check-pr
Check PR
Analyze a pull request (GitHub), merge request (GitLab), or shelved changelist (Perforce) for review comments, status checks, and description completeness, then help address any issues found.
Inputs
- PR/MR/CL number (optional): If not provided, detect the PR/MR for the current branch, or the default pending changelist for p4.
Instructions
0. Detect platform
First check if the user is working in a Perforce depot by looking for a .p4config file or P4CLIENT/P4PORT environment variables:
# Check for Perforce environment
if p4 info >/dev/null 2>&1; then
VCS="perforce"
else
# Fall back to git remote detection
REMOTE_URL=$(git remote get-url origin)
if echo "$REMOTE_URL" | grep -qi "gitlab"; then
VCS="gitlab"
else
VCS="github"
fi
fi
For self-hosted GitLab instances whose hostname doesn't contain "gitlab", the user can override by passing --vcs gitlab as an input. For Perforce, the user can override by passing --vcs perforce.
1. Identify the PR/MR/CL
If a number was provided, use it. Otherwise, detect it:
GitHub:
gh pr view --json number -q .number
GitLab:
glab mr view --output json | jq '.iid'
Perforce:
# List pending changelists for the current user/client
p4 changes -s pending -u $P4USER -c $P4CLIENT
Key field differences between platforms:
- GitHub:
number,headRefName,headRefOid - GitLab:
iid,source_branch,sha - Perforce: changelist number (CL),
shelvedfiles for in-review CLs
2. Fetch PR/MR/CL details
GitHub:
gh pr view <PR_NUMBER> --json title,body,state,reviews,comments,headRefName,statusCheckRollup
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/<PR_NUMBER>/comments
GitLab:
glab mr view <MR_IID> --output json
# Fetch discussions (inline diff comments are type "DiffNote"; general comments have null type)
glab api "projects/:fullpath/merge_requests/<MR_IID>/discussions"
For GitLab, paginate discussions if needed (add ?per_page=100&page=N).
Perforce:
# Get changelist description, files, and status
p4 describe -s <CL_NUMBER>
# Get shelved files (for in-review CLs)
p4 describe -S <CL_NUMBER>
# Get the diff of the shelved changelist
p4 diff2 //...@=<CL_NUMBER> //...@=<CL_NUMBER>
# List review comments (if using p4 review workflow)
p4 review -c <CL_NUMBER>
Key Perforce CL fields:
Change: changelist numberStatus:pending,submitted,shelvedDescription: the CL description / commit messageFiles: list of files in the CL
3. Wait for pending checks
Before analyzing, ensure all status checks have completed. If any checks are PENDING or IN_PROGRESS (GitHub) / running or pending (GitLab), poll every 30 seconds until all checks reach a terminal state.
GitHub: poll statusCheckRollup from gh pr view.
GitLab:
glab api "projects/:fullpath/merge_requests/<MR_IID>/pipelines"
Pipeline statuses: running, pending, success, failed, canceled, skipped. Poll until no pipeline has running or pending status.
Perforce: Perforce doesn't have built-in CI checks natively. If the team uses a review tool (Swarm, etc.) or an external CI triggered by shelve events, check the relevant system. Otherwise, proceed to analysis immediately.
4. Analyze the PR/MR
Once all checks are complete, evaluate these areas:
A. Status Checks
- Are all CI checks passing?
- If any are failing, identify which ones and the failure reason.
B. PR/MR Description
- Is the description complete and follows team conventions?
- Are all required sections filled in?
- Are there TODOs or placeholders that need updating?
C. Review Comments
- Inline code review comments that need addressing
- Look for bot review comments (e.g. from
greptile-apps[bot]on GitHub, or the Greptile bot user on GitLab, linters, etc.) - Human reviewer comments
- Perforce: review comments from
p4 reviewor external review tools
D. General Comments
- Discussion comments on the PR/MR
- Bot comments (deploy previews, etc.) — usually informational
- Perforce: CL description should include a clear summary, affected files rationale, and testing notes
5. Categorize issues
For each issue found, categorize as:
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Actionable | Code changes, test improvements, or fixes needed |
| Informational | Verification notes, questions, or FYIs that don't require changes |
| Already addressed | Issues that appear to be resolved by subsequent commits |
6. Report findings
Present a summary table:
| Area | Issue | Status | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status Checks | CI build failing | Failing | Fix type error in src/api.ts |
| Review | "Add null check" — @reviewer | Actionable | Add guard clause |
| Description | TODO placeholder in test plan | Actionable | Fill in test plan |
| Review | "Looks good" — @teammate | Informational | None |
7. Fix issues (if requested)
If there are actionable items:
- Switch to the PR/MR's branch (git) or ensure files are open in the correct CL (Perforce) if not already.
- Ask the user if they want to fix the issues.
- If yes, make the fixes, then:
GitHub/GitLab: commit and push:
git add <files>
git commit -m "address review feedback"
git push
Perforce: open files for edit, make changes, and re-shelve:
p4 edit <file>
# make changes
p4 shelve -f -c <CL_NUMBER>
8. Resolve review threads
After addressing comments, resolve the corresponding review threads.
Perforce — Perforce does not have a native "resolve thread" concept. Instead, mark comments as addressed by updating the CL description or by responding in the review tool being used (Swarm, etc.). If using p4 review:
# Mark files as reviewed after addressing feedback
p4 review -c <CL_NUMBER>
GitHub — fetch unresolved thread IDs (paginate if needed — see the GraphQL reference):
gh api graphql -f query='
query($cursor: String) {
repository(owner: "OWNER", name: "REPO") {
pullRequest(number: PR_NUMBER) {
reviewThreads(first: 100, after: $cursor) {
pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor }
nodes {
id
isResolved
comments(first: 1) {
nodes { body path }
}
}
}
}
}
}'
If hasNextPage is true, repeat with -f cursor=ENDCURSOR to get remaining threads.
Then resolve threads that have been addressed or are informational:
gh api graphql -f query='
mutation {
resolveReviewThread(input: {threadId: "THREAD_ID"}) {
thread { isResolved }
}
}'
Batch multiple resolutions into a single mutation using aliases (t1, t2, etc.).
GitLab — fetch unresolved discussions (see the GitLab API reference):
glab api "projects/:fullpath/merge_requests/<MR_IID>/discussions?per_page=100"
Filter for discussions where "resolved": false. Collect each discussion's id.
Resolve each discussion individually (GitLab has no batch resolution):
glab api --method PUT \
"projects/:fullpath/merge_requests/<MR_IID>/discussions/<DISCUSSION_ID>" \
--field resolved=true
Repeat for each unresolved discussion ID.
9. Multiple PRs/MRs/CLs
If checking a chain of PRs/MRs/CLs, process them sequentially.
Perforce — to check multiple changelists at once:
p4 changes -s pending -u $P4USER -c $P4CLIENT -l
Output format
Summarize:
- PR/MR/CL title or description and current state
- Platform detected (GitHub / GitLab / Perforce)
- Status checks summary (passing/failing/pending) — or N/A for Perforce
- Total issues found
- Actionable items with descriptions
- Items that can be ignored with reasons
- Recommended next steps