create-pr

Create Pull Request

Comprehensive PR creation with validation. All output goes directly to GitHub PR.

Quick Start

create-pr
create-pr "Add user authentication"

CC ≥ 2.1.119 multi-host note (M122): PR creation works against GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and GitHub Enterprise. Detect the target host from the configured remote (git remote -v) and branch on the host family for the right CLI:

Host family	CLI
github / github-enterprise	gh pr create (with GH_HOST=<host> for GHE)
gitlab / gitlab-self	glab mr create
bitbucket	bb pr create

Custom enterprise URLs: prUrlTemplate setting (see src/skills/configure/ and src/skills/chain-patterns/references/pr-from-platform.md).

Argument Resolution

TITLE = "$ARGUMENTS"  # Optional PR title, e.g., "Add user authentication"
# If provided, use as PR title. If empty, generate from branch/commits.
# $ARGUMENTS[0] is the first token (CC 2.1.59 indexed access)

Base Branch Resolution

Derive the base branch from the remote. Never hardcode dev or main; repos differ.

BASE=$(git symbolic-ref --short refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's|^origin/||')
BASE=${BASE:-main}   # ref missing (fresh/shallow clone)? run: git remote set-head origin -a

Every $BASE below refers to this value.

Stacked on another open PR

When the work depends on an open PR ("a PR that depends on PR #50"), that PR's head branch is the base, not $BASE:

PARENT=50
PARENT_BRANCH=$(gh pr view "$PARENT" --json headRefName -q .headRefName)
git fetch origin && git rebase "origin/$PARENT_BRANCH"   # pre-flight: sync with the parent
gh pr create --base "$PARENT_BRANCH" --title "$TYPE(#$ISSUE): ... [2/3]" \
  --body "Stacked on #$PARENT. Do not merge into the parent branch."

Phase 1's guard still applies: never open from main or dev, never with a dirty tree. Record git rev-parse "origin/$PARENT_BRANCH" in the body; after the parent is squash-merged that sha is the upstream argument that git rebase --onto "origin/$BASE" <that-sha> <branch> needs, and the branch itself is gone. Squash recovery, depth cap, draft trap: Read("references/stacked-pr.md").

---

STEP 0: Verify User Intent

BEFORE creating tasks, clarify PR type:

AskUserQuestion(
  questions=[{
    "question": "What type of PR is this?",
    "header": "PR Type",
    "options": [
      {"label": "Feature (Recommended)", "description": "Full validation: security + quality + tests"},
      {"label": "Bug fix", "description": "Focus on test verification"},
      {"label": "Refactor", "description": "Code quality review, skip security"},
      {"label": "Quick", "description": "Skip validation, just create PR"}
    ],
    "multiSelect": false
  }]
)

Based on answer, adjust workflow:

• Feature: Full Phase 2 with 3 parallel agents + local tests
• Bug fix: Phase 2 with test-generator only + local tests
• Refactor: Phase 2 with code-quality-reviewer only + local tests
• Quick: Skip Phase 2, jump to Phase 3

Optional pre-flight: claude ultrareview (CC 2.1.120+, #1542)

If claude ultrareview --help succeeds, optionally run it before opening the PR and surface findings in the PR body's ## Pre-flight section. The CLI subcommand returns structured --json output that can be filtered to high/medium severity for the body and full results posted as a follow-up comment.

if claude ultrareview --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  claude ultrareview "origin/$BASE..HEAD" --json > /tmp/ultra.json
  # Bucket by severity, put HIGH in PR body, MEDIUM/LOW as comment
fi

Skip on CC < 2.1.120 (the subcommand doesn't exist there). The .github/workflows/ultrareview.yml workflow runs the same command on PR open as a backstop, so this pre-flight is purely a feedback-loop accelerant.

Progressive Output (CC 2.1.76)

Output results incrementally during PR creation:

After Step	Show User
Pre-flight	Branch status, remote sync result
Each agent	Agent validation result as it returns
Tests	Test results, lint/typecheck status
PR created	PR URL, CI status link

For feature PRs with 3 parallel agents, show each agent's result as it returns — don't wait for all agents before running local tests.

