet list of key changes -->
 
## Testing
<!-- What testing was done? -->
- [ ] `mise run pre-commit` passes
- [ ] Unit tests added/updated
- [ ] E2E tests added/updated (if applicable)
 
## Checklist
- [ ] Follows Conventional Commits
- [ ] Commits are signed off (DCO)

Populate the testing checklist based on what was actually run. Check boxes for steps that were completed.

Example PR (Complete)

gh pr create \
  --title "feat(cli): add pagination to sandbox list" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
 
Add `--page-size` and `--page-token` flags to `openshell sandbox list` for continuation-token pagination.
 
## Related Issue
 
Closes #456
 
## Changes
 
- Added `page_size` and `page_token` fields to the sandbox list API call
- Default page size is 100, max is 1,000
- Structured responses include `next_page_token`
 
## Testing
 
- [x] `mise run pre-commit` passes
- [x] Unit tests added/updated
- [ ] E2E tests added/updated (if applicable)
 
## Checklist
 
- [x] Follows Conventional Commits
- [x] Commits are signed off (DCO)
EOF
)"

Useful Options

After Creating

The command outputs the PR URL and number.

Display the URL using markdown link syntax so it's easily clickable:

Created PR [#123](https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/pull/123)

Monitor Workflow Run (Optional)

If the user asks to wait for a green CI before posting the RFR, use this snippet to monitor the workflow run:

# Watch the latest workflow run for the current branch
gh run watch

Or poll manually:

RUN_ID=$(gh run list --branch "$(git branch --show-current)" --limit 1 --json databaseId --jq '.[0].databaseId')
gh run watch "$RUN_ID"