request-pull Git Command Guide

The git request-pull command generates a summary of pending changes suitable for requesting an upstream project to pull changes into their tree. It creates formatted output that can be used in pull request descriptions or patch submission emails.

git request-pull Syntax:

git request-pull [-p] <start> <URL> [<end>]

Options:

Option	Description
-p	Include patch text in the output

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
<start>	Starting commit (already in upstream)
<URL>	Repository URL to pull from
<end>	Ending commit (default: HEAD)

Understanding Pull Request Generation:

Output Format Structure:

Pull Request Message Format:
├── Header: Branch description and pull instructions
├── Summary: Changes overview with commit count
├── Detailed Changes: Commit-by-commit breakdown
├── Pull Instructions: How to fetch and merge
└── Optional Patches: Full patch text with -p

Commit Range Analysis:

Range Determination:
├── <start>: Base commit (upstream reference point)
├── <end>: Tip commit (current branch HEAD)
├── Range: <start>..<end> (commits to be pulled)
├── Validation: Ensures <start> exists in upstream
└── Summary: Statistics about changes

Integration with Workflows:

Workflow Integration:
├── Email-based patch submission
├── GitHub/GitLab pull request templates
├── Code review preparation
├── Release notes generation
└── Change documentation

Basic Pull Request Generation:

Standard Pull Request:

# Generate pull request from main branch
git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Generate pull request for specific branch
git request-pull origin/main https://github.com/user/repo.git feature-branch

# Generate pull request with custom end point
git request-pull v1.0 https://github.com/user/repo.git v2.0

Including Patch Text:

# Include full patches in output
git request-pull -p main https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Generate patch-only output
git request-pull -p <start> <URL> | grep -A 1000 "^---"

Repository URL Variations:

# HTTPS URL
git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git

# SSH URL
git request-pull main git@github.com:user/repo.git

# Local repository path
git request-pull main /path/to/local/repo.git

# Relative path
git request-pull main ../relative/repo.git

Advanced Pull Request Scenarios:

Multi-Branch Pull Requests:

# Pull request for multiple branches
branches=("feature/auth" "feature/ui" "bugfix/crash")

for branch in "${branches[@]}"; do
    echo "=== Pull Request for $branch ==="
    git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git "$branch"
    echo ""
done

Release-Based Pull Requests:

# Generate release pull request
generate_release_pr() {
    local release_tag="$1"
    local next_release="${2:-HEAD}"

    echo "Release Pull Request: $release_tag -> $next_release"
    echo "Repository: https://github.com/user/repo.git"
    echo ""

    git request-pull "$release_tag" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$next_release"
}

generate_release_pr "v1.0" "v1.1"

Automated Pull Request Generation:

# Automated PR generation for CI/CD
automated_pr_generation() {
    local base_branch="$1"
    local feature_branch="$2"
    local pr_title="$3"

    # Validate branches exist
    if ! git rev-parse --verify "$base_branch" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Base branch $base_branch does not exist"
        exit 1
    fi

    if ! git rev-parse --verify "$feature_branch" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Feature branch $feature_branch does not exist"
        exit 1
    fi

    # Generate PR content
    pr_content=$(cat << EOF
## $pr_title

$(git request-pull "$base_branch" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$feature_branch")

### Changes
$(git log --oneline "$base_branch..$feature_branch")

### Testing
- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Integration tests pass
- [ ] Manual testing completed

### Checklist
- [ ] Code reviewed
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Migration guide prepared (if breaking changes)
EOF
)

    echo "$pr_content"
}

automated_pr_generation "main" "feature/new-ui" "Add new user interface components"

Configuration and Best Practices:

Git Configuration for Request-Pull:

# Configure user information
git config user.name "Your Name"
git config user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Configure remote URLs
git config remote.origin.url "https://github.com/user/repo.git"

# Configure pretty formats for better output
git config pretty.request-pull "%h %s%n%n%b"

Best Practices for Pull Requests:

