github-pr-merge
This skill merges GitHub pull requests after validating a comprehensive pre-merge checklist including unreplied review comments, milestone assignment, CI/test status, and changelog completeness. Use it when a user requests to merge, close, finalize, approve and merge, or execute a pull request merge, as it confirms all validation criteria before executing the merge with proper formatting and post-merge cleanup.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/fvadicamo/dev-agent-skills /tmp/github-pr-merge && cp -r /tmp/github-pr-merge/plugins/github-workflow/skills/github-pr-merge ~/.claude/skills/github-pr-mergeSKILL.md
# GitHub PR merge
Merges Pull Requests after validating pre-merge checklist and handling post-merge cleanup.
## Current PR
!`gh pr view --json number,title,state -q '"PR #\(.number): \(.title) (\(.state))"' 2>/dev/null`
## Core workflow
### 1. Check comments status
Verify all review comments have at least one reply:
```bash
REPO=$(gh repo view --json nameWithOwner -q '.nameWithOwner')
PR=$(gh pr view --json number -q '.number')
# Find unreplied comment IDs
gh api repos/$REPO/pulls/$PR/comments --jq '
[.[] | select(.in_reply_to_id) | .in_reply_to_id] as $replied |
[.[] | select(.in_reply_to_id == null) | select(.id | IN($replied[]) | not) | .id]
'
```
**If unreplied comments exist:**
- **STOP** the merge process
- Inform user: "Found unreplied comments: [IDs]. Run github-pr-review first."
- **NEVER** reply to comments from this skill
### 2. Check milestone
```bash
gh pr view $PR --json milestone -q '.milestone.title // "none"'
```
- If milestone is assigned: include it in the checklist summary (step 5)
- If no milestone: check for open milestones and warn the user
```bash
gh api repos/$REPO/milestones --jq '[.[] | select(.state=="open")] | length'
```
If open milestones exist but the PR has none, surface a warning in the checklist:
`- Milestone: ⚠ not assigned (open milestones exist)`
Do NOT block the merge for a missing milestone. It is a warning only.
### 3. Run validation
Run tests, linting, and verify CI checks. All **MUST** pass before proceeding.
```bash
gh pr checks $PR
```
### 4. Verify changelog completeness
Skip if the repo has no `CHANGELOG.md`. Otherwise make sure every commit this merge will publish is reflected in the changelog, so a release-promotion merge (`develop` → `main`) never leaves commits unlogged.
List the commits this PR brings into the base, and the changelog lines it adds:
```bash
BASE=$(gh pr view $PR --json baseRefName -q .baseRefName)
HEAD=$(gh pr view $PR --json headRefName -q .headRefName)
git log --oneline origin/$BASE..origin/$HEAD
git diff origin/$BASE...origin/$HEAD -- CHANGELOG.md
```
- Every commit that changes shipped behavior (`feat`/`fix`/`perf`, behavior-affecting `refactor`) **MUST** have a matching changelog line; pure `chore`/`docs`/`test` commits that do not change shipped behavior may be omitted.
- For a release-promotion merge, also confirm the version was bumped (the top `## [x.y.z]` entry is new) and matches the manifest version(s).
- **If any behavior-changing commit is missing from the changelog: STOP.** Report the unlogged commits and ask the user to update the changelog and version before merging. **NEVER** edit the changelog from this skill.
### 5. Confirm with user
**ALWAYS show checklist summary and ask before merging:**
```
Pre-merge checklist:
- Comments: all replied
- Tests: passing
- Lint: passing
- CI: green
- Milestone: v0.1.0 (or ⚠ not assigned)
- Changelog: complete (or n/a)
Ready to merge PR #X. Proceed?
```
### 6. Execute merge
First determine the merge direction. It decides whether the head branch may be deleted:
```bash
gh pr view $PR --json baseRefName,headRefName -q '"\(.headRefName) -> \(.baseRefName)"'
```
**Branch deletion rule:**
- **Topic branch → `develop`** (head is a `feature`/`fix`/etc. branch): the branch is spent. Propose deleting it and merge with `--delete-branch`.
