How do I reference a PR?

Use the PR number, full URL, or a branch name as the target.

What happens to the branch when I use --delete-branch?

Git deletes the local and remote branch after the PR is closed.

Can I reopen a closed PR?

Yes. Closed PRs can be reopened with gh pr reopen.

gh-pr-close

npx machina-cli add skill dceoy/github-cli-agent-skills/gh-pr-close --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

1.7 KB

GitHub PR Close

When to use

The user asks to close a PR without merging.
PR is abandoned, superseded, or no longer needed.
Cleaning up stale PRs.

Inputs to confirm

PR number, URL, or branch name.
Whether to delete the associated branch.
Optional closing comment.
Target repo if not current (--repo OWNER/REPO).

Workflow

Verify auth:
```
gh --version
gh auth status
```

Check PR state first:

gh pr view 123 --json number,title,state,headRefName

Close the PR:

gh pr close 123
gh pr close 123 --comment "Closing: superseded by #456"
gh pr close 123 --delete-branch

Verify closure:
```
gh pr view 123 --json state,closedAt
```

Examples

# Close PR without comment
gh pr close 123

# Close with explanation
gh pr close 123 --comment "No longer needed after refactoring."

# Close and delete branch
gh pr close 123 --delete-branch --comment "Superseded by #200"

Flags reference

Flag	Description
`-c, --comment`	Leave a closing comment
`-d, --delete-branch`	Delete local and remote branch after close

Notes

Closed PRs can be reopened with gh pr reopen.
Use --delete-branch to clean up feature branches.
Arguments accept number, URL, or branch name.

References

GitHub CLI manual: https://cli.github.com/manual/
gh pr close --help

Source

git clone https://github.com/dceoy/github-cli-agent-skills/blob/main/skills/gh-pr-close/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

gh-pr-close closes a GitHub pull request without merging using the gh CLI. It supports adding a closing comment, optionally deleting the associated branch, and can target a different repository with --repo when needed.

How This Skill Works

The workflow authenticates with gh, queries the PR state, then issues gh pr close with optional --comment and --delete-branch flags. Finally, it verifies the closure by re-checking the PR state.

When to Use It

User asks to close a PR without merging
PR is abandoned, superseded, or no longer needed
Cleaning up stale PRs
Delete the associated branch after closing
Close a PR in a different repo with --repo

Quick Start

Step 1: Verify authentication with gh --version and gh auth status
Step 2: Identify the PR to close using PR number, URL, or branch name
Step 3: Run gh pr close <id> with optional --comment and --delete-branch, then gh pr view to verify

Best Practices

Confirm you have the correct PR reference (number, URL, or branch) before closing
Provide a clear --comment for future context
Use --delete-branch only when it's safe to remove the branch
Specify --repo if closing a PR outside the current repository
Verify closure with gh pr view to ensure state is closed

Example Use Cases

gh pr close 123
gh pr close 123 --comment No longer needed after refactoring
gh pr close 123 --delete-branch --comment Superseded by #200
gh pr close https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/pull/456 --comment Closing after review
gh pr close 456 --repo otherowner/otherrepo --comment Closing in a forked repo

Frequently Asked Questions

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