---
title: "PR Template"
description: "Canonical .github/pull_request_template.md for Sentry SDK repositories."
url: https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/getting-started/templates/pr-template/
---

# PR Template

This document uses key words such as "MUST", "SHOULD", and "MAY" as defined in [RFC 2119](https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt) to indicate requirement levels.

`.github/pull_request_template.md` is a Markdown file that GitHub pre-fills into the PR description editor when someone opens a pull request. Its job is to guide the author toward writing a real description — not to enforce process through checkboxes.

## [Description](https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/getting-started/templates/pr-template.md#description)

Every PR description **MUST** cover:

* **What** — brief description of what the PR does
* **Why** — motivation for the change
* **Alternatives** — other approaches considered, if any
* **Context** — anything reviewers need that isn't obvious from the code

**Do NOT include:**

* "Test plan" sections
* Checkbox lists of testing steps
* Redundant summaries of the diff

**Do include:**

* Clear explanation of what and why
* Links to relevant issues or tickets
* Context that isn't obvious from the code
* Notes on specific areas that need careful review

A blank, template-only, or AI-generated filler description is not acceptable. The CI bot checks description quality; use the `trivial` label to override for genuinely trivial changes (typo fixes, formatting-only commits).

## [Issues](https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/getting-started/templates/pr-template.md#issues)

Reference issues using Linear magic words:

**Closing** (closes the issue on merge): `close`, `closes`, `closed`, `closing`, `fix`, `fixes`, `fixed`, `fixing`, `resolve`, `resolves`, `resolved`, `resolving`, `complete`, `completes`, `completed`, `completing`

**Non-closing** (links without closing): `ref`, `refs`, `references`, `part of`, `related to`, `contributes to`, `toward`, `towards`

## [Other Requirements](https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/getting-started/templates/pr-template.md#other-requirements)

* **Draft mode** — PRs **MUST** start as drafts. Mark ready for review once CI passes and the description is complete. Seer AI code review runs automatically when a PR moves out of draft.
* **Changelog** — User-facing changes (`feat`, `fix`, `perf`, breaking) **REQUIRE** a `CHANGELOG.md` entry under `## Unreleased`.
* **AI attribution** — For AI-assisted commits, add `Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>` in the **commit footer**. Add `🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)` to the PR description when the PR was AI-generated.

## [Template](https://develop.sentry.dev/sdk/getting-started/templates/pr-template.md#template)

Place this file at `.github/pull_request_template.md` in the repository root.

Use the [`sentry-skills:create-pr`](https://github.com/getsentry/skills/blob/main/plugins/sentry-skills/skills/create-pr/SKILL.md) skill to generate PR descriptions that follow this structure and meet the quality bar.

```markdown
### Description

<!-- Brief description of what the PR does.
Why these changes are being made — the motivation.
Alternative approaches considered, if any.
Any additional context reviewers need. -->

### Issues

<!--
* Fixes #1234
* Refs LINEAR-ABC-123
-->
```