Pull Merge Request Creation

Pull/Merge Request Generation

Generate pull request (GitHub) or merge request (GitLab) descriptions that communicate changes, impact, and value following project templates.

Temporary persona: Senior engineering manager with expertise in code review and technical documentation.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating a pull request (GitHub) or merge request (GitLab) description for branch changes
• Documenting changes for code review
• Communicating technical decisions and business value
• Following repository PR (GitHub) / MR (GitLab) conventions

Platform Detection

Determine whether the project uses GitHub or GitLab:

1. Check for .github/ directory at project root - indicates GitHub
2. Check for .gitlab/ directory at project root - indicates GitLab
3. If both directories exist, ask user which platform to target
4. If neither directory exists, ask user which platform to target

Template Resolution

GitHub

1. Search .github/pull_request_template.md for PR template
2. If not found, search **/pull_request_template.md across repository
3. If still not found, ask user for template or use minimal structure

GitLab

1. Search .gitlab/merge_request_templates/merge_request_template.md for MR template
2. If not found, search **/merge_request_templates/** across repository
3. If still not found, ask user for template or use minimal structure

Note: GitHub PR templates may include YAML frontmatter (name, about, title); GitLab MR templates do not include frontmatter.

Git Operations (Read-Only)

This skill performs read-only reconnaissance. Never modify repository state.

Setup: Navigate to repository root. Pipe all git commands to cat to avoid interactive mode or pager.

Safe commands:

git status | cat                              # Current repository state
git log origin/main..HEAD --oneline | cat     # Commits on this branch
git diff origin/main...HEAD --stat | cat      # Summary of changes vs main
git diff origin/main...HEAD | cat             # Detailed changes vs main
git show --name-only HEAD | cat               # Files changed in latest commit
git branch -a | cat                           # All branches

Forbidden operations: Never use git commit, push, pull, merge, rebase, add, reset, clean, or stash.

Prefer remote tools: Use GitHub/GitLab MCP tools when available for related issues, PRs (GitHub) / MRs (GitLab), and branch history.

Process

Step 1: Analyze Branch

• Detect platform (GitHub or GitLab) using Platform Detection above
• Search for the appropriate template using platform-specific Template Resolution
• Run safe git operations (with | cat) to understand changes
• Use MCP tools for context:
  • Search related issues and PRs (GitHub) / MRs (GitLab)
  • Analyze affected functionality and dependencies
  • Identify architectural patterns impacted

Step 2: Classify and Consult User

Determine PR (GitHub) / MR (GitLab) type and generate title:

Generate title: type(scope): brief description - max 50 characters, imperative mood

Present change summary and ask:

• Confirm scope and key areas of change?
• Which issues does this resolve?
• Business motivation and testing approach?
• Breaking changes or review considerations?

Step 3: Generate Description

• Use template as minimum structure, enrich with critical details
• Include conventional commit-style title
• Use dash bullets, each conveying unique information
• Apply KISS and DRY: no fluff, but capture all information reviewers need
• Group changes by feature area, impact level, or architectural component

Enrichment guidance:

• Changes: Describe what changed and why, not just file names
• Impact: Clarify user-facing effects, performance implications, breaking changes
• Notes: Include merge dependencies, testing considerations, rollback plan if relevant
• Connect technical changes to business value

Change Categorization

Choose appropriate grouping for changes:

• Feature area: Specific modules, functionality, user-facing features
• Impact level: Critical fixes, performance, minor updates
• Architectural component: Database schemas, APIs, system integrations
• Combined: Mix categories for better clarity

Output Format

Present final description in markdown code block:

type(scope): brief description

[complete PR/MR description following template structure]

General Doc Constraints

Apply to all generated output. If a discovered template deviates from any rule (e.g., uses emojis semantically, uses a different bullet convention), note the deviation explicitly and confirm with the user before treating it as a permitted exception.

• Characters: QWERTY keyboard typeable only - no smart quotes, emojis, or special Unicode anywhere. In prose, do not use em-dashes or em-dash substitutes (--, --); use - (space-dash-space) for clause separation instead. Exception: ↑ for ToC navigation.
• Inline formatting: Use _underscore_ for italics, not *single-star*. Place colons after bold inline labels outside the markers: **Topic**: not **Topic:**.
• Bullets: Use - for all unordered lists; one bullet per complete thought; never wrap a bullet's content mid-sentence onto a continuation line - split into separate bullets if too long or multi-thought. Nested sub-bullets for component grouping are permitted. End with a period only when the item is a full sentence; omit the period for concise fragment items (preferred).
• Prose: Never break a sentence across lines with a hard newline; multi-sentence paragraphs belong on one continuous line since editors and viewers handle visual wrapping. Exception: commit message bodies use one sentence per line for git log readability.
• Template hygiene: Delete (optional) and any parenthetical conditional label (e.g., (if operational)) from a section header the moment the section is populated - treat it as a .gitkeep-style placeholder that exists only until first use, then is removed. Omit the entire section (header and body) when unused. Populate all bracketed placeholders with actual content; never leave [TODO], [TBD], or any [placeholder] in generated output.
• Consistency: Use the same term for the same concept throughout; match the voice and tense of the template; do not mix header levels for parallel sections.
• KISS and DRY: Each section and bullet conveys unique information - no redundancy or overlap.

General Doc Constraints v1.1.0 - KemingHe/common-devx

Skill Constraints

• Title: Max 50 characters, imperative mood, conventional commit format
• Template as scaffold: Use discovered templates as minimum structure, enrich appropriately
• Comprehensive analysis: Use git commands, MCP tools, codebase search
• Business context: Connect technical changes to business value
• Issue linking: Use separate "closes #X" for each resolved issue
• Platform awareness: Use detected platform terminology consistently throughout the generated description