Agent skill

Engineering Small PRs

A skill your agent uses when planning, splitting, shrinking, or sequencing large features, refactors, migrations, or pull requests into small reviewable PRs or CLs.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Engineering Small PRs

skills CLI

$ npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install agentara/skills engineering-small-prs --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/agentara/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs .claude/skills/engineering-small-prs && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "engineering-small-prs" agent skill from https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs into .claude/skills/engineering-small-prs/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-small-prs", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install agentara/skills engineering-small-prs --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/agentara/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs .agents/skills/engineering-small-prs && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "engineering-small-prs" agent skill from https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs into .agents/skills/engineering-small-prs/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-small-prs", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install agentara/skills engineering-small-prs --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/agentara/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs .cursor/skills/engineering-small-prs && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "engineering-small-prs" agent skill from https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs into .cursor/skills/engineering-small-prs/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-small-prs", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/agentara/skills.git --path skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install agentara/skills engineering-small-prs --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/agentara/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs .gemini/skills/engineering-small-prs && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "engineering-small-prs" agent skill from https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs into .gemini/skills/engineering-small-prs/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-small-prs", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install agentara/skills engineering-small-prs

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/agentara/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs .github/skills/engineering-small-prs && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "engineering-small-prs" agent skill from https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs into .github/skills/engineering-small-prs/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-small-prs", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install agentara/skills engineering-small-prs --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/agentara/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs .opencode/skills/engineering-small-prs && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "engineering-small-prs" agent skill from https://github.com/agentara/skills/tree/main/skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs into .opencode/skills/engineering-small-prs/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-small-prs", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: engineering-small-prs
GitHub stars: 600
Token cost: ~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length: 579 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 20
Repo updated: Sep 29, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when planning, splitting, shrinking, or sequencing large features, refactors, migrations, or pull requests into small reviewable PRs or CLs.

Works in 7 steps: Name the final outcome in one sentence. → List independent behavior changes,… → Identify dependencies that must land… → …
Sequencing large features
SKILL.md covers Definition of a Good Small PR, Splitting Workflow, Split Strategies and Migration Safety, plus 3 more sections
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Engineering Small PRs is an agent skill from agentara/skills. Use when planning, splitting, shrinking, or sequencing large features, refactors, migrations, or pull requests into small reviewable PRs or CLs. TRIGGER on "split this PR", "this diff is too large", "stacked PRs", "change sequence", "reviewable chunks", "migration plan", "how should I break this up?", or implementation scope too broad for one review. DO NOT TRIGGER for full code review, PR description writing, or tiny one-file edits that already form one self-contained change.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Pull requests and Refactoring. The repository describes itself as: Original and practical skills for AI builders. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Sequencing large features
Pull requests into small reviewable PRs
This diff is too large
Change sequence

Example prompts

“split this PR”
“this diff is too large”
“stacked PRs”
“/engineering-small-prs”

Workflow steps

7 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Name the final outcome in one sentence.
List independent behavior changes, refactors, schema/config changes, tests, and docs.
Identify dependencies that must land earlier.
Choose split strategies from the section below.
Build a merge sequence where every PR keeps the build green.
Add context notes so reviewers understand how each PR fits into the larger work.
For risky or unavoidable large changes, get reviewer consent before sending the PR.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 950e1bf. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
- google.github.io
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Engineering Small PRs loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 126 tokens; SKILL.md has 579 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~126
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from agentara/skills at commit 950e1bf, republished under its MIT licence (© agentara). 579 words, ~1,304 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/engineering-small-prs/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: engineering-small-prs
description: Use when planning, splitting, shrinking, or sequencing large features, refactors, migrations, or pull requests into small reviewable PRs or CLs. TRIGGER on "split this PR", "this diff is too large", "stacked PRs", "change sequence", "reviewable chunks", "migration plan", "how should I break this up?", or implementation scope too broad for one review. DO NOT TRIGGER for full code review, PR description writing, or tiny one-file edits that already form one self-contained change.

Engineering Small PRs

Small PRs are easier to review thoroughly, safer to merge, easier to roll back, and less likely to waste work if the direction changes. "Small" means conceptually focused and self-contained, not merely a low line count.

Adapted from Google Engineering Practices Documentation, especially "Small CLs." Source: https://google.github.io/eng-practices/review/developer/small-cls.html. License: CC-BY 3.0.

Definition of a Good Small PR

A good PR:

Makes one self-contained change.
Includes the tests needed to validate that change.
Leaves the system working after merge.
Gives reviewers enough context in the PR, description, existing code, or earlier reviewed PRs.
Is not so tiny that the behavior cannot be understood. A new API usually needs at least one usage in the same PR.
Separates large refactors from behavior changes unless the cleanup is very local.

Reviewers may reasonably reject a PR solely because it is too large to review well.

Splitting Workflow

Name the final outcome in one sentence.
List independent behavior changes, refactors, schema/config changes, tests, and docs.
Identify dependencies that must land earlier.
Choose split strategies from the section below.
Build a merge sequence where every PR keeps the build green.
Add context notes so reviewers understand how each PR fits into the larger work.
For risky or unavoidable large changes, get reviewer consent before sending the PR.