# Always specify correct base commit
git request-pull origin/main https://github.com/user/repo.git  # Good
git request-pull HEAD https://github.com/user/repo.git        # Bad - HEAD may not be in upstream

# Use descriptive branch names
git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git feature/user-authentication

# Include patch text for small changes
git request-pull -p main https://github.com/user/repo.git

# Verify before sending
git request-pull main <URL> | head -20  # Preview output

Output Formatting Guidelines:

# Format for email submission
git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git |
mail -s "Pull request: Feature implementation" maintainer@example.com

# Format for issue tracker
git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git |
pandoc -f markdown -t html > pr-description.html

# Format for documentation
git request-pull -p main https://github.com/user/repo.git > changes.patch

Integration with Development Workflows:

Email-Based Patch Submission:

#!/bin/bash
# Email-based patch submission workflow

submit_patches_via_email() {
    local maintainer_email="$1"
    local subject_prefix="${2:-PATCH}"

    # Generate patch series
    patch_count=$(git rev-list --count main..HEAD)

    echo "Submitting $patch_count patches via email"

    # Create cover letter if multiple patches
    if [ "$patch_count" -gt 1 ]; then
        git request-pull main https://github.com/user/repo.git > cover-letter.txt

        # Send cover letter
        mail -s "$subject_prefix 0/$patch_count: Cover letter" "$maintainer_email" < cover-letter.txt
    fi

    # Send individual patches
    git format-patch --cover-letter -M main |
    while read -r patch_file; do
        if [[ "$patch_file" == *".patch" ]]; then
            patch_num=$(echo "$patch_file" | sed 's/.*-\([0-9]\+\)-.*/\1/')
            total=$(printf "%03d" "$patch_count")

            mail -s "$subject_prefix $patch_num/$total: $(head -1 "$patch_file" | sed 's/^Subject: //')" \
                 "$maintainer_email" < "$patch_file"
        fi
    done

    echo "Patch submission complete"
}

submit_patches_via_email "maintainer@project.org" "PATCH v2"

GitHub/GitLab Integration:

# Generate PR description for Git hosting services
generate_pr_description() {
    local base_branch="$1"
    local head_branch="$2"
    local pr_title="$3"

    # Generate standard PR content
    pr_body=$(cat << EOF
## $pr_title

$(git request-pull "$base_branch" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$head_branch")

### Commits
$(git log --oneline "$base_branch..$head_branch")

### Files Changed
$(git diff --stat "$base_branch..$head_branch")

### Testing Done
- [ ] Unit tests
- [ ] Integration tests
- [ ] Manual testing
- [ ] Cross-platform testing

### Breaking Changes
$(git log --grep="BREAKING" --oneline "$base_branch..$head_branch")

### Related Issues
<!-- Link to related issues -->

### Checklist
- [ ] Code follows project style guidelines
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Tests added/updated
- [ ] Reviewed by team member
EOF
)

    echo "$pr_body"
}

generate_pr_description "main" "feature/new-api" "Implement new REST API endpoints"

Release Notes Generation:

# Generate release notes from pull requests
generate_release_notes() {
    local previous_release="$1"
    local current_release="${2:-HEAD}"

    echo "# Release Notes"
    echo ""
    echo "## Changes since $previous_release"
    echo ""

    # Generate summary
    git request-pull "$previous_release" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$current_release" |
    grep -E "(are|commits|changed)" |
    head -10

    echo ""
    echo "## Detailed Changes"
    echo ""

    # List commits by category
    echo "### Features"
    git log --grep="^feat:" --oneline "$previous_release..$current_release"

    echo ""
    echo "### Bug Fixes"
    git log --grep="^fix:" --oneline "$previous_release..$current_release"

    echo ""
    echo "### Documentation"
    git log --grep="^docs:" --oneline "$previous_release..$current_release"

    echo ""
    echo "## Contributors"
    git shortlog -sn "$previous_release..$current_release"
}

generate_release_notes "v1.0.0" "v1.1.0"