---

STEP 1: Create Tasks (MANDATORY)

BEFORE doing ANYTHING else, create tasks to track progress:

# 1. Create main task IMMEDIATELY
TaskCreate(subject="Create PR for {branch}", description="PR creation with validation", activeForm="Creating pull request")

# 2. Create subtasks for each phase
TaskCreate(subject="Pre-flight checks", activeForm="Running pre-flight checks")        # id=2
TaskCreate(subject="Run validation agents", activeForm="Validating with agents")       # id=3
TaskCreate(subject="Run local tests", activeForm="Running local tests")                # id=4
TaskCreate(subject="Create PR on GitHub", activeForm="Creating GitHub PR")             # id=5
TaskCreate(subject="Generate PR playground", activeForm="Generating playground")       # id=6

# 3. Set dependencies for sequential phases
TaskUpdate(taskId="3", addBlockedBy=["2"])  # Agents need pre-flight to pass
TaskUpdate(taskId="4", addBlockedBy=["3"])  # Tests run after agent validation
TaskUpdate(taskId="5", addBlockedBy=["4"])  # PR creation needs tests to pass
TaskUpdate(taskId="6", addBlockedBy=["5"])  # Playground after PR (needs title/summary)

# 4. Update status as you progress
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="in_progress")  # When starting
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="completed")    # When done — repeat for each subtask

---

Workflow

Phase 1: Pre-Flight Checks

Load: Read("rules/preflight-validation.md") for the full checklist.

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
[[ "$BRANCH" == "dev" || "$BRANCH" == "main" ]] && echo "Cannot PR from dev/main" && exit 1
[[ -n $(git status --porcelain) ]] && echo "Uncommitted changes" && exit 1

git fetch origin
git rev-parse --verify "origin/$BRANCH" &>/dev/null || git push -u origin "$BRANCH"

Phase 2: Parallel Validation (Feature/Bug fix PRs)

Launch agents in ONE message. Load Read("references/parallel-validation.md") for full agent configs.

PR Type	Agents to launch
Feature	security-auditor + test-generator + code-quality-reviewer
Bug fix	test-generator only
Refactor	code-quality-reviewer only
Quick	None

After agents complete, run local validation:

# Adapt to project stack
npm run lint && npm run typecheck && npm test -- --bail
# or: ruff check . && pytest tests/unit/ -v --tb=short -x

Phase 3: Gather Context

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
ISSUE=$(echo "$BRANCH" | grep -oE '[0-9]+' | head -1)
git log --oneline "origin/$BASE..HEAD"
git diff "origin/$BASE...HEAD" --stat

Phase 3b: Agent Attribution (automatic)

Before creating the PR, check for the branch activity ledger at .claude/agents/activity/{branch}.jsonl. If it exists, generate agent attribution sections for the PR body:

1. Read .claude/agents/activity/{branch}.jsonl (one JSON object per line, full branch history)
2. Deduplicate by agent type (keep the entry with longest duration for each agent)
3. Generate the following sections to append to the PR body:
   • Badge row: shields.io badges for agent count, tests generated, vulnerabilities
   • Agent Team Sheet: Markdown table with Agent, Role, Stage (Lead/⚡ Parallel/Follow-up), Time
   • Credits Roll: Collapsible <details> section grouped by execution stage (Lead/Parallel/Follow-up)
4. Each agent entry has: agent (type), stage (0=lead, 1=parallel, 2=follow-up), duration_ms, summary

If the ledger doesn't exist or is empty, skip this step — create PR normally.

CC 2.1.183 — attribution.sessionUrl: Web and Remote Control sessions append a claude.ai session link to the PR body. For public repos where that link should not be exposed, set attribution.sessionUrl: false (/config attribution.sessionUrl=false) before creating the PR. ork's agent-attribution sections above are independent of this setting.

