gh-find-prs

Survey the open PR queue and assign each PR a disposition — backed by code, tests, and checks, never by title — testing real mergeability against the actual release branch (often local-only, e.g. <release-branch>), not the main-based GitHub flag.

When to use

• A maintainer asks "what's in the PR queue?", "what can we land?", or "triage open PRs".
• Before a release cut, to sweep community contributions into the active release branch.
• Whenever you need a per-PR DIRECT-MERGE / HARVEST / DEFER / CLOSE-WITH-NOTE call with credit attached.

This is read-and-recommend. You do NOT merge, close, tag, or publish. You surface evidence and a proposed disposition; the maintainer approves.

Workflow

1. Inventory the queue. One call, structured:

   gh pr list --repo codewhale-hq/CodeWhale --state open \
     --json number,title,author,headRefName,baseRefName,isDraft,mergeStateStatus,statusCheckRollup
   

   Note mergeStateStatus (CLEAN / BLOCKED / DIRTY / UNKNOWN) but treat it as a hint only — it is computed against main, and the real landing target is usually a different branch.

2. Identify the real landing branch. The release head is frequently local-only:

   git branch --sort=-committerdate --format='%(committerdate:short) %(refname:short)' | head -20
   git log --oneline -1 <release-branch>
   

   Ask the maintainer when several lanes look live. Use that ref, not main, for every mergeability test below.

3. Read each candidate from code, not title. For every non-trivial PR:

   gh pr view <N> --repo codewhale-hq/CodeWhale \
     --json files,additions,deletions,statusCheckRollup,body,comments
   gh pr diff <N> --repo codewhale-hq/CodeWhale
   

   Read the diff. A "fix(exec): ..." can be a no-op or a regression; a "chore" can be the real fix. Judge the change, the tests it adds, and any review comments.

4. Decode check failures — distinguish trivial from real. In statusCheckRollup, find each conclusion: FAILURE and read its job. Codewhale's CI jobs are Lint, Test (ubuntu-latest|macos-latest|windows-latest), Version drift, gate (Contribution gate), npm wrapper smoke, Mobile runtime smoke, Documentation, GitGuardian Security Checks.

   • A Lint failure that is only cargo fmt drift is trivial — harvestable, fix on landing with cargo fmt --all.
   • A failing Test (...) or clippy under Lint is real — read the log before trusting it.
   • Version drift failing on a community PR is expected (they bumped, or didn't); not a blocker for harvest.

   cargo fmt --all -- --check && cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets
   

5. Test-merge against the real release head. The mergeStateStatus flag lies for local branches. Probe the actual merge:

   git merge-tree --write-tree --messages <release-branch> origin/pr/<N>   # if PR ref is fetched
   git merge-tree --write-tree --messages <release-branch> <pr-head-sha>
   

   Exit 0 and no CONFLICT lines → clean against the release branch (DIRECT-MERGE candidate even when GitHub shows BLOCKED/DIRTY). Conflicts printed → HARVEST or DEFER. This is read-only; it writes objects to the object store, not to any branch or working tree.

6. Assign a disposition with required credit. Per PR, recommend exactly one:

   • DIRECT-MERGE — diff is sound, checks are green or trivially-fixable, merge-tree is clean against the release head. Land via cherry-pick to preserve the original author automatically.
   • HARVEST — the change is good but conflicts, needs fmt/rebase, or is entangled with the release work. Reimplement on the release branch and credit with trailers (cherry-pick is not preserving authorship here):

     Co-authored-by: Name <email>
     
     Harvested from PR #<N> by @handle
     

     The Harvested from PR #<N> by @handle body line is what the auto-close-at-main workflow greps for; a Harvested-from: trailer does not match. See gh-credit-harvest for the exact shape.
   • DEFER — sound but blocked by an open question, missing tests, or a release freeze. Leave a positive, specific comment; do not close.
   • CLOSE-WITH-NOTE — superseded, duplicated, or out of scope. Propose the close to the maintainer with a crediting, appreciative note; never close it yourself.

7. Report, don't act. Output a compact table: PR | author | landing-branch verdict | check summary | disposition | credit line. Stop there for maintainer approval.

Red flags / don't

• Don't judge by title. "fix(...)" / "feat(...)" / emoji-prefixed test PRs prove nothing. Open the diff every time.
• Don't trust mergeStateStatus for the real target. CLEAN/BLOCKED/DIRTY are vs main; always confirm with git merge-tree <release> <pr-head>.
• Don't conflate trivial and real check failures. A fmt-only Lint red is harvestable; a failing Test (...) is not — read the log.
• Don't drop credit. Every harvest carries Co-authored-by: + a Harvested from PR #N body line; every cherry-pick keeps the original author. No silent reimplementation.
• Don't merge, close, retarget, tag, publish, or release. Recommend; the maintainer decides.
• Don't post negative or nitpicking comments. GitHub-facing comments are positive and crediting; keep critique in your internal report to the maintainer.
• Don't modify the working tree or any branch. git merge-tree --write-tree is the only "write" allowed — it touches the object store only.