Split Strategies

Preparatory tests first: add missing tests around existing behavior before risky refactors.
Refactor first: move, rename, extract, or simplify code without changing behavior.
Vertical slices: deliver one small user-visible or API-visible behavior end-to-end.
Horizontal slices: add shared interfaces, protocol definitions, or adapters only when paired with a real first usage in the same PR or a clearly linked dependent PR already under review.
File or owner groups: split files by reviewer expertise when the changes are otherwise self-contained.
Config separately: keep rollout configuration, experiments, or deployment wiring separate from code when rollback timing differs.
Generated or mechanical changes separately: isolate trusted automated rewrites from hand-written logic.
Deletions separately when useful: removing dead code can be a compact, easy-to-review PR.

Show full SKILL.md (237 more words)Show less

Migration Safety

For schema, data, API, or infrastructure migrations, prefer an expand/contract sequence:

Expand: add backward-compatible schema/API/config support without removing old behavior.
Dual path: write or read both paths only when needed, with observability for divergence.
Backfill: migrate existing data with progress tracking, retry behavior, and validation.
Cut over: switch traffic or callers after validation proves both paths are safe.
Contract: remove old schema, code paths, flags, and compatibility shims in a cleanup PR.

Each migration PR should state deployment order, rollback behavior, validation signal, and what must not happen until the next PR lands.

Output Template

markdown

## Goal
[Final outcome]

## Proposed PR Sequence
| # | PR | Purpose | Depends On | Tests | Reviewer Notes |
|---|----|---------|------------|-------|----------------|
| 1 | Add characterization tests for ... | Protect existing behavior before refactor | None | ... | ... |
| 2 | Extract ... without behavior change | Prepare smaller implementation | 1 | ... | ... |
| 3 | Implement ... vertical slice | User-visible behavior | 2 | ... | ... |

## Migration Safety
- Expand/contract phase:
- Backfill/validation:
- Observability:
- Rollback:

## Build Safety
- Each PR keeps:
- Rollback notes:

## Large-Change Risk
- What could not be split:
- Reviewer consent needed:

Heuristics

Prefer a PR that is smaller than you think necessary; reviewers rarely object to focused changes.
If a PR spreads a small logical change across many files, treat it as larger than the line count suggests.
If the reviewer needs substantial future context to understand the PR, the sequence is probably missing an earlier preparatory PR or a better description.
If you cannot split the PR, make it extra easy to review: stronger tests, clearer description, explicit risk, and prior reviewer agreement.

Common Mistakes

Mixing broad formatting changes with functional logic.
Landing a new abstraction with no real usage.
Creating a stacked sequence where intermediate PRs break the build.
Hiding risky behavior change inside a "refactor" PR.
Waiting for one PR to merge before starting the next when a safe stacked workflow is available.

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs of agentara/skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 950e1bf

Compare with similar skills

Engineering Small PRs next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Engineering Small PRs compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Engineering Small PRs this skillagentara/skills	600	—	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	9 days ago
Smell CheckZhen-Bo/smell-check	239	—	~1.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	1 mo ago
Coding Agentmastra-ai/mastra	29k	—	~2.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	today
Code ReviewerYikai-Liao/symusic	189	1 repos	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	1 mo ago
Typescript React ReviewerSuFxGIT/scoutarr	114	—	~1.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	6 mo ago
Memtrace Change Impact Analysissyncable-dev/memtrace-public	487	—	~1.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	today

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Questions about Engineering Small PRs

What does Engineering Small PRs do?

A skill your agent uses when planning, splitting, shrinking, or sequencing large features, refactors, migrations, or pull requests into small reviewable PRs or CLs. Engineering Small PRs is an agent skill from agentara/skills. Use when planning, splitting, shrinking, or sequencing large features, refactors, migrations, or pull requests into small reviewable PRs or CLs.

When should I use Engineering Small PRs?

Engineering Small PRs fits situations like: sequencing large features; pull requests into small reviewable PRs; this diff is too large; change sequence.

How do I install Engineering Small PRs in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs in agentara/skills) into .claude/skills/engineering-small-prs in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Engineering Small PRs in Codex?

Run `npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/engineering/engineering-small-prs in agentara/skills) into .agents/skills/engineering-small-prs in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Engineering Small PRs in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add agentara/skills --skill engineering-small-prs -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/engineering-small-prs, .gemini/skills/engineering-small-prs, .github/skills/engineering-small-prs and .opencode/skills/engineering-small-prs in your project.

What does Engineering Small PRs need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Engineering Small PRs is instructions for the agent only.

Does Engineering Small PRs access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: google.github.io. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Engineering Small PRs safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Engineering Small PRs use?

Engineering Small PRs is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Engineering Small PRs use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Engineering Small PRs?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Engineering Small PRs: Smell Check (Zhen-Bo/smell-check, 239 stars), Coding Agent (mastra-ai/mastra, 29k stars), Code Reviewer (Yikai-Liao/symusic, 189 stars) and Typescript React Reviewer (SuFxGIT/scoutarr, 114 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Engineering Small PRs?

agentara (a GitHub organization) maintains it in agentara/skills, which has 600 GitHub stars. The repository holds 20 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 29, 2026.

Source: agentara/skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Engineering Small PRs

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Engineering Small PRs

Definition of a Good Small PR

Splitting Workflow

Split Strategies

Migration Safety

Output Template

Heuristics

Common Mistakes

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from agentara/skills

Related

Questions about Engineering Small PRs