Generate a comprehensive pull request description following the
Scanned 9/10/2026
Install to Claude Code
npx -y skills add atomicinnovation/accelerator --skill describe-pr --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
Are you the author of Describe Pr?
Add the live security badge to your README — it updates automatically with every re-scan.
[](https://www.skillsdirectory.com/skills/atomicinnovation-describe-pr)More formats (shields.io, HTML) on the badges page.
---
name: describe-pr
description: Generate a comprehensive pull request description following the
repository's standard template. Use when the user wants to create or update a
PR description.
argument-hint: "[PR number or URL]"
allowed-tools:
- Bash(accelerator config *)
- Bash(accelerator corpus metadata derive)
- Bash(accelerator collaboration pr update-body *)
---
# Generate PR Description
!`accelerator config context --skill describe-pr --fail-safe`
**PRs directory**: !`accelerator config path prs --fail-safe`
**Tmp directory**: !`accelerator config path tmp --fail-safe`
**IMPORTANT**: Wherever `{prs directory}` or `{tmp directory}` appears in
the instructions below, substitute the actual resolved path shown above.
**PR description template**:
!`accelerator config template pr-description --fail-safe`
You are tasked with generating a comprehensive pull request description
following the repository's standard template.
## Steps to follow:
### Step 1: Use the PR description template
- The template is shown above under "PR description template"
- Read the template carefully to understand all sections and requirements
### Step 2: Identify the PR to describe
- Check if the current branch has an associated PR:
`gh pr view --json url,number,title,state 2>/dev/null`
- If no PR exists for the current branch, or if on main/master, list open PRs:
`gh pr list --limit 10 --json number,title,headRefName,author`
- Ask the user which PR they want to describe
### Step 3: Check for existing description
- Check if `{prs directory}/{number}-description.md` already exists
- If it exists, read it and inform the user you'll be updating it
- Consider what has changed since the last description was written
### Step 4: Gather comprehensive PR information
- Get the full PR diff: `gh pr diff {number}`
- If you get an error about no default remote repository, instruct the user to
run `gh repo set-default` and select the appropriate repository
- Get commit history: `gh pr view {number} --json commits`
- Review the base branch: `gh pr view {number} --json baseRefName`
- Get PR metadata: `gh pr view {number} --json url,title,number,state`
### Step 5: Analyze the changes thoroughly
(ultrathink about the code changes, their architectural implications, and
potential impacts)
- Read through the entire diff carefully
- For context, read any files that are referenced but not shown in the diff
- Understand the purpose and impact of each change
- Identify user-facing changes vs internal implementation details
- Look for breaking changes or migration requirements
### Step 6: Handle verification requirements
- Look for any checklist items in the "How to verify it" section of the template
- For each verification step:
- If it's a command you can run (like `make check test`, `npm test`, etc.),
run it
- If it passes, mark the checkbox as checked: `- [x]`
- If it fails, keep it unchecked and note what failed: `- [ ]` with
explanation
- If it requires manual testing (UI interactions, external services), leave
unchecked and note for user
- Document any verification steps you couldn't complete
### Step 7: Generate the description
- Fill out each section from the template thoroughly:
- Answer each question/section based on your analysis
- Be specific about problems solved and changes made
- Focus on user impact where relevant
- Include technical details in appropriate sections
- Write a concise changelog entry
- Ensure all checklist items are addressed (checked or explained)
### Step 8: Populate frontmatter and save the description
Use the unified pr-description template as the source of the
frontmatter block:
!`accelerator config template pr-description --fail-safe`
Before writing the artifact file, capture metadata and substitute
the unified base fields into the template's frontmatter block:
1. Invoke `accelerator corpus metadata derive`
to obtain `Current Date/Time (UTC):`, `Current Revision:`, and
`Repository Name:`. Also capture PR-specific extras via
`gh pr view <number> --json url,number,title,mergeCommit` to
fill `pr_url:`, `pr_number:`, `title:`, and (when the PR is
merged) `merge_commit:`.
