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Pr Reference

MicrosoftOfficialPublished by Microsoft

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • MIT
  • Low risk
  • Has scripts

From the author

Generates PR reference XML with commit history and unified diffs between branches, with extension and path filtering. Use when creating pull request descriptions, preparing code reviews, analyzing branch changes, discovering work items from diffs, or generating structured diff summaries.
— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The pr-reference skill provides a set of scripts to extract git commit metadata and diffs into a structured XML format. It supports cross-platform execution via Bash and PowerShell, allowing developers to generate comprehensive branch comparisons. Beyond generation, the skill includes utility scripts to list changed files and inspect specific diff chunks, making it a versatile tool for automating pull request descriptions, conducting code reviews, and performing security analysis on code changes.

What it does

  • Generates an XML document containing commit history and unified diffs between branches.
  • Supports filtering diffs by file extensions and directory paths to reduce noise.
  • Provides utility scripts to list changed files with type-based filtering.
  • Enables inspection of large diffs through chunked reading capabilities.
  • Offers flexible base branch selection, including automatic remote default detection.
  • Supports three-way comparison using git merge-base.

When to use it

  • When you need to generate detailed pull request descriptions based on commit history.
  • When preparing for code reviews and requiring structured context of changes.
  • When you need to analyze branch changes or discover work items from diffs.
  • When you need to perform security audits on modified files.
  • When you need to exclude specific file types or paths from your diff analysis.

Advantages

  • Structured XML output facilitates programmatic processing and integration.
  • Cross-platform support ensures consistency across different development environments.
  • Granular filtering options help focus on relevant code changes.
  • Utility scripts simplify the extraction of specific file lists or diff segments.
  • Supports standard git workflows like three-way merges.

Usage examples

“Generate a PR reference comparing my current branch to the main branch.”
The skill executes the generation script, creating an XML file at .copilot-tracking/pr/pr-reference.xml containing the commit history and diffs.
“List all added and modified files from the generated PR reference.”
The skill runs the list-changed-files script, outputting a filtered list of files based on the specified change types.
“Read the diff for src/main.ts from the generated reference.”
The skill extracts and displays the specific unified diff content for the requested file.
“Generate a PR reference excluding all JSON and YAML files.”
The skill generates the XML report while applying the specified extension filters to the diff output.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/pr-reference/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip pr-reference.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

PR Reference Generation Skill

Overview

Queries git for commit metadata and diff output, then produces a structured XML document. Both bash and PowerShell implementations are provided.

Use cases:

  • PR description generation from commit history

  • Code review preparation with structured diff context

  • Work item discovery by analyzing branch changes

  • Security analysis of modified files

After successful generation, include a file link to the absolute path of the XML output in the response.

Prerequisites

The repository must have at least one commit diverging from the base branch.

PlatformRuntime
macOS / LinuxBash (pre-installed)
WindowsPowerShell 7+ (pwsh)
Cross-platformPowerShell 7+ (pwsh)

Quick Start

Run the following command to generate a PR reference with default settings (compares against origin/main):

scripts/generate.sh
scripts/generate.sh --base-branch auto --merge-base --exclude-ext yml,json
scripts/generate.ps1
scripts/generate.ps1 -BaseBranch auto -MergeBase -ExcludeExt yml,json

Output saves to .copilot-tracking/pr/pr-reference.xml by default.

Parameters Reference

ParameterFlag (bash)Flag (PowerShell)DefaultDescription
Base branch--base-branch-BaseBranchorigin/main (bash) / main (PowerShell)Target branch for comparison. Use auto to detect remote default.
Merge base--merge-base-MergeBasefalseUse git merge-base for three-way comparison
Exclude markdown--no-md-diff-ExcludeMarkdownDifffalseExclude markdown files (*.md) from the diff
Exclude extensions--exclude-ext-ExcludeExt(none)Comma-separated extensions to exclude (e.g., yml,yaml,json,png)
Exclude paths--exclude-path-ExcludePath(none)Comma-separated path prefixes to exclude (for example, documentation and GitHub configuration directories)
Output path--output-OutputPath.copilot-tracking/pr/pr-reference.xmlCustom output file path

Both defaults resolve to the same remote comparison. The PowerShell script automatically resolves origin/<branch> when a bare branch name is provided.

Additional Scripts Reference

After generating the PR reference, use these utility scripts to query the XML.

