Verify Requirements Coverage
Verify that a pull request or local changes fully implement the requirements described in a GitHub issue. Extracts the issue reference, analyzes the diff against the issue description, and produces a coverage report.
Input
- PR number or URL (optional): The pull request identifier. Accepts:
- Number:
- Hash-prefixed:
- Full URL:
https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123
- If omitted, verifies local changes instead.
- Issue number (optional, local mode): When verifying local changes, an issue number can be provided to check coverage against (e.g., ).
- Diff file path (optional): Path to a pre-existing diff file (e.g., passed by ). If provided, skip fetching the diff in Step 7 and read this file instead.
Procedure
1. Determine Review Target
- Remote PR: If the user provides a PR number or URL (e.g., "Verify PR #123"), target that remote PR. Set .
- Local Changes: If no specific PR is mentioned, or if the user asks to "verify my changes" or "do my changes cover the issue", target the current local changes (staged and unstaged). Set .
2. Resolve Identifier
Extract the PR number from the user input. Strip any
prefix or parse the number from a URL.
PR_NUMBER=<extracted number>
Determine the current branch name for identification.
BRANCH_NAME=$(git branch --show-current | tr '/' '-')
3. Fetch Metadata
Gather PR details including body and linked issues:
bash
gh pr view $PR_NUMBER --json number,title,body,baseRefName,headRefName,files,url
Gather local change details (staged and unstaged combined):
bash
git diff --name-only HEAD
4. Extract Linked Issue Number
Determine the related issue using these methods in priority order:
Method A -- Closing keywords in PR body:
Search the PR body for GitHub closing keywords followed by an issue reference:
- , , (and their variants: , , , , , )
- Full URL references:
closes https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/N
Method B -- GitHub linked issues API:
bash
gh api graphql \
-F owner='{owner}' \
-F repo='{repo}' \
-F pr_number=$PR_NUMBER \
-f query='
query($owner: String!, $repo: String!, $pr_number: Int!) {
repository(owner: $owner, name: $repo) {
pullRequest(number: $pr_number) {
closingIssuesReferences(first: 10) {
nodes { number title }
}
}
}
}
' --jq '.data.repository.pullRequest.closingIssuesReferences.nodes'
Method C -- Issue reference in PR body:
If Methods A and B yield no results, scan the PR body for any
pattern or issue URL that is not a closing keyword reference.
Determine the related issue using these methods in priority order:
Method A -- User-provided issue number: If the user explicitly provided an issue number (e.g., "verify my changes against issue #42"), use that directly.
Method B -- Branch name convention: Extract an issue number from the branch name if it follows a convention like
,
,
,
,
, etc.
No issue found: If no linked issue can be determined, inform the user and stop. Do not guess or fabricate an issue number.
ISSUE_NUMBER=<extracted number>
If multiple issues are found, process each one and produce a separate coverage report per issue.
5. Fetch Issue Details
Retrieve the full issue description:
bash
gh issue view $ISSUE_NUMBER --json number,title,body,labels
6. Extract Requirements from Issue
Parse the issue body and title to identify discrete, testable requirements. Look for:
- Checklist items ( or )
- Numbered steps or acceptance criteria
- Explicit behavioral descriptions ("should", "must", "when X then Y")
- UI changes, API changes, or data model changes mentioned
- Edge cases or error handling requirements
- Non-functional requirements (performance, security, accessibility)
Produce a numbered list of requirements:
R1: <requirement description>
R2: <requirement description>
...
If the issue body is vague or contains no clear requirements, use the issue title and any available context to infer the expected behavior. Flag inferred requirements clearly.
7. Fetch Diff
If a diff file path was provided as input, read the diff from that file instead of fetching it. Skip the commands below and proceed to Step 8.
Get the full diff for the pull request:
Also review the list of changed files from Step 3 to understand the scope of changes.
Get the full diff for local changes (both staged and unstaged):
Also review the list of changed files from Step 3 to understand the scope of changes.
8. Analyze Coverage
For each requirement from Step 6, determine whether the diff addresses it:
- Covered: The diff contains code changes that directly implement the requirement
- Partially covered: The diff addresses some aspects but misses edge cases or details
- Not covered: No code changes in the diff relate to this requirement
Use evidence from the diff to justify each assessment. Do not speculate -- base judgments on actual code changes.
9. Produce Report
Generate one of two outputs based on the analysis.
If all requirements are covered (100% coverage):
## PR Requirements Coverage: 100%
All requirements from issue #<ISSUE_NUMBER> are implemented in PR #<PR_NUMBER>.
### Requirements
| # | Requirement | Status |
|---|-------------|--------|
| R1 | <description> | Covered |
| R2 | <description> | Covered |
### Summary
<2-3 sentences confirming that the PR fully addresses the issue, highlighting key implementation decisions>
## Local Requirements Coverage: 100%
All requirements from issue #<ISSUE_NUMBER> are implemented in local changes on branch ${BRANCH_NAME}.
### Requirements
| # | Requirement | Status |
|---|-------------|--------|
| R1 | <description> | Covered |
| R2 | <description> | Covered |
### Summary
<2-3 sentences confirming that the local changes fully address the issue, highlighting key implementation decisions>
If any requirements are missing or partially covered:
## PR Requirements Coverage: <percentage>%
PR #<PR_NUMBER> does not fully implement issue #<ISSUE_NUMBER>.
### Requirements
| # | Requirement | Status | Notes |
|---|-------------|--------|-------|
| R1 | <description> | Covered | |
| R2 | <description> | Not covered | <what is missing> |
| R3 | <description> | Partially covered | <what is incomplete> |
### Missing Implementation
<For each uncovered or partially covered requirement, describe specifically what code changes are needed to complete the implementation>
### Summary
<2-3 sentences describing the overall gap between the issue requirements and the PR implementation>
## Local Requirements Coverage: <percentage>%
Local changes on branch ${BRANCH_NAME} do not fully implement issue #<ISSUE_NUMBER>.
### Requirements
| # | Requirement | Status | Notes |
|---|-------------|--------|-------|
| R1 | <description> | Covered | |
| R2 | <description> | Not covered | <what is missing> |
| R3 | <description> | Partially covered | <what is incomplete> |
### Missing Implementation
<For each uncovered or partially covered requirement, describe specifically what code changes are needed to complete the implementation>
### Summary
<2-3 sentences describing the overall gap between the issue requirements and the local changes>
10. Report to User
Present the coverage report from Step 9. Include:
- The issue number and title for context
- The PR URL for reference
- The coverage percentage
- Clear next steps if coverage is incomplete
Present the coverage report from Step 9. Include:
- The issue number and title for context
- The branch name and list of changed files
- The coverage percentage
- Clear next steps if coverage is incomplete
Important Notes
- Never fabricate requirements that are not present or implied in the issue
- If the issue lacks acceptance criteria, clearly state which requirements were inferred from context
- Do not evaluate code quality -- this skill only checks implementation completeness against the issue description
- For issues with sub-tasks or linked child issues, only evaluate the requirements in the specific linked issue
- When multiple issues are linked, report coverage for each issue separately
- In , the diff comes from (staged + unstaged changes) instead of a PR diff. The issue must be provided by the user or extracted from the branch name — if neither yields a result, inform the user and stop