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Structured PR description auto-generation #9

@haasonsaas

Description

@haasonsaas

Problem

When a PR is opened, competitors auto-generate a structured PR description with:

  • Title suggestion
  • Summary of changes (bulleted)
  • File-by-file walkthrough with change rationale
  • Labels (bug, feature, refactor, etc.)
  • Breaking change detection
  • Testing notes

DiffScope has a --summary flag on the pr command, but it doesn't produce the structured walkthrough format that's become the #1 feature users evaluate when trialing AI code review tools.

Proposed Solution

Add a pr describe subcommand (or enhance pr --summary) that:

  1. Reads the full PR diff (all commits, not just HEAD)
  2. Generates a structured description:
    • Summary: 2-3 bullet points of what changed and why
    • Walkthrough: Per-file change descriptions with rationale
    • Labels: Auto-suggested labels (feature, bugfix, refactor, docs, test)
    • Breaking changes: Flagged if detected
    • Testing notes: What should be tested
  3. Posts/updates the PR body on GitHub via the API
  4. Optionally auto-runs on PR open via webhook

Competitive Context

  • CodeRabbit: Full walkthrough with collapsible file sections, auto-labels
  • Qodo Merge: /describe command generates structured PR body with labels and step-by-step walkthrough
  • GitHub Copilot: Partial — generates summary but not full walkthrough
  • Ellipsis: Auto-generates PR descriptions on open

Priority

Tier 1 — Table stakes. This is the feature new users evaluate first.

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