2. **Substitute** every field below with the indicated value:
- `type:` ← `pr-description`
- `id:` ← the PR number as a quoted YAML string (e.g. `"42"`)
- `title:` ← the PR title from `gh pr view`
- `date:` ← the `Current Date/Time (UTC):` value
- `author:` ← the author resolved per the standard chain
(config → VCS user → prompt)
- `producer:` ← `describe-pr`
- `status:` ← `complete`
- `pr_url:` ← the URL from `gh pr view`
- `pr_number:` ← the PR number as a bare integer
- `merge_commit:` ← the merge commit SHA. Fill when the PR is
merged; otherwise omit the key entirely.
- `revision:` ← the `Current Revision:` value
- `repository:` ← the `Repository Name:` value
- `last_updated:` ← the same `Current Date/Time (UTC):` value
- `last_updated_by:` ← the same value resolved for `author`
- `schema_version:` ← `1` (bare integer)
Optional linkage/foreign-ref keys are omit-by-default:
the template shows each as `""`/`[]`, but write a key into the
artifact **only** when it has a value, and omit it entirely
otherwise (do not carry the empty placeholder through).
- `parent:` ← the work item this PR implements, as a typed-linkage
ref (`"work-item:NNNN"`). Fill when the PR has an owning work
item; otherwise omit the key.
- `relates_to:` ← list of typed-linkage refs to related artifacts
(`["work-item:NNNN", ...]`). Fill when relationships are explicit;
otherwise omit the key.
- `work_item_id:` ← the linked work item's full ID (quoted). Fill
when the PR is linked to a work item; otherwise omit the key.
3. Write the completed description with the substituted frontmatter
block to `{prs directory}/{number}-description.md`.
- Show the user the generated description (without frontmatter — they'll
see what gets posted to GitHub).
- On re-run (when `{prs directory}/{number}-description.md` already
exists), regenerate the unified frontmatter rather than only updating
`date:`. Creation-time fields are immutable on re-run: `date:`,
`author:`, `id:`, `pr_number:`, and `pr_url:` are preserved verbatim
from the existing on-disk file. `last_updated:` is refreshed to the
new `Current Date/Time (UTC):` value; `last_updated_by:` is
rewritten to the current author per the standard resolution chain;
`merge_commit:` is filled if the PR is now merged. Step 3 already
handles reading the prior description for context.
### Step 9: Update the PR
- The `{prs directory}/{number}-description.md` file contains YAML frontmatter
that should not appear on GitHub. Before posting, strip the frontmatter
block from the start of the file:
1. Read the file content
2. The frontmatter block starts with `---` on line 1 and ends at the
next `---` line (which closes the YAML block). Only match the
opening frontmatter block — do not match `---` lines that appear
later in the body (e.g., markdown horizontal rules).
3. Ensure the tmp directory exists: `mkdir -p {tmp directory}`
4. Write everything after the closing `---` line to
`{tmp directory}/pr-body-{number}.md`
5. Post the body via the helper binary, which resolves the base
(upstream) repository for cross-fork safety and PATCHes via the
GitHub REST API in-process:
```bash
accelerator collaboration pr update-body {number} --body-file {tmp directory}/pr-body-{number}.md
```
If the command exits non-zero, surface its stderr verbatim to the
user. Exit codes:
- **Exit 2** → usage/refusal — e.g. missing `--body-file`, no
`origin` remote configured
- **Exit 1** → any other failure — base-repo resolution failure,
body-file read failure, GitHub REST API failure
stderr always names which stage failed.
6. Clean up `{tmp directory}/pr-body-{number}.md`
- Confirm the update was successful
- If any verification steps remain unchecked, remind the user to complete
them before merging
## Important notes:
- This command works across different repositories - always read the local
template
- Be thorough but concise - descriptions should be scannable
- Focus on the "why" as much as the "what"
- Include any breaking changes or migration notes prominently
- If the PR touches multiple components, organize the description accordingly
- Always attempt to run verification commands when possible
- Clearly communicate which verification steps need manual testing
!`accelerator config instructions describe-pr --fail-safe`
Is this your skill, or is something wrong with this listing? Request removal or report an issue. Author removals are honored within 72 hours.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!