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GitHub PR Description

Free

Automatically generate pull request descriptions with GitHub CLI.

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Free · Opens the source repo

What GitHub PR Description does

The GitHub PR Description skill streamlines the process of creating pull request (PR) descriptions directly from the command line using GitHub CLI. By analyzing the current git diff and commit history, this skill generates comprehensive descriptions that explain what changes have been made, the reasons behind those changes, and how to test them. This is particularly useful for developers who want to ensure that their PRs are clear and informative, helping reviewers understand the context and significance of the changes.

To use this skill, users must first verify that there are changes to submit by checking the current branch and ensuring it is not the main branch with no commits ahead. The skill then analyzes the changes by gathering commit messages and diff summaries, classifying the type of changes made, such as bug fixes, new features, or documentation updates. Once the analysis is complete, it generates a structured PR description that includes a summary, context, changes, implementation details, use cases, and testing instructions, ensuring that all essential elements are covered.

This skill is ideal for developers who frequently create pull requests and want to maintain high-quality documentation for their code changes. By automating the PR description process, it saves time and reduces the likelihood of incomplete or unclear descriptions, which can hinder the review process. It is particularly beneficial in collaborative environments where multiple contributors are involved, ensuring that everyone is on the same page regarding changes and their implications.

However, this skill may not be suitable for every scenario. For instance, if a developer prefers to write detailed PR descriptions manually or if the changes are too complex for automated summarization, they might find the generated descriptions lacking in depth or specificity. Additionally, users should be familiar with Git and the command line to effectively utilize this skill.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need to create pull requests and want to generate informative descriptions automatically.

When not to use it

Avoid using this skill for highly complex changes that require nuanced explanations or when you prefer to write descriptions manually.

What you can build with it

Creating a New Feature PR

When adding a new feature, use this skill to generate a detailed PR description that highlights the new functionality and its benefits.

Submitting Bug Fixes

After fixing a bug, automate the PR description to clearly explain what was fixed and how it improves the application.

Documenting Refactors

When refactoring code, use this skill to summarize the changes made and why they enhance code maintainability.

How to install GitHub PR Description

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add tailcallhq/forgecode/github-pr-description --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by tailcallhq

Create PR Description

Generate comprehensive pull request descriptions and create PRs using GitHub CLI.

Workflow

1. Verify Prerequisites

Check that there are changes to create a PR for:

# Get current branch
git branch --show-current

# Verify branch is not main/master
# Verify there are commits ahead of main
git log origin/main..HEAD --oneline

If on main/master or no commits ahead, inform the user there's nothing to create a PR for.

2. Analyze Changes

Gather context about the changes:

# Get commit messages
git log origin/main..HEAD --pretty=format:"%s"

# Get diff summary (files changed)
git diff origin/main..HEAD --stat

# Get actual code changes (sample key files if diff is large)
git diff origin/main..HEAD

For large diffs: Focus on the most meaningful changes. Sample key files rather than reading everything.

3. Determine Change Type

Classify the PR into one of these categories:

  • fix: Bug fixes, error corrections, resolving issues
  • feature: New functionality, capabilities, or enhancements
  • performance: Speed improvements, optimization, efficiency gains
  • refactor: Code restructuring without changing behavior
  • docs: Documentation changes
  • test: Test additions or improvements
  • chore: Maintenance tasks, dependencies, configuration

Base this on:

  • Commit messages (keywords like "fix", "add", "optimize", "refactor")
  • Nature of code changes (new files = feature, test fixes = fix, etc.)
  • Scope of changes

4. Generate Description

Create a comprehensive description with this structure:

## Summary
[One sentence explaining what this PR does and why it matters]

## Context
[Background information, related issues, previous work, or the problem being solved]

## Changes
[High-level description of what changed]

### Key Implementation Details
[Technical details that help reviewers understand the approach, especially for complex changes]

## Use Cases
[Concrete examples of how this will be used - helps reviewers understand practical value]

## Testing
[How to test the changes - step-by-step instructions]

## Links
- Related issues: #123, #456
- Documentation: URL (if applicable)
- Original implementation: URL (if applicable)

Description Guidelines

Essential Elements:

  • Summary: One clear sentence explaining the change and its value
  • Context: Why this change was needed, what problem it solves
  • Changes: What was actually changed at a high level
  • Testing: How reviewers can verify the changes

Optional but Recommended:

  • Implementation Details: For complex changes, explain the technical approach
  • Use Cases: Concrete examples of how the feature will be used
  • Links: Related issues, documentation, papers, or original implementations
  • Known Issues: Any limitations or known problems

What to Avoid:

  • Empty descriptions or just issue links
  • Placeholder text like "Fixes #(issue)"
  • File-by-file breakdowns (unless necessary)
  • Low-level implementation details (keep it high-level)
  • Boilerplate statements
  • Personal checklists as the main description

Description Examples

Example 1: Feature Addition

## Summary
Add semantic code search to enable searching codebase by concepts and behavior rather than exact string matching.

## Context
Currently, users can only search using exact string matching, which makes it difficult to find code based on functionality or behavior. This has been a recurring request in issues #123 and #456.

## Changes
- Implemented semantic search using vector embeddings
- Integrated with existing search interface
- Added support for multiple concurrent queries with result aggregation
- Configurable search scope (entire codebase or specific directories)

### Key Implementation Details
Uses OpenAI embeddings for code representation and cosine similarity for matching. Index is built incrementally to support large codebases. Search results are reranked based on code context and usage patterns.

