Create Your First Pull Request with /create-pr¶

Learn how to create professional pull requests using the git-workflow plugin's /create-pr command.

Duration: 10 minutes Level: Beginner Plugin: git-workflow

What You'll Learn¶

• How to use the /create-pr command
• Branch management and naming conventions
• Writing effective PR descriptions
• Code formatting integration
• Draft PR workflow

Prerequisites¶

• Git repository with a remote on GitHub
• git-workflow plugin installed
• Changes committed (ideally via /commit)
• GitHub CLI (gh) installed and authenticated

Step 1: Prepare Your Changes¶

Before creating a PR, you need committed changes. If you haven't committed yet, use /commit first:

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# Make changes to your code
echo "function greet(name) { return 'Hello ' + name; }" > greet.js

# Commit using the git-workflow plugin
/commit

Step 2: Run /create-pr¶

In Claude Code, simply type:

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/create-pr

Claude will guide you through the entire process:

1. Check branch status - Determine if you're on a protected branch
2. Create feature branch - If needed, with a descriptive name
3. Format code - Run project-specific formatters
4. Push to remote - Upload your branch
5. Create the PR - With title, description, and test plan

Step 3: Understand Branch Management¶

The command handles branches automatically based on where you are:

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⚠️ You're on 'develop' (protected branch)
✅ Creating branch: feature/add-greeting-function-2025-01-26
✅ Branch created and checked out

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✅ Already on feature branch: feature/add-greeting-function
✅ Using current branch for PR

Branch Naming Convention¶

Step 4: Code Formatting¶

Before the PR is created, Claude runs code formatters based on your project type:

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✓ Biome formatting applied
✓ No issues found

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✓ Black formatting applied
✓ isort imports sorted
✓ Ruff checks passed

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✓ Google Java Format applied
✓ All files formatted

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/create-pr --no-format

Step 5: Review the PR Description¶

Claude generates a professional PR description with:

1. Summary - What changes were made and why
2. Changes list - Bullet points of all modifications
3. Test plan - Checklist for verifying the changes

Example PR output:

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## Beschreibung

Füge Greeting-Funktion mit Personalisierung hinzu.

## Änderungen

- Neue `greet()` Funktion in `greet.js`
- Unit Tests in `greet.test.js`
- Aktualisierte README mit Beispielen

## Test-Plan

- [ ] Manuelle Tests durchgeführt
- [ ] Automatische Tests laufen durch
- [ ] Code-Review bereit

Step 6: Verify Your PR¶

After creation, Claude shows the PR URL:

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✅ Pull Request created!

🔗 https://github.com/your-org/your-repo/pull/42
📝 Title: ✨ feat: Füge Greeting-Funktion hinzu
🎯 Target: main ← feature/add-greeting-function-2025-01-26

Click the link to review your PR on GitHub.

Advanced Options¶

Create a Draft PR¶

For work-in-progress changes that aren't ready for review:

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/create-pr --draft

Specify Target Branch¶

By default, PRs target main. Change this with:

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/create-pr --target develop

Single Commit Mode¶

Squash all changes into one commit:

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/create-pr --single-commit

Use Professional Workflow Skill¶

For optimized performance with intelligent branch management:

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/create-pr --with-skills

Best Practices¶

✅ Do¶

• Write clear PR titles - Describe the "what" in under 50 characters
• Explain the "why" - The description should explain motivation, not just list changes
• Keep PRs small - Aim for 150-400 lines of changes
• Self-review first - Check your own diff before submitting
• Link related issues - Reference issues with Fixes #123 or Closes #456
• Use draft PRs - For early feedback on work in progress

❌ Don't¶

• Create huge PRs - Large PRs are hard to review and more likely to have bugs
• Mix unrelated changes - Each PR should address one concern
• Skip the description - Reviewers need context to provide good feedback
• Force push without warning - Communicate with reviewers before rewriting history
• Merge without CI passing - Wait for all checks to complete

Troubleshooting¶

PR Creation Fails¶

Problem: gh pr create returns an error.

Solution:

1. Verify GitHub CLI is authenticated: gh auth status
2. Check remote is configured: git remote -v
3. Ensure branch is pushed: git push -u origin HEAD

Branch Already Exists¶

Problem: The suggested branch name already exists.

Solution:

1. Claude will detect this and suggest an alternative name
2. Or delete the old branch if it's no longer needed: git branch -d old-branch

Formatting Changes Detected¶

Problem: Code formatter modified files after your commit.

Solution:

1. Claude automatically commits formatting changes
2. These appear as a separate commit in your PR
3. To avoid this, run formatters before committing

Complete Workflow Example¶

Here's the full workflow from change to PR:

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# 1. Make your code changes
# ... edit files ...

# 2. Create a professional commit
/commit

# 3. Create the pull request
/create-pr

# Output:
# ✅ Branch: feature/add-greeting-function-2025-01-26
# ✅ Formatted: 2 files with Biome
# ✅ Pushed to origin
# ✅ PR created: https://github.com/your-org/your-repo/pull/42

What's Next?¶

Now that you can create professional PRs, try:

1. PRD-Based Workflow - Plan features before coding
2. Linear Integration - Connect with project management
3. Plugin Catalog - Explore other plugins

Related Resources¶

• Git Workflow Plugin - Full plugin documentation
• Your First Commit - Learn the commit workflow
• Conventional Commits Reference - Commit message format
• Contributing Guide - Contribute to this project