- **`develop` → `main`** (or any long-lived branch as head): **NEVER** delete the head branch. `develop` and `main` are permanent. Omit `--delete-branch` and do not propose deletion.
```bash
# Add --delete-branch ONLY for a topic branch merging into develop.
gh pr merge $PR --merge --delete-branch --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
- Key change 1
- Key change 2
- Key change 3
Reviews: N/N addressed
Tests: X passed (Y% cov)
Refs: Task N, Req M
EOF
)"
```
For a `develop` → `main` merge, run the same command **without** `--delete-branch`.
**Merge strategy**: always `--merge` (merge commit), never squash or rebase.
### 7. Post-merge cleanup
Sync the branch that received the merge (the PR base), not always `develop`:
```bash
BASE=$(gh pr view $PR --json baseRefName -q .baseRefName)
git checkout "$BASE" && git pull origin "$BASE"
```
### 8. Check milestone completion
If the PR had a milestone, check whether all items are now closed:
```bash
MILESTONE=$(gh pr view $PR --json milestone -q '.milestone.number // empty')
if [ -n "$MILESTONE" ]; then
gh api repos/$REPO/milestones/$MILESTONE \
--jq '"Open: \(.open_issues) | Closed: \(.closed_issues) | \(.title)"'
fi
```
- If `open_issues == 0`: inform the user and ask whether to close the milestone
```bash
gh api repos/$REPO/milestones/$MILESTONE --method PATCH --field state="closed"
```
- If `open_issues > 0`: report remaining open items count. No action needed.
- **NEVER** close a milestone automatically without explicit user confirmation.
## Merge message format
Concise format for a clean git log:
```
- Key change 1 (what was added/fixed)
- Key change 2
- Key change 3
Reviews: 7/7 addressed (Gemini 5, Codex 2)
Tests: 628 passed (88% cov)
Refs: Task 8, Req 14-15
```
- 3-5 bullet points max for changes
- One line each for reviews summary, test results, and task references
- No headers (##), no verbose sections
- Total: ~10 lines max
## Important rules
- **ALWAYS** run tests, lint, and CI checks before merging
- **ALWAYS** verify all review comments have replies
- **ALWAYS** check milestone assignment before merging (warn if missing, do not block)
- **ALWAYS** (repos with a CHANGELOG) verify it accounts for every behavior-changing commit this merge publishes; STOP and report any that are missing
- **ALWAYS** confirm with user before executing merge
- **ALWAYS** use merge commit (`--merge`), never squash/rebase
- **ALWAYS** delete the head branch only when merging a topic branch (`feature`/`fix`/etc.) into `develop`
- **NEVER** delete `develop` or `main`. On a `develop` → `main` merge, omit `--delete-branch` and never propose deletion
- **ALWAYS** check milestCreates git commits following Conventional Commits format with type/scope/subject. Use when user wants to commit changes, create commit, save work, or stage and commit. Enforces project-specific conventions from CLAUDE.md.
Creates GitHub Pull Requests with automated validation and task tracking. Use when user wants to create PR, open pull request, submit for review, or check if ready for PR. Analyzes commits, validates task completion, generates Conventional Commits title and description, suggests labels. NOTE - for merging existing PRs, use github-pr-merge instead.
Handles PR review comments and feedback resolution. Use when user wants to resolve PR comments, handle review feedback, fix review comments, address PR review, check review status, respond to reviewer, verify PR readiness, review PR comments, analyze review feedback, evaluate PR comments, assess review suggestions, or triage PR comments. Fetches comments via GitHub CLI, classifies by severity, applies fixes with user confirmation, commits with proper format, replies to threads.
Guide for creating Claude Code skills following Anthropic's official best practices. Use when user wants to create a new skill, build a skill, write SKILL.md, update an existing skill, or needs skill creation guidelines. Provides structure, frontmatter fields, naming conventions, and new features like dynamic context injection and subagent execution.