/create_pr — Standardized PR creation

When to invoke

• User says /create_pr or asks to open a PR.
• Another skill (/process_issues, /process_prs, /release, /fix_feature_bug) reaches the point of opening a PR. Call this skill rather than inlining gh pr create.
• A worktree has a committed branch ready for review and no PR exists yet.

Do not invoke when amending an existing PR description — use gh pr edit directly with the same body conventions below.

Inputs

The caller (or the user) should provide, or this skill should infer:

• Branch — current branch (git branch --show-current); if it equals the configured main branch, stop and ask.
• Base branch — usually main; for release work, the RC branch.
• Linked issue(s) — GitHub issue number(s) the PR closes or refers to.
• Source plan / spec — Neotoma plan entity_id or docs/ path, if any.
• Change classification — bug fix / feature / refactor / docs / release. Drives commit-style prefix in the title.
• Functional surface touched — CLI command/flag, MCP tool, HTTP endpoint, observable event, schema field, runtime knob, integration. Drives the docs-coverage check below.

Functional change documentation (mandatory for functional changes)

Every PR that changes user-observable behavior MUST ship thorough markdown documentation under docs/, and MUST surface it via the docs server (src/services/docs/) and the docs site (docs/site/pages/ via docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml). A PR that adds, removes, or changes any of the following counts as functional:

• A CLI command, subcommand, flag, env var, or output format
• An MCP tool name, parameter, or response shape
• An HTTP endpoint, request/response field, or error envelope field
• An entity_type schema field, relationship type, or canonical-name rule
• An observable event payload, metric name, or log structure
• A user-visible runtime config knob (timeout, header policy, allow-list)
• An integration/provider added or removed

What "thorough" means

The doc MUST cover:

1. What the surface is and what it's for — one-paragraph orientation grounded in a use case.
2. Inputs / parameters / fields — every parameter or field with type, default, allowed values, and constraints. Don't describe only the happy path.
3. Outputs / responses / side effects — what the caller gets back, what state changes, what events fire.
4. Examples — at least one complete request/response or invocation/output pair, in a fenced code block, that a reader can copy.
5. Error modes — every documented ERR_* code and structured hint the surface can return, with cause and remediation.
6. Cross-references — links to the canonical doc that owns the surface (per change_guardrails_rules.md § Canonical doc index) and to any plan/issue.

Where the doc lives

Pick the canonical location based on what changed; do not create a new top-level docs subdirectory without a reason. Common homes:

• CLI surfaces → extend docs/developer/cli_reference.md (or a focused page under docs/developer/).
• MCP tools → docs/developer/mcp/ (and mirror behavioral rules into docs/developer/mcp/instructions.md per the canonical-first rule).
• HTTP / API → docs/api/ plus openapi.yaml.
• Subsystems → docs/subsystems/<subsystem>.md.
• Architecture decisions → docs/architecture/ and docs/architecture/architectural_decisions.md registry.
• Observability surfaces (events, metrics, logs) → docs/observability/.
• Integrations → docs/integrations/<provider>.md.
• User-facing release notes → in-progress supplement under docs/releases/in_progress/<TAG>/.

When extending an existing doc, place the new content under the most specific existing heading and update the table of contents / cross-references; do not append orphan paragraphs.

Surfacing via docs server and site

Both surfaces must list the doc, not just the filesystem:

• Docs server (src/services/docs/) — verify the new or updated path is discoverable. Run the docs-service tests after editing:

  npm test -- src/services/docs

  If the doc is new and the discovery layer doesn't pick it up automatically, register it in the appropriate index module (the docs service owns this; do not hand-edit generated indexes — update the source).
• Docs site (docs/site/pages/ rendered from docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml) — add the doc to docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml under the right section, and add a pages/ entry if the manifest convention requires one. Run the manifest tests:

  npm test -- src/services/docs/manifest_loader

Abort criteria

If the PR makes a functional change and any of the following is true, stop and surface the gap before opening the PR:

• No new or modified file under docs/ covers the change.
• The doc exists but is missing one of: parameters/fields, outputs, an example, or error modes.
• The doc is not reachable via the docs server (not in the discovery surface).
• The doc is not listed in docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml.