Troubleshooting Common Issues:

Invalid Base Commit:

# Fix invalid base commit issues
fix_base_commit() {
    local base_commit="$1"
    local url="$2"

    # Check if base commit exists
    if ! git rev-parse --verify "$base_commit" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Base commit $base_commit does not exist locally"

        # Try to find common ancestor
        common_ancestor=$(git merge-base HEAD "$base_commit" 2>/dev/null || echo "")

        if [ -n "$common_ancestor" ]; then
            echo "Using common ancestor: $common_ancestor"
            git request-pull "$common_ancestor" "$url"
        else
            echo "No common ancestor found. Fetch from remote first."
            git fetch origin
            git request-pull "origin/main" "$url"
        fi
    else
        git request-pull "$base_commit" "$url"
    fi
}

fix_base_commit "main" "https://github.com/user/repo.git"

Repository URL Issues:

# Handle repository URL problems
fix_repository_url() {
    local start_commit="$1"
    local repo_url="$2"

    # Validate URL format
    if [[ ! "$repo_url" =~ ^(https?|git|ssh):// ]]; then
        echo "Invalid URL format: $repo_url"

        # Try to construct proper URL
        if [[ "$repo_url" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+/[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$ ]]; then
            # Looks like owner/repo format
            repo_url="https://github.com/$repo_url.git"
            echo "Converted to: $repo_url"
        fi
    fi

    # Test URL accessibility
    if git ls-remote "$repo_url" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        git request-pull "$start_commit" "$repo_url"
    else
        echo "Repository URL not accessible: $repo_url"
        exit 1
    fi
}

fix_repository_url "main" "user/repo"

Large Pull Request Issues:

# Handle large pull requests
handle_large_pr() {
    local start_commit="$1"
    local url="$2"
    local max_commits="${3:-50}"

    # Check PR size
    commit_count=$(git rev-list --count "$start_commit..HEAD")

    if [ "$commit_count" -gt "$max_commits" ]; then
        echo "Large pull request detected ($commit_count commits)"

        # Suggest splitting
        echo "Consider splitting into smaller PRs:"
        git log --oneline "$start_commit..HEAD" | head -20

        # Generate summary only
        git request-pull "$start_commit" "$url" | head -30
        echo "... (truncated - $commit_count total commits)"
    else
        git request-pull "$start_commit" "$url"
    fi
}

handle_large_pr "main" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" 100

Output Formatting Issues:

# Fix output formatting problems
format_pr_output() {
    local start_commit="$1"
    local url="$2"

    echo "Generating formatted pull request..."

    # Generate base output
    pr_content=$(git request-pull "$start_commit" "$url")

    # Clean up formatting
    echo "$pr_content" |
    sed 's/\t/    /g' |  # Convert tabs to spaces
    sed 's/[[:space:]]*$//' |  # Remove trailing whitespace
    cat

    # Add metadata
    echo ""
    echo "---"
    echo "Generated by: git request-pull"
    echo "Base commit: $start_commit"
    echo "Repository: $url"
    echo "Generated at: $(date)"
}

format_pr_output "main" "https://github.com/user/repo.git"

Integration Issues:

# Handle integration platform issues
handle_integration_issues() {
    local platform="$1"
    local start_commit="$2"
    local url="$3"

    case "$platform" in
        "github")
            # GitHub-specific formatting
            pr_body=$(git request-pull "$start_commit" "$url")
            # Convert to GitHub markdown
            echo "$pr_body" | sed 's/^/* /g'  # Add bullet points
            ;;

        "gitlab")
            # GitLab-specific formatting
            pr_body=$(git request-pull "$start_commit" "$url")
            # Add GitLab quick actions
            echo "$pr_body"
            echo ""
            echo "/assign @reviewer"
            echo "/milestone %"v1.1""
            ;;

        "email")
            # Email formatting
            git request-pull "$start_commit" "$url" |
            mail -s "Pull request: $(git log --oneline -1)" maintainer@example.com
            ;;
    esac
}

handle_integration_issues "github" "main" "https://github.com/user/repo.git"

Caution

git request-pull generates human-readable output for communication. Always verify the generated content before sending to maintainers or posting in pull requests.

