PR Operations Skill

Core Rule

CRITICAL: Use ONLY erk exec Commands for PR Thread Operations

• ❌ DO NOT use raw gh api calls for thread operations

• ❌ DO NOT use gh pr commands directly for thread resolution

• ✅ ONLY use erk exec commands listed below

The erk exec commands handle thread resolution correctly. Raw API calls only reply without resolving.

Quick Reference

Command Purpose Key Point

get-pr-review-comments

Fetch unresolved review threads Returns threads with line info

get-pr-discussion-comments

Fetch PR discussion comments Returns top-level comments

resolve-review-thread

Reply AND resolve a single thread Does both in one operation

resolve-review-threads

Batch resolve multiple threads JSON stdin, one call for N threads

reply-to-discussion-comment

Reply to discussion comment For non-code feedback

post-pr-inline-comment

Post new inline comment Creates new review thread

When to Use Each Command

Fetching Comments

Get all unresolved review threads (code comments)

erk exec get-pr-review-comments

Get all discussion comments (top-level PR comments)

erk exec get-pr-discussion-comments

Include resolved threads (for reference)

erk exec get-pr-review-comments --all

Resolving Review Threads

Resolve a single thread

erk exec resolve-review-thread --thread-id "PRRT_abc123" --comment "Fixed in commit abc1234"

Batch resolve multiple threads (preferred for pr-address batches)

echo '[{"thread_id": "PRRT_abc", "comment": "Fixed"}, {"thread_id": "PRRT_def", "comment": "Applied"}]' | erk exec resolve-review-threads

Replying to Discussion Comments

For PR discussion comments (not code review threads)

erk exec reply-to-discussion-comment --comment-id 12345 --reply "Action taken: Updated the docs as requested."

Common Mistakes

Mistake Why It's Wrong Correct Approach

Using gh api repos/.../comments/{id}/replies

Only replies, doesn't resolve Use erk exec resolve-review-thread

Using gh pr comment

Doesn't resolve threads Use erk exec resolve-review-thread

Skipping resolution for outdated threads Threads stay open in PR Always resolve, even if already fixed

Generic replies like "Noted" Not useful for PR history Include investigation findings

Replying vs Resolving

IMPORTANT: Replying ≠ Resolving

• Replying (via raw gh api .../replies ): Adds a comment but thread stays OPEN

• Resolving (via erk exec resolve-review-thread ): Adds a comment AND marks thread as RESOLVED

Always use erk exec resolve-review-thread (single) or erk exec resolve-review-threads (batch) - they do both in one operation.

Comment Classification Model

When analyzing PR feedback, classify comments by complexity and group into batches.

Complexity Categories

• Local fix: Single comment → single location change (e.g., "Fix typo", "Add type annotation")

• Multi-location: Single comment → changes in multiple spots in one file

• Cross-cutting: Single comment → changes across multiple files

• Related: Multiple comments that inform a single unified change

Batch Ordering

Process batches from simplest to most complex:

Batch Complexity Description Example

1 Local fixes One file, one location per comment "Use LBYL pattern at line 42"

2 Single-file multi-location One file, multiple locations "Rename this variable everywhere in this file"

3 Cross-cutting Multiple files affected "Update all callers of this function"

4 Complex/Related Multiple comments inform one change "Fold validate into prepare" + "Use union types for this"

Note: Discussion comments requiring doc updates go in Batch 3 (cross-cutting).

Batch Confirmation Flow

• Batch 1-2 (simple): Auto-proceed without confirmation

• Batch 3-4 (complex): Show plan and wait for user approval

Inline Comment Deduplication

When posting inline review comments, always deduplicate to prevent re-posting existing comments:

• Build dedup key: (file_path, line_number, body_prefix) where prefix is first 80 characters of comment body

• Check proximity: Match within 2-line tolerance (line 42 matches existing comments at lines 40–44)

• Skip duplicates: If a matching key exists, do not post the comment

This prevents the same feedback from appearing multiple times across review iterations. See Inline Comment Deduplication for full algorithm details.

Detailed Documentation

For complete command documentation including JSON output formats, options, and examples:

@references/commands.md