How do I install the Update Mr Desc skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add bowentan/update-mr-desc in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Update Mr Desc safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Update Mr Desc?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Update Mr Desc free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Update Mr Desc?

bowentan (@bowentan) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Update Mr Desc by bowentan — Agent Skill

Name: Update Mr Desc
Author: bowentan

Update Mr Desc

Updates merge request descriptions in GitLab by summarizing MR changes into a bulleted list, excluding changes under docs/. Use when updating an MR description via glab MCP or glab CLI, or when the user asks to summarize MR changes for the description.

bowentan 8cb947c 2.6 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Update MR Description

Update a merge request's description by inspecting its changes and writing a concise bullet summary. Prefer glab MCP; use glab CLI when MCP is unavailable.

Workflow

Get the MR diff.
Filter out docs: Ignore all changes under the docs/ path under the project root.
Summarize the remaining changes into a short bullet list (by intent/feature, not a raw file list).
Show and confirm: Present the proposed description to the user and wait for explicit confirmation before writing to the remote.
Update the MR description with that list (only after confirmation).

Getting the diff

MCP: Use available tools for the current or specified MR to get the patch.
CLI: From the MR branch or repo: glab mr diff [MR_ID] (omit MR_ID when one MR is in context).

Excluding docs

When building the summary, do not include any change whose path:

docs/ under project root

Only summarize changes outside those paths.

Summary format

Write 3-8 bullets that describe what changed and why, not just file names.

Good:

Add login endpoint and JWT validation
Extend task model with priority field and migration
Fix date formatting in report export

Bad:

Changed src/auth.py
Changed src/models/task.py
Changed reports.py

Infer intent from diffs (new functions, new fields, renames, fixes) and phrase bullets accordingly.

Updating the description

Always show the proposed description and get user confirmation before writing to the remote. Do not call the update tool or CLI until the user has approved the text.

MCP: Use the MR update tool with the description (or equivalent) field set to the new content. Preserve or replace existing description per user preference; if unclear, replace with the new bullet summary.
CLI: `glab mr update [MR_ID] --description "$(cat <<'EOF'
Bullet one
Bullet two EOF )"` Escape or quote the description so newlines and bullets are preserved.

Checklist

Diff retrieved (MCP or CLI)
All changes under docs/ excluded from summary
Summary is bullet and describes intent, not just paths
Proposed description shown to user and confirmation received
MR description updated via MCP or glab mr update (only after confirmation)

---name: update-mr-descdescription: Updates merge request descriptions in GitLab by summarizing MR changes into a bulleted list, excluding changes under docs/. Use when updating an MR description via glab MCP or glab CLI, or when the user asks to summarize MR changes for the description.---# Update MR DescriptionUpdate a merge request's description by inspecting its changes and writing a concise bullet summary. Prefer **glab MCP**; use **glab CLI** when MCP is unavailable.---## Workflow1. **Get the MR diff**.2. **Filter out docs:** Ignore all changes under the `docs/` path under the project root.3. **Summarize** the remaining changes into a short bullet list (by intent/feature, not a raw file list).4. **Show and confirm:** Present the proposed description to the user and wait for explicit confirmation before writing to the remote.5. **Update the MR description** with that list (only after confirmation).---## Getting the diff- **MCP:** Use available tools for the current or specified MR to get the patch.- **CLI:** From the MR branch or repo: `glab mr diff [MR_ID]` (omit MR_ID when one MR is in context).---## Excluding docsWhen building the summary, **do not include** any change whose path:- `docs/` under project rootOnly summarize changes outside those paths.---## Summary formatWrite 3-8 bullets that describe **what changed and why**, not just file names.**Good:**- Add login endpoint and JWT validation- Extend task model with priority field and migration- Fix date formatting in report export**Bad:**- Changed `src/auth.py`- Changed `src/models/task.py`- Changed `reports.py`Infer intent from diffs (new functions, new fields, renames, fixes) and phrase bullets accordingly.---## Updating the description**Always show the proposed description and get user confirmation before writing to the remote.** Do not call the update tool or CLI until the user has approved the text.- **MCP:** Use the MR update tool with the `description` (or equivalent) field set to the new content. Preserve or replace existing description per user preference; if unclear, replace with the new bullet summary.- **CLI:** `glab mr update [MR_ID] --description "$(cat <<'EOF'- Bullet one- Bullet twoEOF)"` Escape or quote the description so newlines and bullets are preserved.---## Checklist- [ ] Diff retrieved (MCP or CLI)- [ ] All changes under `docs/` excluded from summary- [ ] Summary is bullet and describes intent, not just paths- [ ] Proposed description shown to user and confirmation received- [ ] MR description updated via MCP or `glab mr update` (only after confirmation)

Frequently asked questions