Real-World Usage Examples:

Open Source Contribution Workflow:

#!/bin/bash
# Open source contribution workflow

submit_open_source_pr() {
    local upstream_url="$1"
    local fork_url="$2"
    local feature_branch="$3"

    echo "Submitting open source pull request"

    # Ensure we're working with upstream
    git remote add upstream "$upstream_url" 2>/dev/null || true
    git fetch upstream

    # Generate PR content
    pr_content=$(cat << EOF
## Pull Request Description

$(git request-pull upstream/main "$fork_url" "$feature_branch")

## Changes Made

### Summary
$(git log --oneline upstream/main..HEAD | wc -l) commits

### Detailed Changes
$(git log --oneline upstream/main..HEAD)

### Files Modified
$(git diff --stat upstream/main..HEAD)

## Testing

- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Integration tests pass
- [ ] Manual testing completed
- [ ] No breaking changes

## Checklist

- [ ] Code follows project style guidelines
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Commit messages are clear and descriptive
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] Reviewed by at least one maintainer

## Additional Notes

<!-- Add any additional context or notes here -->
EOF
)

    echo "$pr_content"

    # Optionally create the PR via API
    # curl -X POST -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" ...
}

submit_open_source_pr "https://github.com/project/project.git" "https://github.com/user/project.git" "feature/new-feature"

Corporate Development Workflow:

# Corporate development workflow with approvals
corporate_pr_workflow() {
    local base_branch="$1"
    local feature_branch="$2"
    local approvers="$3"

    echo "Corporate pull request workflow"

    # Generate formal PR content
    pr_content=$(cat << EOF
# Pull Request: $(git log --oneline -1)

## Overview
$(git request-pull "$base_branch" "https://git.company.com/repo.git" "$feature_branch" | head -10)

## Business Impact
<!-- Describe business impact of these changes -->

## Technical Details

### Commits
$(git log --oneline "$base_branch..$feature_branch")

### Risk Assessment
- [ ] Low risk - bug fixes only
- [ ] Medium risk - new features
- [ ] High risk - breaking changes

### Rollback Plan
<!-- Describe how to rollback if issues occur -->

## Testing

### Test Coverage
$(git diff --stat "$base_branch..$feature_branch")

### Test Results
- [ ] Unit tests: $(run_unit_tests && echo "PASS" || echo "FAIL")
- [ ] Integration tests: $(run_integration_tests && echo "PASS" || echo "FAIL")
- [ ] Performance tests: $(run_performance_tests && echo "PASS" || echo "FAIL")

## Approvals Required

$(echo "$approvers" | tr ',' '\n' | sed 's/^/- [ ] /')

## Deployment Notes
<!-- Add deployment instructions or notes -->

## Related Issues
<!-- Link to related tickets or issues -->
EOF
)

    echo "$pr_content"

    # Send approval requests
    for approver in $(echo "$approvers" | tr ',' ' '); do
        echo "Requesting approval from: $approver"
        # send_approval_request "$approver" "$pr_content"
    done
}

corporate_pr_workflow "release/v1.0" "feature/critical-fix" "manager@company.com,architect@company.com"

Patch Review and Discussion:

# Generate patches for review and discussion
generate_patch_review() {
    local start_commit="$1"
    local end_commit="${2:-HEAD}"
    local reviewer_email="$3"

    echo "Generating patch review package"

    # Create review directory
    review_dir="patch-review-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
    mkdir "$review_dir"
    cd "$review_dir"

    # Generate pull request summary
    git request-pull "$start_commit" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$end_commit" > PULL_REQUEST.txt