## Use Cases
- Find authentication flow without knowing exact function names
- Locate retry logic across the codebase
- Search for "database connection" patterns

## Testing
```bash
# Run the search service
npm run search:dev

# Test semantic queries
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/search \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "user authentication"}'

Links

  • Related issues: #123, #456
  • Documentation: /docs/semantic-search.md

**Example 2: Bug Fix**

```markdown
## Summary
Fix database connection timeout that caused service to hang indefinitely when database became unavailable.

## Context
Service would hang indefinitely when database became unavailable, requiring manual restart. This was reported in production incident #789 and affected multiple users.

## Changes
- Added configurable connection timeout (default: 30 seconds)
- Implemented exponential backoff retry logic (max 5 retries)
- Improved error messages with specific failure reasons
- Added circuit breaker pattern to prevent cascading failures

### Key Implementation Details
Timeout is applied at the connection pool level. Backoff strategy: 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s, 16s. Circuit breaker opens after 5 consecutive failures and resets after 60 seconds.

## Testing
```bash
# Simulate database failure
docker-compose stop db

# Verify timeout and retry behavior
npm test -- tests/integration/connection-timeout.test.ts

# Verify circuit breaker activation
curl http://localhost:3000/health # Should return 503 after circuit opens

Links

  • Related issues: #789, #890
  • Incident report: /incidents/2024-01-15-db-timeout.md

**Example 3: Performance Improvement**

```markdown
## Summary
Optimize image processing pipeline to reduce memory usage by 60% and improve throughput by 2.5x.

## Context
Current image processing implementation loads entire images into memory, causing OOM errors with large files and limiting throughput. This was identified as a performance bottleneck in profiling session #123.

## Changes
- Implemented streaming image processing using chunked reading
- Added parallel processing for multiple images
- Optimized memory allocation with object pooling
- Added caching for frequently accessed image metadata

### Key Implementation Details
Uses Node.js streams for memory-efficient processing. Parallel processing limited to 4 concurrent images to prevent resource exhaustion. Object pool reduces GC pressure by reusing buffers.

## Use Cases
- Process large images (>100MB) without OOM errors
- Batch process thousands of images efficiently
- Reduced memory footprint allows higher concurrent user load

## Testing
```bash
# Run performance benchmarks
npm run benchmark

# Test with large files
node tests/performance/large-files.test.js

# Verify memory usage
node --inspect tests/memory-usage.js

Links

  • Related issues: #456
  • Performance report: /docs/performance/2024-01-image-processing.md

**Example 4: Refactor**

```markdown
## Summary
Refactor authentication module to use clean architecture patterns, improving testability and reducing coupling.

## Context
Authentication module had tight coupling between business logic and infrastructure, making it difficult to test and modify. This was identified in technical debt review #234.

## Changes
- Separated business logic from infrastructure dependencies
- Introduced repository pattern for data access
- Added service layer for authentication operations
- Extracted interfaces for better mocking in tests

### Key Implementation Details
Business logic now depends on interfaces rather than concrete implementations. Infrastructure (database, cache) is injected as dependencies. All services are unit-testable without external dependencies.

## Use Cases
- Easier to add new authentication providers (OAuth, SAML)
- Simpler to mock for unit tests
- Clear separation of concerns improves maintainability

## Testing
```bash
# Unit tests (no database required)
npm test tests/unit/auth/

# Integration tests (with real database)
npm test tests/integration/auth/

# Verify all existing functionality still works
npm run e2e

Links

  • Related issues: #234
  • Architecture doc: /docs/architecture/auth-module.md

**Example 5: Simple Fix (Minimal but Complete)**

```markdown
## Summary
Fix typo in user welcome email template that caused incorrect company name to display.

## Context
Users were seeing "Welcome to [Wrong Company]" instead of the correct company name. Reported in #567.

## Changes
- Corrected company name in email template
- Added test to catch similar typos in the future

## Testing
```bash
# Run email template tests
npm test tests/unit/email-templates.test.ts

# Verify email renders correctly
npm run test:email --template=welcome

Links

  • Related issues: #567

### 5. Create Pull Request

Write the description to a temporary file and use GitHub CLI to create the PR:

**Step 1: Write description to temp file**
```bash
# Write the generated description to .forge/FORGE_PR_DESCRIPTION.md

Use the write tool to create .forge/FORGE_PR_DESCRIPTION.md with the generated description content.

Step 2: Create PR using the temp file

gh pr create --title "[Change Type]: [One-line summary]" --body-file .forge/FORGE_PR_DESCRIPTION.md

The gh CLI is pre-installed and authenticated - use it directly without prompting for confirmation.

Note: The temp file .forge/FORGE_PR_DESCRIPTION.md can not be left in place and should be deleted after PR creation. It's in .forge/ directory which is typically gitignored.

6. Confirm

After creating the PR, provide the user with:

  • PR URL
  • Change type
  • Brief summary of what was included

Notes

Key Principles:

  • Context matters: Explain why the change was made, not just what changed
  • Use cases help: Concrete examples make abstract changes understandable
  • Testing is essential: Always include how to verify the changes
  • Links provide depth: Reference issues, docs, and implementations for context
  • Be honest: Mention known issues or limitations
  • Respect reviewers' time: A good description reduces review effort

Anti-Patterns to Avoid:

  • Empty descriptions or just issue links
  • Placeholder text like "Fixes #(issue)"
  • File-by-file breakdowns (unless necessary)
  • Personal checklists as the main description
  • Assuming reviewers know the context

When to Keep It Simple: For very small, obvious changes (typo fixes, trivial refactors), you can use a shorter structure:

  • Summary
  • Context (brief)
  • Testing

But never skip the testing instructions.

When to Be Comprehensive:

  • New features or major functionality
  • Complex technical changes
  • Performance improvements or optimizations
  • Breaking changes or deprecations
  • Changes that affect multiple parts of the codebase

Frequently asked questions about GitHub PR Description

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