Problem
When a PR is opened, competitors auto-generate a structured PR description with:
- Title suggestion
- Summary of changes (bulleted)
- File-by-file walkthrough with change rationale
- Labels (bug, feature, refactor, etc.)
- Breaking change detection
- Testing notes
DiffScope has a --summary flag on the pr command, but it doesn't produce the structured walkthrough format that's become the #1 feature users evaluate when trialing AI code review tools.
Proposed Solution
Add a pr describe subcommand (or enhance pr --summary) that:
- Reads the full PR diff (all commits, not just HEAD)
- Generates a structured description:
- Summary: 2-3 bullet points of what changed and why
- Walkthrough: Per-file change descriptions with rationale
- Labels: Auto-suggested labels (feature, bugfix, refactor, docs, test)
- Breaking changes: Flagged if detected
- Testing notes: What should be tested
- Posts/updates the PR body on GitHub via the API
- Optionally auto-runs on PR open via webhook
Competitive Context
- CodeRabbit: Full walkthrough with collapsible file sections, auto-labels
- Qodo Merge:
/describe command generates structured PR body with labels and step-by-step walkthrough
- GitHub Copilot: Partial — generates summary but not full walkthrough
- Ellipsis: Auto-generates PR descriptions on open
Priority
Tier 1 — Table stakes. This is the feature new users evaluate first.