List Changed Files

Run the list script to extract file paths from the diff:

scripts/list-changed-files.sh                              # all changed files
scripts/list-changed-files.sh --type added                  # filter by single type
scripts/list-changed-files.sh --type added,modified,renamed  # filter by multiple types
scripts/list-changed-files.sh --exclude-type deleted         # exclude specific types
scripts/list-changed-files.sh --format markdown              # output as markdown table
scripts/list-changed-files.ps1                             # all changed files
scripts/list-changed-files.ps1 -Type Added                  # filter by single type
scripts/list-changed-files.ps1 -Type Added,Modified,Renamed # filter by multiple types
scripts/list-changed-files.ps1 -ExcludeType Deleted          # exclude specific types
scripts/list-changed-files.ps1 -Format Json                  # output as JSON
ParameterFlag (bash)Flag (PowerShell)DefaultDescription
Input path--input, -i-InputPath(auto)Path to pr-reference.xml
Type filter--type, -t-TypeallChange types to include (comma-separated: added, modified, etc.)
Exclude type--exclude-type-ExcludeType(none)Change types to exclude. Mutually exclusive with --type (non-all)
Format--format, -f-FormatplainOutput format: plain, json, or markdown
Read Diff Content

Run the read script to inspect diff content with chunking for large diffs:

scripts/read-diff.sh --info             # chunk info (count, line ranges)
scripts/read-diff.sh --chunk 1          # read a specific chunk
scripts/read-diff.sh --file src/main.ts  # extract diff for one file
scripts/read-diff.sh --summary          # file stats summary
scripts/read-diff.ps1 -Info              # chunk info
scripts/read-diff.ps1 -Chunk 1           # read a specific chunk
scripts/read-diff.ps1 -File "src/main.ts" # extract diff for one file

Output Format

The generated XML wraps commit metadata and unified diff output in a <commit_history> root element. See the reference guide for the complete XML schema, element reference, output path variations, and workflow integration patterns.

Troubleshooting

SymptomCauseResolution
"No commits found" or empty XMLNo diverging commits from base branchVerify the branch has commits ahead of the base with git log base..HEAD
"Branch not found" errorBase branch ref missing locallyRun git fetch origin to update remote tracking refs
"git: command not found"git is not on PATHInstall git or verify PATH includes the git binary directory

Files

scripts/read-diff.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Copyright (c) 2026 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

# read-diff.sh
# Reads diff content from a PR reference XML with chunking and file filtering.
# Supports reading by line range, chunk number, or specific file path.

set -euo pipefail

show_usage() {
  echo "Usage: ${0##*/} [OPTIONS]"
  echo ""
  echo "Read diff content from pr-reference.xml with chunking support."
  echo ""
  echo "Options:"
  echo "  --input, -i      Path to pr-reference.xml (default: .copilot-tracking/pr/pr-reference.xml)"
  echo "  --chunk, -c      Chunk number to read (1-based, default chunk size: 500 lines)"
  echo "  --chunk-size, -s Lines per chunk (default: 500)"
  echo "  --lines, -l      Line range to read (format: START,END or START-END)"
  echo "  --file, -f       Extract diff for a specific file path"
  echo "  --summary        Show diff summary only (file list with stats)"
  echo "  --info           Show chunk information without content"
  echo "  --help, -h       Show this help message"
  echo ""
  echo "Examples:"
  echo "  ${0##*/} --chunk 1                     # Read first 500 lines of diff"
  echo "  ${0##*/} --chunk 2 --chunk-size 300    # Read lines 301-600"
  echo "  ${0##*/} --lines 100,500               # Read lines 100-500"
  echo "  ${0##*/} --file src/main.ts            # Extract diff for specific file"
  echo "  ${0##*/} --info                        # Show chunk breakdown"
  exit 1
}

REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)
INPUT_FILE="${REPO_ROOT}/.copilot-tracking/pr/pr-reference.xml"
CHUNK_NUM=""
CHUNK_SIZE=500
LINE_RANGE=""
FILE_PATH=""
SHOW_SUMMARY=false
SHOW_INFO=false

while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
  case "$1" in
    --input|-i)
      INPUT_FILE="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --chunk|-c)
      CHUNK_NUM="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --chunk-size|-s)
      CHUNK_SIZE="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --lines|-l)
      LINE_RANGE="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --file|-f)
      FILE_PATH="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --summary)
      SHOW_SUMMARY=true
      shift
      ;;
    --info)
      SHOW_INFO=true
      shift
      ;;
    --help|-h)
      show_usage
      ;;
    *)
      echo "Unknown option: $1" >&2
      show_usage
      ;;
  esac
done

if [[ ! -f "${INPUT_FILE}" ]]; then
  echo "Error: PR reference file not found: ${INPUT_FILE}" >&2
  echo "Run generate.sh first to create the PR reference." >&2
  exit 1
fi

# Get total line count
TOTAL_LINES=$(wc -l < "${INPUT_FILE}" | awk '{print $1}')
TOTAL_CHUNKS=$(( (TOTAL_LINES + CHUNK_SIZE - 1) / CHUNK_SIZE ))