    # Generate individual patches
    git format-patch --cover-letter -n "$start_commit..$end_commit"

    # Generate diff statistics
    git diff --stat "$start_commit..$end_commit" > diff-stats.txt

    # Generate commit summary
    git log --oneline --decorate "$start_commit..$end_commit" > commit-summary.txt

    # Create review script
    cat > review.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
echo "Patch Review Helper"
echo "=================="

echo "Pull Request Summary:"
cat PULL_REQUEST.txt | head -20

echo -e "\nCommit Summary:"
cat commit-summary.txt

echo -e "\nDiff Statistics:"
cat diff-stats.txt

echo -e "\nTo review individual patches:"
echo "  git am <patch-file>"
echo "  # Review changes"
echo "  git am --abort  # If issues found"

echo -e "\nTo apply all patches:"
echo "  git am *.patch"
EOF

    chmod +x review.sh

    # Create archive
    cd ..
    tar -czf "${review_dir}.tar.gz" "$review_dir"

    echo "Review package created: ${review_dir}.tar.gz"

    # Send to reviewer if email provided
    if [ -n "$reviewer_email" ]; then
        echo "Sending review package to $reviewer_email"
        echo "Patch review package attached" | mail -s "Patch Review: $(basename "$review_dir")" -A "${review_dir}.tar.gz" "$reviewer_email"
    fi
}

generate_patch_review "main" "feature/complex-refactor" "reviewer@company.com"

Automated Release Process:

# Automated release process with pull request validation
automated_release_process() {
    local release_branch="$1"
    local production_branch="${2:-main}"

    echo "Automated release process"

    # Validate release branch
    if ! git rev-parse --verify "$release_branch" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Release branch $release_branch does not exist"
        exit 1
    fi

    # Generate release notes
    release_notes=$(cat << EOF
# Release $(basename "$release_branch")

$(git request-pull "$production_branch" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$release_branch")

## Changes
$(git log --oneline "$production_branch..$release_branch")

## Testing Status
- [ ] QA testing completed
- [ ] Performance testing completed
- [ ] Security review completed
- [ ] Documentation updated

## Deployment Checklist
- [ ] Database migrations prepared
- [ ] Rollback plan documented
- [ ] Monitoring alerts configured
- [ ] Support team notified

## Rollback Instructions
If issues occur after deployment:
1. git checkout $production_branch
2. git reset --hard HEAD~1  # Remove merge commit
3. Deploy rollback scripts
4. Monitor system recovery
EOF
)

    echo "$release_notes"

    # Validate all checks pass
    if validate_release_checks "$release_branch"; then
        echo "✓ Release validation passed"

        # Create pull request for production deployment
        # This would integrate with GitHub/GitLab APIs
        echo "Creating production deployment PR..."

        # Tag release
        release_tag="v$(date +%Y.%m.%d)"
        git tag -a "$release_tag" "$release_branch" -m "Release $release_tag"

        echo "Release $release_tag prepared"
    else
        echo "✗ Release validation failed"
        exit 1
    fi
}

automated_release_process "release/v1.2.0" "main"

Code Review Automation:

# Automated code review using request-pull output
automated_code_review() {
    local pr_url="$1"
    local reviewer="$2"

    echo "Automated code review for $pr_url"

    # Extract PR information (would use API in real implementation)
    base_commit="abc123"
    head_commit="def456"

    # Generate review report
    review_report=$(cat << EOF
# Code Review Report

**Pull Request:** $pr_url
**Reviewer:** $reviewer
**Date:** $(date)

## Pull Request Summary
$(git request-pull "$base_commit" "https://github.com/user/repo.git" "$head_commit" | head -15)

## Automated Analysis

### Code Quality Metrics
- **Commits:** $(git rev-list --count "$base_commit..$head_commit")
- **Files Changed:** $(git diff --name-only "$base_commit..$head_commit" | wc -l)
- **Lines Added:** $(git diff --stat "$base_commit..$head_commit" | tail -1 | awk '{print $4}' | tr -d '+')
- **Lines Deleted:** $(git diff --stat "$base_commit..$head_commit" | tail -1 | awk '{print $6}' | tr -d '-')