Pre-PR checklist (run before opening)

From .claude/rules/change_guardrails_rules.md — surface these as a checklist in the PR body, and abort if a hard-required item fails:

1. OpenAPI-first: if any handler, request field, or response field changed, openapi.yaml was edited first and npm run openapi:generate output is committed.
2. Contract mappings: src/shared/contract_mappings.ts updated for any new operationId, MCP tool, or CLI command.
3. Tests: npm test -- tests/contract/ passes; new top-level CLI commands appear in tests/cli/cli_command_coverage_guard.test.ts.
4. Agent-instruction parity: MCP and CLI agent instructions mirrored (run neotoma cli config --yes if instructions changed).
5. Runtime overrides: any new override follows flag > env > default, with a NEOTOMA_-prefixed env var, listed in cli_reference.md.
6. Errors: structured hint / details / issues populated; no upgrade text concatenated into message strings.
7. Tightening change: if previously-accepted input now rejects, a legacy-payload fixture under tests/contract/legacy_payloads/ is updated and CHANGES.md has the entry.
8. Breaking changes: release-visible breaking changes named in docs/releases/in_progress/<TAG>/ supplement under an explicit Breaking changes section. Use the literal line No breaking changes. when none.
9. Determinism / immutability / privacy: no Math.random(), no Date.now() in ID derivation, no PII in logs, metric labels, event payloads, or error messages.
10. Security gates: npm run security:classify-diff recorded; if sensitive=true, security:lint, security:manifest:check, test:security:auth-matrix all clean and security_review.md filled.
11. User-facing surface coverage: any new CLI command / flag, destructive op, external-file parser, or HTTP runtime knob has an end-to-end test (not just a helper unit test).
12. File naming: snake_case for new files; foundation_config.yaml / .claude/rules/ symlinks updated on rename.
13. Functional-change documentation: docs/ entry exists per the section above, covers parameters/outputs/examples/error modes, is discoverable via src/services/docs/, and is listed in docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml. Required whenever any functional surface is touched.
14. Downstream docs: per .claude/rules/downstream_doc_updates.md and docs/doc_dependencies.yaml, any upstream doc edit propagated to its downstream consumers in this PR.

If any item in 1–4, 7, 8, 10, 11, or 13 fails, stop and surface the gap to the user before opening the PR.

PR title conventions

• ≤70 characters.
• Conventional-commit prefix matching the repository's recent git log style: feat(scope):, fix(scope):, refactor(scope):, docs(scope):, chore(scope):, test(scope):.
• Title states the outcome, not the activity. "Add Problems/Solutions sections to /create_pr template" beats "Update create_pr skill."

PR body template

Use this exact structure. Omit a section only when it would genuinely be empty.

## Problems

- <Concrete pain point, failure mode, or gap this PR addresses.>
- <If there's a tracked issue, link it: "Fixes #123" — GitHub will auto-close on merge.>

## Solutions

- <Concrete change made, file-scoped where helpful: `src/foo.ts` now does X.>
- <Design choice with the alternative considered, when non-obvious.>

## UX improvements

- <User-visible behavior changes: CLI output, error messages, response shape, latency.>
- <If purely internal, write "No user-visible change." — don't omit the section silently.>

## Documentation

- <Path(s) under `docs/` added or updated, e.g. `docs/developer/cli_reference.md`, `docs/subsystems/foo.md`.>
- <Confirmation the doc covers parameters, outputs, an example, and error modes.>
- <`docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml` entry added/updated; docs service tests pass.>
- <If purely non-functional (refactor, internal rename, test-only) write "No functional change; no user-facing docs required.">