Phase 3c: CodeRabbit CLI pre-review (before gh pr create)

CodeRabbit PR reviews are rate limited per GitHub identity (Essentials: 5/hour refill under 30 reviews in 7 days, 1/hour at 60+), and every push to an open PR spends one. The CLI has a separate allowance, so review the branch diff locally first. Advisory only, never blocks.

CR_BIN=$(command -v coderabbit || true)   # `cr` is also helm chart-releaser: accept it only by --help
[ -z "$CR_BIN" ] && command -v cr >/dev/null 2>&1 && grep -q CodeRabbit <<<"$(cr --help 2>&1)" && CR_BIN=cr
CR_OUT=$(mktemp "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/cr-prereview.XXXXXX")
[ -n "$CR_BIN" ] && perl -e 'alarm shift; exec @ARGV' 600 \
  "$CR_BIN" review --agent --base "origin/$BASE" </dev/null > "$CR_OUT" 2>&1 \
  || echo "CodeRabbit CLI pre-review skipped (not installed, not signed in, timed out, or errored): $CR_OUT"

Fix clear defects in lines this branch changed, commit, re-run Phase 2 local validation, then go to Phase 4 without re-running the CLI. Omitting --use-credits avoids spend only when the org's usage-based add-on is On demand or Off; Automatic bills overages. Detection, degrade table, billing modes, triage: Read("references/coderabbit-cli-prereview.md").

Phase 4: Create PR

Follow Read("rules/pr-title-format.md") and Read("rules/pr-body-structure.md"). Use HEREDOC pattern from Read("references/pr-body-templates.md").

Include agent attribution sections (from Phase 3b) after the Test Plan section in the PR body.

TYPE="feat"  # Determine: feat/fix/refactor/docs/test/chore
gh pr create --base "$BASE" \
  --title "$TYPE(#$ISSUE): Brief description" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
[1-2 sentence description]

## Changes
- [Change 1]
- [Change 2]

## Test Plan
- [x] Unit tests pass
- [x] Lint/type checks pass

## Agent Team Sheet
| Agent | Role | Stage | Time |
|-------|------|-------|------|
| 🏗️ **backend-system-architect** | API design | Lead | 2m14s |
| 🛡️ **security-auditor** | Dependency audit | ⚡ Parallel | 0m42s |
| 🧪 **test-generator** | 47 tests, 94% coverage | ⚡ Parallel | 2m01s |

<details>
<summary><strong>🎬 Agent Credits</strong> — 3 agents collaborated on this PR</summary>

**Lead**
- 🏗️ **backend-system-architect** — API design (2m14s)

**⚡ Parallel** (ran simultaneously)
- 🛡️ **security-auditor** — Dependency audit (0m42s)
- 🧪 **test-generator** — 47 tests, 94% coverage (2m01s)

---
<sub>Orchestrated by <a href="https://github.com/yonatangross/orchestkit">OrchestKit</a> — 3 agents, 4m57s total</sub>

</details>

Closes #$ISSUE

---
Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
EOF
)"

Phase 4b: PR Playground (REQUIRED, CI blocks without it)

On every non-bot PR, after Phase 4: Read("references/pr-playground.md") and follow it (archetype, commit to docs/{branch-dir}/, SHA-pinned Live Preview link in the body).

Phase 5: Verify

PR_URL=$(gh pr view --json url -q .url)
echo "PR created: $PR_URL"

CI Monitoring (CC 2.1.71)

After PR creation, schedule CI status monitoring.

Budget: 60 minutes of CI polling (a 5-minute cron, so at most 12 fires). A cron job repeats one fixed prompt and cannot count its own fires, so the prompt carries a wall-clock deadline computed once at creation; stop when every check has finished or at the deadline, whichever comes first, and CronDelete the job at either stop.

