Gentle AI Branch and PR

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Creating a pull request for any change
• Preparing a branch for submission
• Helping a contributor open a PR

Critical Rules

1. Every PR MUST link an approved issue — no exceptions
2. Every PR MUST have exactly one type:* label
3. REQUIRED CI must pass according to target policy before merge; CodeRabbit is optional unless required by that policy
4. Blank PRs without issue linkage will be blocked by GitHub Actions

Target and Authorization

• Inspect origin locally (git remote get-url origin) and establish one unambiguous target host and owner/repo. Do not infer the target from the cwd or assume main. Stop if ambiguous.
• Obtain explicit remote destination, operation and credential/session authorization before any target-host reads, including gh auth status or repository metadata. Do not inspect or reuse an ambient SSH agent. Permission for a read does not authorize a write; confirm each remote operation is within the grant.
• Once authorized, reuse fresh target-bound issue, default branch, type labels and checks evidence from this session instead of repeating discovery. Refresh stale or mismatched evidence; do not substitute another host's data. Resolve the base from the authorized target's default branch or a human-selected base.
• Do not automatically commit, push, open a PR or merge. Prepare and report a candidate; perform each action only with its own authorization. Local preparation is not permission for remote delivery.

Workflow

1. Identify the authorized target and verify that the linked issue is approved; choose with the human whether the reference closes it or is nonclosing.
2. Select the base from target metadata and prepare a type/description branch only when requested.
3. Implement in work units with conventional commits when authorized; follow the merged ODD applicable test-first policy, run applicable tests, shellcheck on modified scripts, and test changed skills in at least one agent when relevant. The per-task advisory 400 authored-line heuristic is not an automatic split or a reason to omit tests or docs.
4. Prepare the PR body from the target template and evidence. On separate authorization, open the PR and add exactly one type:* label.
5. Check target-policy required CI and report pending/failing checks rather than declaring merge-ready.

Branch Naming

Branch names MUST match this regex:

^(feat|fix|chore|docs|style|refactor|perf|test|build|ci|revert)\/[a-z0-9._-]+$

Format: type/description — lowercase, no spaces, only a-z0-9._- in description.

PR Body Format

Use the authorized target's .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md. Fill it from observed evidence, retaining its required sections.

1. Linked Issue (REQUIRED)

Use the human-selected closing (Closes #N, Fixes #N, or Resolves #N) or nonclosing Refs #N reference. Do not turn Refs into an automatic close. The linked issue MUST have the status:approved label; reuse fresh target-bound verification.

2. PR Type (REQUIRED)

Check exactly ONE in the template and add the matching label:

3. Summary

1-3 bullet points of what the PR does.

4. Changes Table

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `path/to/file` | What changed |

5. Test Plan

Record actual commands and outcomes, including shellcheck on modified scripts, manual testing of affected functionality, and whether changed skills load in at least one agent. Mark inapplicable checks as such; do not invent successful runs.

6. Contributor Checklist

Do not mark an unverified [x] checkbox. Check each item only after evidence supports it; leave pending items unchecked, including approved issue, exactly one type:* label, applicable shellcheck, skills tested in at least one agent, docs updated if behavior changed, conventional commit format, and no Co-Authored-By trailers. If a template demands every box checked, resolve outstanding items before submission rather than falsely attesting.