## Test plan

- [ ] `npm run type-check`
- [ ] `npm test`
- [ ] `npm test -- src/services/docs` (if docs changed)
- [ ] `npm run test:integration` (if backend/DB)
- [ ] `npm run test:e2e` (if UI)
- [ ] Manual verification: <steps>

## Breaking changes

<Literal line `No breaking changes.` OR a bulleted list of breaking changes, each linked to the release supplement entry under `docs/releases/in_progress/<TAG>/`.>

## Related

- Plan: <Neotoma plan entity_id or docs/ path>
- Issue(s): <#123, #456>
- Foundation rules touched: <list>

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Mechanics

1. Verify branch state
   • git status clean; uncommitted changes → stop and ask.
   • git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD ≠ main branch.
   • git log <base>..HEAD --oneline to enumerate commits for the description.
2. Detect functional change and check docs
   • Diff git diff --name-only <base>..HEAD against the functional-surface list above.
   • If functional, verify there is at least one docs/**/*.md change in the diff, that it covers the required content elements, that the docs service surfaces it, and that docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml lists it.
   • If any check fails → stop and surface the gap.
3. Push if needed
   • git push -u origin HEAD if no upstream is set.
   • On rejection, follow git_remote_sync.md (pull --no-rebase, resolve, push).
4. Draft body via HEREDOC into a temp variable. Never inline multi-line strings into gh pr create -b.
5. Open the PR

   gh pr create --base <base> --title "<title>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
   <body>
   EOF
   )"

6. Return the PR URL to the caller.
7. Link to plan/issue in Neotoma — if a plan entity exists for this work, call store to set pr_url on the plan, then create_relationship(REFERS_TO, plan, pr) if a pull_request entity is created downstream.

Invocation contract (for other skills)

Other skills should call /create_pr with a structured handoff:

/create_pr
  base: main
  branch: <current>
  closes_issues: [123, 456]
  plan_entity_id: ent_xxx (optional)
  classification: fix|feat|refactor|docs|chore
  functional_surface: cli|mcp|http|schema|event|integration|none
  problems: <bullet list>
  solutions: <bullet list>
  ux_improvements: <bullet list or "No user-visible change.">
  documentation:
    paths: [docs/.../foo.md, ...]
    site_manifest_updated: true|false
    docs_service_verified: true|false
  breaking_changes: <bullet list or "No breaking changes.">
  test_plan: <bullet list>

/create_pr is responsible for: rendering the body, running the pre-PR checklist, running the functional-change documentation check, executing gh pr create, and returning { pr_url, pr_number }.

Callers are responsible for: ensuring the branch is committed, supplying accurate Problems/Solutions/UX/Documentation content, and following up on any checklist gaps surfaced by this skill.

Constraints

• MUST use the exact section order above.
• MUST NOT silently omit Breaking changes — write No breaking changes. instead.
• MUST NOT omit the Documentation section for functional changes.
• MUST NOT open a PR for a functional change without a docs/ entry surfaced by both the docs server and docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml.
• MUST NOT use --no-verify or skip hooks.
• MUST NOT force-push to the base branch.
• MUST run the pre-PR checklist (including the functional-change documentation gate) before opening.
• MUST pass the body via HEREDOC, not as a multi-line -b argument.

Related rules / docs

• .claude/rules/change_guardrails_rules.md — Pre-PR checklist source of truth.
• .claude/rules/plan_sections_rules.md and plan_format.md — Origin of Problems / Solutions structure.
• .claude/rules/downstream_doc_updates.md and docs/doc_dependencies.yaml — Upstream→downstream doc propagation.
• .claude/rules/readme_maintenance.md — README regeneration when materially affected.
• .claude/rules/git_remote_sync.md — Push/pull recovery.
• docs/site/site_doc_manifest.yaml — Docs-site surface registration.
• src/services/docs/ — Docs server discovery and rendering.
• docs/developer/github_release_process.md — Breaking changes section requirements.