# Guard: Skip cron in headless/CI (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON)
# if env CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON is set, run a single check instead
# deadline_iso = creation time + 60 minutes, in UTC, filled in ONCE here
CronCreate(
  schedule="*/5 * * * *",
  prompt="Check CI for PR #{pr_number}: gh pr checks {pr_number} --repo {repo}. Deadline {deadline_iso}.
    All pass → CronDelete this job, report success.
    Any fail → CronDelete this job, alert with failure details.
    Still pending and `date -u` is at or past the deadline → CronDelete this job, report the pending checks."
)

CodeRabbit harvest

After CI is green and before gh pr merge or --auto, when the repo has .coderabbit.yaml and the PR is not a draft: Read("references/coderabbit-harvest.md").

Handoff File

Write PR details for downstream skills:

Write(".claude/chain/pr-created.json", JSON.stringify({
  "phase": "create-pr", "pr_number": N, "pr_url": "...",
  "branch": "...", "files_changed": [...], "related_issues": [...]
}))

---

Rules

1. NO junk files — Don't create files in repo root
2. Run validation locally — Don't spawn agents for lint/test
3. All content goes to GitHub — PR body via gh pr create --body
4. Keep it simple — One command to create PR
5. Respect the gh rate-limit hint (CC ≥ 2.1.116) — when the Bash tool surfaces a GitHub rate-limit hint after a gh call (e.g. in a /loop 5m gh pr checks … watcher), stop the loop and wait for reset — do not blind-retry. See ork:github-operations for the full guidance.

Next Steps (suggest to user after PR creation)

review-pr {PR_NUMBER}                # Self-review before requesting reviews
gh pr checks {PR_NUMBER}                  # one-shot status; the CI Monitoring cron polls up to its 60-minute deadline
/loop 1h gh pr view {PR_NUMBER} --json reviewDecision  # Monitor review status

Verification Gate

Before claiming PR is ready, apply: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/shared/rules/verification-gate.md"). All tests must pass with fresh evidence. All CI checks green. No "should be fine."

Quality Bar

Done means all of these hold:

• PR opened from a feature branch with a clean working tree against the correct base ($BASE, derived from origin/HEAD, or the detected host equivalent)
• Title uses conventional type(#issue): ... format matching the change
• Body carries Summary, Changes, and Test Plan sections; every closed issue has its own Closes #N keyword
• Pre-flight validation for the chosen PR type passed locally before creation (skipped only for the Quick type)
• CodeRabbit CLI pre-review ran once before gh pr create (Phase 3c), or its one-line skip reason is in the Test Plan
• Playground HTML exists at docs/{branch-dir}/*.html and the body links it, per references/pr-playground.md (required for non-bot PRs)
• gh pr view --json url returns the created PR URL
• On repos with .coderabbit.yaml and a non-draft PR: every CodeRabbit thread is resolved per references/coderabbit-harvest.md, with a reply naming the fix sha or the dismissal reason (scripts/coderabbit-harvest.sh --unresolved prints [])

Related Skills

• ork:commit — Create commits before PRs
• ork:review-pr — Review PRs after creation

Picker fallback (#1795)

If the AskUserQuestion picker stalls (schema break, not a CC input bug — orchestkit#1795, now guarded by tests/skills/structure/test-askuserquestion-schema.sh), set ORK_ASK_FALLBACK=text before starting CC. The lifecycle/ask-fallback-injector hook injects a reminder telling the assistant to pose options inline as a numbered list and ask the user to reply with the option number.

References

Load on demand with Read("references/<file>"):

File	Content
references/pr-body-templates.md	PR body templates
references/parallel-validation.md	Parallel validation agent configs
references/ci-integration.md	CI integration patterns
references/multi-commit-pr.md	Multi-commit PR guidance
assets/pr-template.md	PR template (legacy)
scripts/coderabbit-harvest.sh	CodeRabbit threads: read (one GraphQL call), --reply, --resolve
references/coderabbit-zero-reviews.md	Harvest returned zero: reviewed clean, or never reviewed?
references/coderabbit-cli-prereview.md	Phase 3c: why the PR review allowance is scarce, CLI command, degrade table, triage
references/pr-playground.md	Phase 4b: PR playground archetype, commit path, SHA-pinned Live Preview link (CI gate)
references/coderabbit-harvest.md	After CI green: read, refute, fix or dismiss, resolve every CodeRabbit thread