/git:pr-sync-check

Read-only guard that answers one question before you build further on a PR branch: is this branch still live and in sync with the remote? It fetches origin, computes ahead/behind, and reads the branch's PR state, then returns a single VERDICT. Read-only — it fetches but never changes branch or working-tree state.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use the alternative when...
An additional in-session request continues work on a branch that already has a PR	Starting brand-new work — just create a branch
About to add commits to a branch whose PR may have merged while you worked	Use `/git:pr-feedback` to act on review threads once you know there are some
A push was rejected, or you suspect a teammate / another agent / a CI auto-fix pushed under you	Use `/git:coworker-check` for local-checkout coworker collisions (uncommitted files)
You want CI / review state for the current branch's PR at a glance	Use `/git:triage` to categorize many PRs at once

This is the remote sibling of /git:coworker-check (which detects local uncommitted-file collisions). See .claude/rules/pr-branch-sync.md for the rationale and .claude/rules/agent-coworker-detection.md for the local case.

Context

Current branch: !git branch --show-current
Tracking / ahead-behind: !git status --porcelain=v2 --branch

Parameters

Parse $ARGUMENTS:

Flag	Effect
`--project-dir <path>`	Run against a specific checkout/worktree (default: current dir)

Execution

Run this check, then act on the verdict.

Step 1: Run the detection script

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/check-pr-sync.sh --project-dir "$(pwd)"

The script emits a structured block (per .claude/rules/structured-script-output.md) with BRANCH, AHEAD, BEHIND, PR_NUMBER, PR_STATE, MERGED_AT, REVIEW_DECISION, CI_STATUS, a single STATUS= and a single VERDICT=.

Step 2: Interpret the verdict

Parse the VERDICT= line and act:

`VERDICT`	Meaning	Action
`in_sync`	Branch tracks an open PR and is up to date	Proceed — keep building on this branch
`behind`	Local tip is behind `origin/<branch>`	Reconcile first — `git pull --rebase` (or resolve the divergence) so you build on the current tip and avoid a rejected push / needless conflict, then continue
`pr_merged`	The branch's PR is MERGED (`PR_STATE=MERGED`, `MERGED_AT` set)	Stop adding commits here. The merged branch is a dead end; create a fresh branch off the updated default (`git fetch && git switch -c <new> origin/<default>`) and put the new work there
`pr_closed`	The PR is CLOSED unmerged	Confirm this branch is still where the work belongs before adding commits; if the PR was abandoned, branch off the default instead
`changes_requested`	The PR has `CHANGES_REQUESTED` reviews	Summarise the outstanding threads and recommend the user run `/git:pr-feedback` before piling on unrelated work — it is `disable-model-invocation`, so surface it rather than invoking it
`no_pr`	On the default branch, or no PR for this branch	No PR-branch staleness to worry about — proceed
`no_remote`	Not a git repo, or no `origin` remote	Nothing to check; proceed

If CI_STATUS=FAILING on an otherwise-in_sync branch, surface it and consider /git:fix-pr before adding more on top of red CI.

Step 3: Report

Print the verdict, the ahead/behind counts, the PR number/state, and the recommended next action. If the verdict is anything other than in_sync / no_pr / no_remote, stop and reconcile (or ask the user) before adding commits.

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
One-line verdict	`bash scripts/check-pr-sync.sh \| awk -F= '/^VERDICT=/{print $2}'`
Full structured block	`bash scripts/check-pr-sync.sh --project-dir "$(pwd)"`
Behind count only	`bash scripts/check-pr-sync.sh \| awk -F= '/^BEHIND=/{print $2}'`

Related Skills

/git:coworker-check — local-checkout sibling (uncommitted-file collisions)
/git:pr-feedback — act on review threads / failing CI once detected
/git:pr-watch — subscribe to a PR and react to reviews/CI as they arrive
/git:triage — categorize many PRs at once (mergeStateStatus / mergedAt)
/git:fix-pr — fix failing PR checks

git-pr-sync-check