### Potential Issues

#### Large Commits
$(git rev-list "$base_commit..$head_commit" | while read -r commit; do
    changes=$(git show --stat "$commit" | tail -1 | awk '{print $4+$6}')
    if [ "$changes" -gt 200 ]; then
        echo "- $(git show -s --format='%h %s' "$commit") ($changes changes)"
    fi
done)

#### Commit Message Quality
$(git log --oneline "$base_commit..$head_commit" | awk 'length($2) < 15 {print "- " $0 ": Too short"}')

#### Files Needing Review
$(git diff --name-only "$base_commit..$head_commit" | head -10 | sed 's/^/- /')

## Review Checklist
- [ ] Code follows project standards
- [ ] Tests added/updated
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Security implications reviewed
- [ ] Performance impact assessed

## Recommendation
$(if [ $(git rev-list --count "$base_commit..$head_commit") -gt 10 ]; then
    echo "Consider splitting into smaller PRs"
else
    echo "Ready for review"
fi)
EOF
)

    echo "$review_report"

    # Send review report
    echo "$review_report" | mail -s "Code Review: $pr_url" "$reviewer"
}

automated_code_review "https://github.com/user/repo/pull/123" "reviewer@company.com"

Tip

Use git request-pull to generate professional pull request descriptions. Always specify the correct base commit that exists upstream. Include -p for small changes to show full patches.

What’s the difference between request-pull and format-patch?

request-pull generates a summary suitable for pull requests and emails; format-patch creates individual patch files for each commit that can be applied with git am.

How do I generate a pull request for GitHub?

Use git request-pull to generate the description text, then copy it into the GitHub pull request body. The command doesn’t create PRs directly.

Can request-pull work with private repositories?

Yes, as long as you have access to the repository and provide the correct URL. It works with any Git repository URL format.

What if the base commit doesn’t exist upstream?

The command will fail. Always ensure the start commit exists in the upstream repository. Use git merge-base to find a suitable common ancestor.

How do I include patches in the output?

Use the -p option: git request-pull -p []. This includes full patch text for each commit.

Can request-pull generate output for multiple branches?

Run the command separately for each branch, or use a script to generate multiple PR descriptions.

What’s the difference between request-pull and git log —oneline?

request-pull provides a structured summary with pull instructions; git log just shows commit history.

How do I customize the output format?

The output format is fixed, but you can pipe it through text processing tools like sed, awk, or redirect to files for further processing.

Can request-pull work with GitLab or other Git hosting?

Yes, the output is plain text that can be used with any Git hosting platform or emailed to maintainers.

How do I preview the request-pull output?

Run the command and pipe to head -20 or redirect to a file to preview before sending.

What’s the impact of request-pull on repository performance?

Minimal - it only analyzes commit ranges and generates text output. Safe to run on large repositories.

Can request-pull be automated in CI/CD?

Yes, use it in CI pipelines to generate PR descriptions, validate changes, or send notifications.

How do I handle request-pull for forked repositories?

Use the fork URL as the parameter, and ensure the base commit exists in the upstream repository.

Can request-pull show merge commits?

It includes merge commits in the summary but doesn’t show them specially. Use —no-merges to exclude them.

What’s the difference between request-pull and git diff —stat?

request-pull provides a narrative summary with pull instructions; git diff —stat just shows file change statistics.

Applications of the git request-pull command

1. Pull Request Generation: Create professional PR descriptions for Git hosting platforms
2. Patch Submission: Generate formatted patches for email-based workflows
3. Code Review Preparation: Summarize changes for reviewers and maintainers
4. Release Documentation: Generate change summaries for releases
5. Workflow Automation: Integrate with CI/CD for automated PR management
6. Communication: Provide clear summaries of changes for stakeholders