Generating pull request descriptions from git branch changes with automatic title generation, change-type detection, and smart analysis. Uses branch-only scope to avoid full history analysis. Use when preparing a PR for review. Skip when the PR is a single trivial commit or description already exists.
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---
name: ring:generating-pr-descriptions
description: "Generating pull request descriptions from git branch changes with automatic title generation, change-type detection, and smart analysis. Uses branch-only scope to avoid full history analysis. Use when preparing a PR for review. Skip when the PR is a single trivial commit or description already exists."
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: "[base-branch]"
---
# Generating PR Descriptions
## When to use
- Preparing a pull request for review and need a comprehensive description
- Generating a PR title automatically from commit message analysis
- Classifying the type of change (bug fix, feature, breaking change)
- Saving a reusable PR description to `docs/pr-descriptions/<branch-name-with-hyphens>.md`
## Skip when
- The PR is a single trivial commit with an obvious description
- A PR description already exists and does not need regeneration
- The branch has no commits beyond the base branch
## Process
### 1. Git Branch Analysis - CRITICAL: Branch-Only Scope
- **MANDATORY**: Identify actual branch point to avoid analyzing entire development history
- Detect the base branch (develop, main, master) that the current branch was created from
- **CORRECT APPROACH**: Use `git merge-base HEAD <base-branch>` to find the true divergence point
- **CORRECT APPROACH**: Use `git log --oneline $(git merge-base HEAD <base-branch>)..HEAD` for branch-specific commits
- **CORRECT APPROACH**: Use `git diff $(git merge-base HEAD <base-branch>)..HEAD` for branch-specific changes
- **NEVER** rely on manual `HEAD~n` counting — it breaks on merges, rebases, and long-lived branches
- Run `git status --porcelain` to identify uncommitted files (excluded from PR)
- **Enforce that PR analyzes ONLY commits made on the current feature branch, not development history**
- Determine if this is a bug fix, feature, or breaking change based on actual branch commits
### 2. Change Classification
- Analyze file patterns and change types
- Identify the type of change (bug fix, new feature, breaking change, etc.)
- Detect if documentation updates are needed
- Determine testing requirements
### 3. PR Description Generation
- Create comprehensive description following the template format
- Include summary of changes and motivation based on ONLY branch-specific commits
- Pre-fill appropriate checkboxes based on change analysis
- Suggest testing strategies
- Derive the output filename from the full branch name with slashes replaced by hyphens (e.g., `feature/FE-157` -> `feature-FE-157.md`)
- Save to `docs/pr-descriptions/<derived-filename>` (create directory if needed)
## CRITICAL Implementation Steps
### Step 1: Branch Analysis (MANDATORY)
```bash
# 1. Get branch structure to identify commits
git log --oneline --decorate --graph -10
# 2. Count commits unique to current branch
# Look for where branch diverged from main/develop
# Example output shows 2 commits on feature/PLU-393:
# * 06603bf (HEAD -> feature/PLU-393) fix(i18n): add missing translations
# * d40c631 feat(ui): enhance templates system with calendar filter
# * 30664b1 (develop) Merge branch 'develop' into feature/libs
```
### Step 2: Extract Branch-Only Changes (MANDATORY)
```bash
# Use HEAD~n where n = number of branch commits
git log --oneline HEAD~2..HEAD # Get branch commits
git diff HEAD~2..HEAD --name-status # Get changed files
git diff HEAD~2..HEAD --stat # Get change statistics
```
### Step 3: Validation (MANDATORY)
- Verify commit count matches actual branch commits
- Ensure no base branch commits are included in analysis
- Confirm file changes align with branch purpose
**WRONG APPROACH - DO NOT USE:**
```bash
git log main..HEAD # Includes entire development history
git diff main...HEAD # Includes all changes since branch creation
```
## Generated Template Structure
The skill generates pull requests following this exact structure:
```markdown
# [Auto-generated PR title: short, under 70 chars, using conventional commit prefix]
# Description
[Auto-generated summary of changes and motivation based on commits]
## Type of change
- [ ] Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
- [ ] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
- [ ] Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
- [ ] This change requires a documentation update
```
### PR Title Generation
- **Auto-generated** from commit message analysis
- Uses conventional commit prefix (`feat:`, `fix:`, `chore:`, `refactor:`, etc.) based on the dominant change type
- Kept under 70 characters, concise and descriptive
- Placed as the first `#` heading in the output file
### Change Type Detection
- **Bug fix**: Detects fixes, corrections, and patches in commit messages
- **New feature**: Identifies new functionality, components, or capabilities
- **Breaking change**: Flags API changes, removed functionality, or incompatible changes
- **Documentation update**: Detects changes to .md files, comments, or docs folders
## Implementation Requirements - CRITICAL
**MANDATORY Git Command Usage:**
1. **Branch Point Detection:**
```bash
git log --oneline --decorate --graph -10
# Identify where current branch diverged from base
# Count commits unique to current branch
```
2. **Branch-Only Analysis Commands:**
```bash
# For 2 commits on current branch:
git log --oneline HEAD~2..HEAD
git diff HEAD~2..HEAD --name-status
git diff HEAD~2..HEAD --stat
# NEVER use these (includes all development history):
git log main..HEAD # WRONG
git diff main...HEAD # WRONG
```
3. **Branch Point Validation:**
- If branch has 3 commits: use `HEAD~3..HEAD`
- If branch has 5 commits: use `HEAD~5..HEAD`
- **Always verify** commit count matches actual branch commits
## Smart Analysis Features
- **File Pattern Recognition**: Detects frontend/backend changes, test files, config changes
- **Commit Message Analysis**: Uses conventional commits to determine change types
- **Dependency Detection**: Identifies if package.json or similar files changed
- **Test Coverage**: Suggests appropriate testing based on changed components
## Notes
- **Critical**: Uses `HEAD~n..HEAD` approach to analyze ONLY current branch commits
- **Branch Validation**: Verifies number of commits on branch before analysis
- **Feature Branch Scope**: Analyzes only commits made specifically on the current feature branch
- **Committed Changes Only**: Analyzes committed changes in the branch only, ignores uncommitted files
- **Precise Scope**: Prevents inclusion of entire development history in PR description
- Generated PRs reflect actual feature branch changes, not cumulative project history
- Breaking changes are flagged based on actual branch commits only
- Generated PR descriptions are saved to `docs/pr-descriptions/<branch-name-with-hyphens>.md` for easy copying to GitHub/GitLab