PR Buildr
AI-powered pull request builder for VS Code. Generates PR titles and descriptions from your git diff, commit history, and repo PR template using OpenAI, Anthropic, or Ollama.
Features
- One-click PR creation from the Source Control panel or status bar
- AI-generated drafts — fills in your PR template automatically based on the actual diff
- Review and edit before creating — editable title, body, base branch, and draft toggle
- Multiple AI providers — OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama (local), or any OpenAI-compatible server
- Secure API key storage — keys stored in your OS keychain via VS Code's SecretStorage, never in plain text
- GitHub OAuth — automatic sign-in via VS Code's built-in GitHub authentication
- Push detection — prompts to push unpushed branches before creating a PR
- Jira integration — auto-detect ticket from branch name, prepend to PR title, add link in body
- Stacked PR support — save base branch per feature branch for stacked workflows
- PR template support — uses your repo's PR template or a built-in default
Getting Started
1. Open PR Buildr
Three ways to access it:
- Source Control panel — click the git-pull-request icon in the title bar
- Status bar — click "PR Buildr" in the bottom-left
- Command Palette —
Ctrl+Shift+P → "PR Builder: Create Pull Request"
2. GitHub Authentication
On first use, VS Code will prompt you to sign in with GitHub via OAuth. This is automatic — no tokens to copy or environment variables to set.
3. AI Provider Setup
The extension will prompt you to set an API key on first use. Keys are stored securely in your OS keychain.
Set a key anytime via the Command Palette:
PR Builder: Set OpenAI API KeyPR Builder: Set Anthropic API KeyPR Builder: Set OpenAI-Compatible API Key
Ollama requires no API key — just have Ollama running locally.
Environment variables (OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) are also supported as a fallback.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
| PR Builder: Create Pull Request |
Open the PR creation panel |
| PR Builder: Set Base Branch |
Pick a base branch for the current branch |
| PR Builder: Show Base Branch |
Display the resolved base branch |
| PR Builder: Clear Base Branch |
Remove the saved base branch |
| PR Builder: Regenerate Draft |
Re-run AI generation on the active panel |
| PR Builder: Set OpenAI API Key |
Store your OpenAI key securely |
| PR Builder: Set Anthropic API Key |
Store your Anthropic key securely |
| PR Builder: Set OpenAI-Compatible API Key |
Store a custom server API key securely |
Settings
Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,) and search "PR Buildr":
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
pr-buildr.defaultProvider |
openai |
AI provider (openai, anthropic, ollama, openai-compatible) |
pr-buildr.defaultModel |
(provider default) |
AI model override (e.g., gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
pr-buildr.ollamaBaseUrl |
http://127.0.0.1:11434 |
Ollama server URL |
pr-buildr.openaiCompatibleBaseUrl |
(empty) |
OpenAI-compatible server URL |
pr-buildr.jiraProjectUrl |
(empty) |
Jira project base URL (e.g., https://company.atlassian.net) |
pr-buildr.jiraProjectKey |
(empty) |
Jira project key (e.g., AA, PRD, DATATEAM) |
PR Template
The extension looks for your repo's PR template in this order:
pull_request_template.md (repo root)PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md (repo root).github/pull_request_template.md.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.mddocs/pull_request_template.md
If none is found, a built-in default template is used.
Jira Integration
PR Buildr includes a lightweight Jira integration — no Jira API or authentication required.
How it works
- Configure your Jira project URL and key (in VS Code settings or
.pr-builder.json)
- When creating a PR, the extension detects ticket IDs from your branch name (e.g.,
AA-1234-fix-login → AA-1234)
- The ticket is prepended to the PR title:
AA-1234: <AI title>
- A link to the Jira ticket is included in the PR body
Setup in VS Code
- If Jira is configured, a Jira Ticket text field appears in the webview panel, auto-filled from your branch name. You can edit or clear it.
- If Jira is not configured, a collapsible Integrations section appears. Click it to expand, then click Configure next to Jira to enter your project URL and key.
- You can also set the values directly in VS Code Settings (
Ctrl+,) under pr-buildr.jiraProjectUrl and pr-buildr.jiraProjectKey.
Disabling Jira
Set jira.enabled: false in .pr-builder.json to hide all Jira UI and skip ticket detection entirely.
Base Branch / Stacked PRs
For stacked PR workflows, save a base branch per feature branch:
Ctrl+Shift+P → "PR Builder: Set Base Branch"- Select the branch your current branch should target
- This is saved in
.pr-builder.json and used automatically for future PRs
Also Available as a CLI
PR Buildr also has a command-line interface. See the project repository for CLI installation and usage.
License
MIT
