pr-template-check

Check a draft pull request body against a GitHub repo's own PR template — before you open the PR.

Why

Every repo enforces its .github/pull_request_template.md differently: some require every checklist box, some require a ## Description heading, some require a Fixes #123 reference, and reviewers (or bots) will bounce your PR back if you miss one. There's no way to know which of those a given repo actually cares about except by opening the template file and reading it yourself, every single time, for every repo you contribute to.

pr-template-check reads the target repo's own template, extracts what it actually asks for (checklist items, required headings, an expected Fixes #N reference), and checks your draft against it locally — before you submit anything.

Install

npm install -g pr-template-check

Requires the GitHub CLI (gh), authenticated, since that's what pr-template-check uses to read repo contents and PR bodies.

Usage

Check a draft body file against a repo's template:

pr-template-check check --repo dotnet/aspnetcore --body-file draft.md

Check the body of a PR you've already opened:

pr-template-check check --repo dotnet/aspnetcore --pr 69280

Pipe a draft from stdin:

cat draft.md | pr-template-check check --repo dotnet/aspnetcore

Or just see what a repo's template actually requires:

pr-template-check template --repo dotnet/aspnetcore

If --repo is omitted, it's inferred from the current directory's git remote get-url origin.

Example

$ pr-template-check check --repo dotnet/aspnetcore --pr 69280
Template: .github/pull_request_template.md

Checklist items:
  [x] You've read the Contributor Guide and Code of Conduct.
  [x] You've included unit or integration tests for your change, where applicable.
  [x] You've included inline docs for your change, where applicable.
  [x] There's an open issue for the PR that you are making.

Required sections:
  ✓ ## Description

Placeholders to fill in manually (not auto-verifiable):
  ✓ found an issue reference  Fixes #{bug number} (in this specific format)

PASS: all required checklist items and sections are present.

The exit code is 0 on pass and 1 on fail, so it's usable as a pre-submit script or a local git hook.

How matching works

• Checklist items (- [ ] ... lines in the template) are matched against checklist lines in your draft using word-overlap, so minor rewording doesn't cause a false negative — but a missing item is reported as [MISSING].
• Headings (## ...) must appear with matching text somewhere in your draft.
• A placeholder title like # {PR title} is recognized as an instruction to the contributor, not a literal required heading, and is skipped.
• A Fixes #{...} / Closes #{...} / Resolves #{...} placeholder is checked against your body for an actual fixes/closes/resolves #<number> reference, but — unlike checklist items and headings — it's reported as a warning only and never fails the check, since not every repo strictly requires a linked issue.
• Everything else in the template (free-form prose, other placeholders) is printed for manual review, since it can't be reliably auto-verified.

Development

npm install
npm test        # vitest
npm run build   # tsup -> dist/
npm run typecheck

License

MIT