Autonomous PR

Create a pull request without user interaction. This is the worktree variant of pr_create.

Rule: no blocking for feedback. Auto-generate PR text from commits and issue.

Precondition: Issue Branch Required

1. Run: git branch --show-current
2. The branch name must match <type>/<issue_number>-<summary> (e.g. feature/79-declarative-sync-manifest). See branch-naming.mdc for the full convention.
3. Extract the <issue_number> from the branch name.

Workflow Steps

1. Ensure clean state

bash
1git status
2git fetch origin

• If there are uncommitted changes, commit them first.
• Push the branch: git push -u origin HEAD

2. Determine base branch

Detect whether this issue is a sub-issue and resolve the correct merge target:

1. Determine the repo: gh repo view --json nameWithOwner --jq '.nameWithOwner'

2. Check for a parent issue:

   bash
   1gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/parent --jq '.number'

3. If a parent exists, resolve its linked branch:

   bash
   1gh issue develop --list <parent_number>

   • Use the parent's branch as <base_branch>.
   • If the parent has no linked branch, fall back to dev.

4. If no parent exists, use dev as <base_branch>.

3. Gather context

bash
1git log <base_branch>..HEAD --oneline
2git diff <base_branch>...HEAD --stat
3gh issue view <issue_number> --json title,body

• Read the issue title and acceptance criteria.
• Summarize what the commits accomplish.

4. Ensure CHANGELOG is updated

• Check CHANGELOG.md for an entry under ## Unreleased that covers the changes.
• If missing, add the appropriate entry and commit.

5. Generate PR text

1. Read the template: cat .github/pull_request_template.md
2. Use it as the literal skeleton — keep every heading, every checkbox line, every sub-heading. Strip only the HTML comments (<!-- ... -->).
3. Section-by-section mapping:
   • Description: Summarize what the PR does from the issue body and commit messages.
   • Type of Change: Check the single box matching the branch type / commit types. Check Breaking change modifier only if commits contain !.
   • Changes Made: List changed files with bullet sub-details (from git diff --stat and git log).
   • Changelog Entry: Paste the exact ## Unreleased diff from CHANGELOG.md. If no changelog update, write "No changelog needed" and explain.
   • Testing: Check Tests pass locally if tests were run. Check Manual testing performed only if actually done. Fill Manual Testing Details or write "N/A".
   • Checklist: Check only items that are genuinely true. Leave unchecked items unchecked — do not remove them.
   • Additional Notes: Add design links, context, or write "N/A".
   • Refs: Refs: #<issue_number>
4. Explicit prohibitions: Do not invent new sections. Do not rename headings. Do not omit sections. Do not remove unchecked boxes.
5. Write the body to .github/pr-draft-<issue_number>.md.

6. Create PR

bash
1# Append reviewer if PR_REVIEWER is set in environment
2REVIEWER_ARG=""
3if [ -n "${PR_REVIEWER:-}" ]; then
4  REVIEWER_ARG="--reviewer $PR_REVIEWER"
5fi
6
7gh pr create --base <base_branch> --title "<type>: <description> (#<issue_number>)" \
8  --body-file .github/pr-draft-<issue_number>.md \
9  --assignee @me $REVIEWER_ARG

If the WORKTREE_REVIEWER environment variable is set (populated by just worktree-start), add the reviewer:

bash
1gh pr create --base <base_branch> --title "<type>: <description> (#<issue_number>)" \
2  --body-file .github/pr-draft-<issue_number>.md \
3  --assignee @me \
4  --reviewer "$WORKTREE_REVIEWER"

The reviewer is the person who launched the worktree (their gh user login), not the agent.

7. Clean up

• Delete the draft file: rm .github/pr-draft-<issue_number>.md
• Report the PR URL.

Delegation

The following steps SHOULD be delegated to reduce token consumption:

• Steps 1-2 (precondition check, ensure clean state, determine base branch): Spawn a Task subagent with model: "fast" that validates the branch name, runs git status/git fetch, pushes the branch, checks for a parent issue via gh api, resolves the base branch. Returns: issue number, base branch name, clean state confirmation.
• Step 3 (gather context): Spawn a Task subagent with model: "fast" that executes git log, git diff, gh issue view and returns the raw outputs. Returns: commit log, diff stat, issue title/body.
• Steps 6-7 (create PR, clean up): Spawn a Task subagent with model: "fast" that takes the PR title and body file path, executes gh pr create, deletes the draft file, and returns the PR URL.

Steps 4-5 (ensure CHANGELOG updated, generate PR text) should remain in the main agent as they require understanding changes and writing structured content.

Reference: subagent-delegation rule

Important Notes

• Never block for user review of the PR text. Generate the best text from available context.
• Base branch is auto-detected: parent issue's branch for sub-issues, dev otherwise.
• The PR title should follow commit message conventions: type(scope): description (#issue).
• NEVER add 'Co-authored-by: Cursor cursoragent@cursor.com' to commit messages.