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Pull request checklist and a GitHub PR template

By Ilya Volodarsky · Updated

A pull request checklist is what the author checks before asking for review: the change is small, the description says what and why, a test covers it, and nothing outside the diff was left behind. A pull request template puts that checklist in front of every author: save it as pull_request_template.md in the repository root, docs or .github folder, and GitHub fills each new pull request with it once it is on the default branch.[1]

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This page is the author's side; our guide What is code review? covers the reviewer's. One item matters more than the rest. In IonWarp's own review data, 12 of the 17 real merge-blocking findings were the same mistake: the pull request changed one thing and missed something that had to change with it, such as a test, a migration list, a config value or a second read path.

Pull request checklist

  • One change, small enough to read

    Split a refactor from a behavior change, and a rename from both. A short diff gets read line by line; a long one gets skimmed.

  • A description that says what and why

    What changes, why, and how to check it. Write Closes #123 to link the issue, and GitHub closes it when the pull request merges into the default branch.[3]

  • A test that fails without the change

    If you are not sure it does, run it once against the old code.

  • Everything that changes with it

    Search for the callers of anything you renamed, removed or retyped, and for the tests, migrations, configs and docs that name it.

    Code ReviewOn Starter, Pro and Max

  • No secrets in code or logs

    No token, key or password in the code, a log line, an error message or the client bundle.

    Security ReviewOn Starter, Pro and Max

  • Docs that still match

    The README, comments and agent instructions such as CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md that this change made wrong.

    Docs FreshnessOn Pro and Max

A pull request template to copy

## Summary
<!-- What this changes, in one or two sentences. Closes #123 -->

## Why
<!-- The problem or decision behind the change. -->

## How to test
<!-- The command to run or the steps to click, and what the reviewer should see. -->

## Risk and rollback
<!-- What could break, who it affects, and how to undo it. -->

## Screenshots
<!-- Before and after, for any change a user can see. -->

## Checklist
- [ ] A test covers the change
- [ ] Callers of anything renamed, removed or retyped are updated
- [ ] Docs that this change made wrong are updated
- [ ] No secrets in code, logs or the client bundle

  1. Summary

    What this changes, in one or two sentences, and the issue it closes.

  2. Why

    The problem or decision behind the change, so a reviewer can judge the approach and not only the code.

  3. How to test

    The command to run or the steps to click, and what the reviewer should see.

  4. Risk and rollback

    What could break, who it affects, and how to undo it: a migration, a feature flag or a revert.

  5. Screenshots

    Before and after, for any change a user can see.

  6. Checklist

    Task-list lines the author ticks, written - [ ] in the template: tests added, callers checked, docs updated, no secrets. GitHub renders each one as a checkbox.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Sources

  1. Creating a pull request template for your repository — GitHub Docs, read 2026-10-03.
  2. Pricing — CodeRabbit, read 2026-10-02.
  3. Linking a pull request to an issue — GitHub Docs, read 2026-10-03.

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