# Babysit Pr > Monitor open PRs, retry flaky CI, resolve merge conflicts, and auto-merge when ready. Use when managing multiple PRs, after creating PRs, or when CI is failing intermittently. Triggers on: "babysit my PRs", "check PR status", "why is CI failing", "merge my PRs", "monitor PRs", "PR status", "what's blocking my PRs", "/babysit-pr". - Skill: `mshadmanrahman/babysit-pr` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mshadmanrahman/babysit-pr` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mshadmanrahman/babysit-pr/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: mshadmanrahman (https://skillmd.com/u/mshadmanrahman) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mshadmanrahman/babysit-pr --- # Babysit PR Continuous PR lifecycle management: monitor CI, retry flaky checks, resolve merge conflicts, and enable auto-merge. Inspired by Thariq's CI/CD & Deployment pattern from Anthropic's internal playbook. ## When to Activate - User says "babysit my PRs", "check PR status", "monitor PRs" - User says "why is CI failing", "what's blocking my PRs" - User says "merge my PRs", "auto-merge when ready" - After a batch PR creation session (e.g., 10+ PRs in a day) - When CI is flaky and user wants automatic retries ## Modes ### Single PR Mode Monitor one specific PR by number or URL. ``` babysit-pr #4105 babysit-pr https://github.com/your-org/your-repo/pull/4105 ``` **Steps:** 1. Parse PR number from input (strip URL if needed) 2. Run `scripts/check-pr-status.sh ` 3. Analyze CI failures against `references/ci-patterns.md` 4. Take action or report findings ### Batch Mode Scan all open PRs by the current user across a repo. ``` babysit-pr your-org/your-repo babysit-pr --all ``` **Steps:** 1. Run `scripts/batch-check.sh ` (defaults to current repo's origin) 2. Sort PRs by urgency: failing CI > merge conflicts > pending review > green 3. Present summary table 4. Offer to act on each issue ## PR Health Checks For each PR, check all of the following: ### 1. CI Status ```bash gh pr checks --repo ``` - Map each check to pass/fail/pending - Cross-reference failures with `references/ci-patterns.md` - Distinguish required checks from optional/informational ### 2. Review Status ```bash gh pr view --repo --json reviews,reviewRequests ``` - Approved: ready to merge - Changes requested: needs author action - Pending: waiting on reviewers ### 3. Merge Conflicts ```bash gh pr view --repo --json mergeable,mergeStateStatus ``` - MERGEABLE: no conflicts - CONFLICTING: needs rebase/conflict resolution - UNKNOWN: GitHub still computing (wait and retry) ### 4. Branch Staleness ```bash gh pr view --repo --json baseRefName,headRefName,updatedAt ``` - If behind base by 10+ commits, suggest updating branch - If no activity for 7+ days, flag as stale ## Auto-Actions ### Retry Flaky CI When a check fails and `references/ci-patterns.md` marks the pattern as retryable: ```bash # Re-run failed GitHub Actions workflows gh run rerun --failed --repo ``` Rules: - Max 2 retries per check - Only retry if the failure pattern matches a known flaky pattern - Log each retry attempt - If still failing after 2 retries, report as real failure ### Update Branch When PR is behind base branch and has no merge conflicts: ```bash # GitHub API branch update (no force push) gh api repos///pulls//update-branch \ --method PUT \ --field expected_head_sha="" ``` Rules: - Only update if mergeable state is clean - Never force-push - Report the update to the user ### Enable Auto-Merge When CI is green and reviews are approved: ```bash gh pr merge --repo --auto --squash ``` Rules: - **Always ask before enabling auto-merge** - Only enable if: CI passing + reviews approved + no conflicts - Default to squash merge - Never force-merge or bypass required checks ## Safety Rules 1. **Never force-merge** a PR under any circumstances 2. **Never dismiss reviews** or bypass review requirements 3. **Always report before acting** on merge conflicts; let the user decide 4. **Ask before enabling auto-merge**; present the PR state first 5. **Never push code** to resolve conflicts without explicit user approval 6. **Respect branch protection** rules; do not circumvent them 7. **Log all actions taken** so the user has a clear audit trail ## Output Format ### Single PR Report ``` PR #4105: Fix recommendation form validation CI: 2/3 passing (vercel/preview-deploy pending - 1m ago) Reviews: Approved (2/2) Merge: Clean, no conflicts Branch: 3 commits behind main Action: Update branch? [y/n] ``` ### Batch Summary ``` your-org/your-repo - 14 open PRs by @your-github-handle # | Title | CI | Reviews | Merge | Action -----|--------------------------------|---------|----------|-----------|-------- 4105 | Fix form validation | Passing | Approved | Clean | Auto-merge? 4103 | Update i18n strings | Failing | Approved | Clean | Retry CI (flaky playwright) 4101 | Refactor search component | Passing | Pending | Conflicts | Report conflicts 4099 | Add landscape mode support | Pending | Pending | Clean | Wait Actions available: 1. Retry flaky CI on #4103 2. Enable auto-merge on #4105 3. Show conflict details for #4101 ``` ## Gotchas - **Vercel preview deploys** take 2-3 minutes; do not declare failure before 3 minutes have elapsed. Check the `updatedAt` timestamp on pending checks. - **`gh pr checks` shows ALL checks** including optional/informational ones. Cross-reference with branch protection rules to identify which are required. - **Some repos have required reviewers**; auto-merge will not work without the required number of approvals, even if CI is green. - **GitHub mergeable state** can be UNKNOWN for up to 30 seconds after a push. If UNKNOWN, wait 10 seconds and retry once. - **Rate limits**: `gh` CLI shares GitHub API rate limits. Batch mode across many repos can hit limits. Space requests if checking 20+ PRs. - **Forked PRs** have different permissions; CI retry may not work on PRs from external contributors. ## Scripts - `scripts/check-pr-status.sh ` : Single PR status as JSON - `scripts/batch-check.sh [repo]` : All open PRs by current user with status ## References - `references/ci-patterns.md` : Known CI failure patterns and retry policy