git-pr-changelog

Git PR + Changelog Workflow

Overview

Execute the standard flow: verify repo state, stage changes, commit, push, open a PR, and update CHANGELOG.md with the PR number.

Workflow

1) Inspect repo state

• Confirm repo root: git rev-parse --show-toplevel
• Check status: git status -sb
• Note branch: git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
• Check remotes: git remote -v

If there are unrelated changes, keep them untouched and only stage the files requested by the user.

2) Stage changes

• Stage specific paths: git add <path>...
• If the user did not specify which files to include, ask before staging everything.

3) Commit

• Use a clear message: git commit -m "<message>"
• Do not amend or reword existing commits unless explicitly asked.

4) Push

• If upstream is missing, set it: git push -u origin <branch>
• Otherwise: git push

5) Create PR

Prefer GitHub CLI if available:

• Check: command -v gh
• Create: gh pr create --fill
• Capture PR number/URL: gh pr view --json number,url

If gh is unavailable, provide the compare URL:

• Get remote URL: git remote get-url origin
• Build: https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/compare/<branch>?expand=1

6) Update changelog

• Find CHANGELOG.md (usually repo root); search for Unreleased or the latest version section.
• Add a bullet under the correct section with the PR number, e.g. - add clause loader concurrency (#1234).
• If the PR number is not known yet, update it after the PR is created.

7) Commit changelog

• Stage changelog only: git add CHANGELOG.md
• Commit as a follow-up: git commit -m "Update changelog for <topic>"
• Push: git push

Output checklist

• Provide commit SHA(s) and the PR URL.
• Mention changelog location and the inserted entry.