# Show info mode
if [[ "${SHOW_INFO}" == "true" ]]; then
  echo "File: ${INPUT_FILE}"
  echo "Total lines: ${TOTAL_LINES}"
  echo "Chunk size: ${CHUNK_SIZE}"
  echo "Total chunks: ${TOTAL_CHUNKS}"
  echo ""
  echo "Chunk breakdown:"
  for ((i=1; i<=TOTAL_CHUNKS; i++)); do
    start=$(( (i - 1) * CHUNK_SIZE + 1 ))
    end=$(( i * CHUNK_SIZE ))
    if [[ $end -gt $TOTAL_LINES ]]; then
      end=$TOTAL_LINES
    fi
    echo "  Chunk ${i}: lines ${start}-${end}"
  done
  exit 0
fi

# Show summary mode
if [[ "${SHOW_SUMMARY}" == "true" ]]; then
  echo "Changed files:"
  # Count lines changed per file, matching Get-DiffSummary counts in read-diff.ps1
  awk '
    { sub(/\r$/, "") }
    /^diff --git a\/.+ b\// {
      if (file != "") { printf "  %s (+%d/-%d)\n", file, added, removed }
      # Skip the 13-char "diff --git a/" prefix; search " b/" from char 2
      # to mirror the lazy (.+?) b/ match in Get-DiffSummary.
      rest = substr($0, 14)
      file = substr(rest, 1, index(substr(rest, 2), " b/"))
      added = 0
      removed = 0
      next
    }
    file != "" && /^\+[^+]/ { added++ }
    file != "" && /^-[^-]/ { removed++ }
    END { if (file != "") { printf "  %s (+%d/-%d)\n", file, added, removed } }
  ' < "${INPUT_FILE}" | LC_ALL=C sort -f
  exit 0
fi

# Extract diff for specific file
if [[ -n "${FILE_PATH}" ]]; then
  # Find the diff block for this file
  awk -v file="${FILE_PATH}" '
    /^diff --git/ {
      if (printing) { printing = 0 }
      if ($0 ~ "a/" file " b/") { printing = 1 }
    }
    printing { print }
  ' "${INPUT_FILE}"
  exit 0
fi

# Read by chunk number
if [[ -n "${CHUNK_NUM}" ]]; then
  if [[ ! "${CHUNK_NUM}" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || [[ "${CHUNK_NUM}" -lt 1 ]]; then
    echo "Error: Invalid chunk number: ${CHUNK_NUM}" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  start=$(( (CHUNK_NUM - 1) * CHUNK_SIZE + 1 ))
  end=$(( CHUNK_NUM * CHUNK_SIZE ))

  if [[ $start -gt $TOTAL_LINES ]]; then
    echo "Error: Chunk ${CHUNK_NUM} exceeds file (only ${TOTAL_CHUNKS} chunks available)" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  if [[ $end -gt $TOTAL_LINES ]]; then
    end=$TOTAL_LINES
  fi

  echo "# Chunk ${CHUNK_NUM}/${TOTAL_CHUNKS} (lines ${start}-${end} of ${TOTAL_LINES})"
  echo ""
  sed -n "${start},${end}p" "${INPUT_FILE}"
  exit 0
fi

# Read by line range
if [[ -n "${LINE_RANGE}" ]]; then
  # Support both comma and dash separators
  LINE_RANGE="${LINE_RANGE//,/-}"
  if [[ ! "${LINE_RANGE}" =~ ^[0-9]+-[0-9]+$ ]]; then
    echo "Error: Invalid line range format. Use START,END or START-END" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  start="${LINE_RANGE%%-*}"
  end="${LINE_RANGE##*-}"

  if [[ $start -gt $TOTAL_LINES ]]; then
    echo "Error: Start line ${start} exceeds file length (${TOTAL_LINES} lines)" >&2
    exit 1
  fi

  if [[ $end -gt $TOTAL_LINES ]]; then
    end=$TOTAL_LINES
  fi

  echo "# Lines ${start}-${end} of ${TOTAL_LINES}"
  echo ""
  sed -n "${start},${end}p" "${INPUT_FILE}"
  exit 0
fi

# Default: show chunk info and first chunk preview
echo "File: ${INPUT_FILE}"
echo "Total lines: ${TOTAL_LINES}"
echo "Total chunks: ${TOTAL_CHUNKS} (at ${CHUNK_SIZE} lines/chunk)"
echo ""
echo "Use --chunk N to read a specific chunk, --lines START,END for a range,"
echo "or --file PATH to extract a specific file's diff."

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: GitHub Copilot, Claude Code

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Claude Code frontmatter

The author says: Requires git available on PATH

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

  • Scripts that your agent may run

This skill includes scripts that your agent may run. Read them before you use it.

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
Microsoft
Publisher
Microsoft (Official)
Source
microsoft/hve-core · .github/skills/shared/pr-reference · commit f425e94
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download pr-reference.zip