Pull Request Description Templates

Reusable pull request description templates — what, why, and how to test — that make reviews faster and merges safer.

Template Category Overview

A good pull request description is the difference between a fast, confident review and a slow back-and-forth — yet developers write the same scaffolding (summary, motivation, testing notes, checklist) on every PR and often skip it under deadline. The structure is identical across PRs; only the specifics change. A text expander stores the proven description framework so a short trigger drops in the full template, and you spend your time explaining the actual change rather than rebuilding headings. Lightning Assist inserts these in GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket — anywhere you type a description — with placeholders for the summary, the why, and the test plan. Unlike a repo-native PR template that only applies in one project, the same snippet works across every repository and tool you touch.

When to Use These Templates

Use pull request description templates on every PR where a clear description speeds up review — which is nearly all of them: feature work, bug fixes, refactors, and even trivial changes. The structure (what, why, how, how-to-test) is constant; only the specifics change. Standardizing it makes reviews faster and more thorough, captures the "why" that is otherwise lost the moment the PR merges, and keeps quality consistent across a team regardless of who opens the PR. A text-expander version has an edge over repo-native PR templates: the same library works across every repository, organization, and Git host you use, so your description quality does not depend on each project being configured.

Example Templates in This Category

Standard PR description: what changed, why, and how a reviewer can verify it.
Bugfix PR: the root cause, the fix, and the regression test that proves it.
Small/trivial PR: a lightweight variant that still states intent and risk.

Example Templates in Practice

Standard PR description

The default template carries everything a reviewer needs to say yes quickly: a one-line summary, the motivation (the why, linked to an issue), a short description of the approach, and an explicit "how to test" section. The why is the part most often missing and most valuable — it lets a reviewer judge whether the change is the right one, not just whether the code is correct. Use placeholders for the summary, the linked issue, and the test plan. Keep it on a trigger like ;prdesc so a complete, reviewer-friendly description is one keystroke on every PR.

## What
[#One-line summary of the change#]

## Why
[#Motivation / linked issue: #123#]

## How
[#Brief description of the approach#]

## How to test
- [#step 1#]
- [#step 2#]

## Checklist
- [ ] Tests added/updated
- [ ] Docs updated if needed

Bugfix PR

A bugfix PR has a different shape than a feature PR: the reviewer wants the root cause, the fix, and proof it will not regress. Lead with what was broken and why, then the fix, then the specific test that now covers it. Linking the original bug report and stating the root cause explicitly prevents the "treats the symptom" class of review comments. Use placeholders for the bug link, the root cause, and the regression test. Keep it on a trigger like ;prbug so every fix arrives with the context a reviewer needs to trust it.

## Bug
[#Link to issue#] — [#what was broken#]

## Root cause
[#The underlying cause#]

## Fix
[#What this change does#]

## Regression test
[#The test that now covers this case#]

Small / trivial PR

Not every PR needs the full template, and forcing one on a one-line change creates noise. A lightweight variant still states intent and risk in a sentence or two, so even trivial changes get a reviewable description rather than a blank box or a bare commit message. The discipline of always stating risk — even "no risk, copy change" — keeps reviewers calibrated. Use a placeholder for the one-line intent. Keep it on a trigger like ;prsmall so small PRs stay fast without becoming opaque.

## Summary
[#One-line description of the trivial change#]

**Risk:** [#none / low — e.g. copy-only, no logic change#]
**Testing:** [#how verified, or "n/a"#]

How to Get Started

Write your standard PR description once and turn it into a snippet on ;prdesc, with placeholders for the summary, the linked issue, and the test plan. Add a bugfix variant (;prbug) and a lightweight one (;prsmall). Type the trigger and it expands inline as you type — no hotkey needed (or use Hotkey Mode) — in GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. Fill in only the specifics; the structure is reused on every PR. Pair it with your commit-message snippets so the whole change is documented consistently, and use AI Enhance to tighten a rushed description into clear prose before you hit create.

Pro Tips

Always include the "why" with a linked issue — it is the part reviewers need most and the part most often dropped under deadline.
Keep an explicit "how to test" section; it is what turns a slow review into a fast, confident approval.
Use a lightweight variant for trivial PRs so small changes stay fast but never arrive with a blank description box.
Unlike repo-native PR templates, text-expander snippets work across every repository and Git host, so quality does not depend on per-project config.