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Tahsin Abrar
Tahsin Abrar

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How to Create a GitHub Pull Request from the Terminal

#git #github #cli #tutorial

Pull Requests are a normal part of working with GitHub. You write code in a branch, push it to GitHub, then open a Pull Request so your team can review and merge it.

Diagram

Most developers create Pull Requests from the GitHub website. That works fine.

But once you get comfortable with the terminal, you can do the whole flow without leaving your editor or command line.

In this post, we will go through a simple and practical workflow:

  • update your local main branch
  • create a new feature branch
  • commit your changes
  • push the branch to GitHub
  • create a Pull Request from the terminal using GitHub CLI

Let’s use a real example: you are building a login page.

First, Know the Difference: git pull vs Pull Request

A lot of beginners get confused here.

git pull and Pull Request are not the same thing.

git pull

git pull means you are taking the latest code from GitHub and bringing it into your local project.

Example:

git pull origin main
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This updates your local branch with the latest code from the remote main branch.

Pull Request

A Pull Request means you are asking to merge your branch changes into another branch, usually main or develop.

So the simple idea is:

git pull  = bring latest code to your computer
Pull Request = ask to merge your code into main
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To create a Pull Request from the terminal, the usual flow is:

push your branch → create PR with GitHub CLI
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Step 1: Update Your Main Branch

Before starting new work, always get the latest code from the main branch.

git checkout main
git pull origin main
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This helps you avoid working on old code.

Think of it like this: before building your new feature, you are making sure your project is fresh and up to date.

Step 2: Create a New Branch

Now create a new branch for your work.

git checkout -b feature/login-page
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Here, feature/login-page is your working branch.

Good branch names are short, clear, and meaningful.

Examples:

feature/navbar
fix/login-error
update/readme
feature/login-page
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A clear branch name helps your teammates understand what you are working on before they even open the code.

Step 3: Make Your Code Changes

Now do your actual work.

For example, you may add:

  • a login page layout
  • email and password fields
  • a submit button
  • basic styling

After changing the code, check the current Git status:

git status
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This shows which files were changed, added, or deleted.

Step 4: Add Your Files

To add all changed files:

git add .
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The . means Git will add all changed files in the current project.

If you only want to add one file, use the file path:

git add src/App.jsx
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This is useful when you changed many files but only want to commit some of them.

Step 5: Commit Your Changes

Now create a commit:

git commit -m "Add login page UI"
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A good commit message should be short but clear.

Good examples:

git commit -m "Fix navbar responsiveness"
git commit -m "Update README installation steps"
git commit -m "Add user login form"
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Avoid unclear messages like:

git commit -m "changes"
git commit -m "update"
git commit -m "fix"
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Your future self and your teammates will thank you for writing clear commit messages.

Step 6: Push Your Branch to GitHub

Now push your branch to GitHub:

git push -u origin feature/login-page
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You can also push the current branch like this:

git push -u origin HEAD
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This is very handy because you do not need to type the full branch name.

After this, your local branch exists on GitHub too.

Step 7: Install GitHub CLI

To create a Pull Request from the terminal, you need GitHub CLI.

GitHub CLI gives you the gh command.

On Windows

Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run:

winget install --id GitHub.cli --source winget
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After installing, close the terminal and open a new one.

Then check:

gh --version
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On macOS

If you use Homebrew, run:

brew install gh
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Then check:

gh --version
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If you see the version number, GitHub CLI is installed correctly.

Step 8: Login to GitHub CLI

You only need to do this once:

gh auth login
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You will see some options. In most cases, choose:

GitHub.com
HTTPS
Yes
Login with a web browser
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A browser window may open for login and authorization.

After login, check if everything is working:

gh auth status
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Once you are logged in, you can create Pull Requests from the terminal without opening the GitHub website.

Step 9: Create a Pull Request from the Terminal

The easiest way is interactive mode:

gh pr create
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GitHub CLI will ask you questions like:

Title:
Body:
Base branch:
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The base branch is usually:

main
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Or, if your team uses develop, then use:

develop
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After you answer the questions, GitHub CLI creates the Pull Request and shows you the PR URL.

Create a Pull Request in One Command

You can also create the Pull Request in one line.

gh pr create --base main --head feature/login-page --title "Add login page UI" --body "This PR adds the login page UI with form fields and basic styling."
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Let’s understand this command:

--base main
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This is the branch where you want to merge your code.

--head feature/login-page
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This is your feature branch.

--title
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This is the Pull Request title.

--body
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This is the Pull Request description.

If you are already inside the feature branch, you can skip --head:

gh pr create --base main --title "Add login page UI" --body "This PR adds the login page UI with form fields and basic styling."
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What Should You Write in a Pull Request?

A good Pull Request should explain two things:

  1. What changed?
  2. How did you test it?

Here is a simple example.

PR Title 

Add login page UI
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PR Body 

## Summary
- Added login page layout
- Added email and password input fields
- Added submit button styling

## Testing
- Ran the app locally
- Checked the login page in browser
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This is clear, professional, and easy to review.

Your reviewer does not need to guess what you did.

Best Way to Write a Multiline PR Body

Sometimes you want a clean Pull Request body with headings and bullet points.

You may try to paste multiline Markdown directly inside --body, but different shells can behave differently.

The safest and cleanest way is to use a body file.

Create a file named:

pr-body.md
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Put it in your project root directory:

my-project/
├── src/
├── public/
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── pr-body.md
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Inside pr-body.md, write:

## Summary
- Added login page layout
- Added email and password fields
- Added submit button styling

## Testing
- Ran the app locally
- Checked login page in browser
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Then create the Pull Request:

gh pr create --base main --head feature/login-page --title "Add login page UI" --body-file pr-body.md
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This is usually the best option for real projects.

It keeps your command clean and your PR description easy to edit.

After creating the Pull Request, you can delete pr-body.md if you do not want to keep it in the project.

One-Line Multiline Body Without a File

If you really want to write the body directly in the command, here are safe options.

Bash, Git Bash, or macOS Terminal 

gh pr create --base main --head feature/login-page --title "Add login page UI" --body $'## Summary\n- Added login page layout\n- Added email and password fields\n\n## Testing\n- Ran the app locally\n- Checked login page in browser'
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Here, \n means a new line.

Windows PowerShell 

gh pr create --base main --head feature/login-page --title "Add login page UI" --body "## Summary`n- Added login page layout`n- Added email and password fields`n`n## Testing`n- Ran the app locally`n- Checked login page in browser"
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In PowerShell, newline is written as:

`n
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Still, for most real work, I recommend using --body-file.

It is simpler and less error-prone.

Check Your Pull Request

After creating the Pull Request, you can check its status:

gh pr status
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To see Pull Requests in the repository:

gh pr list
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To view the current branch’s Pull Request:

gh pr view
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To open it in the browser:

gh pr view --web
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Opening the browser is optional. You do not need it to create the PR.

The Full Practical Workflow

Here is the complete flow you can use every day:

git checkout main
git pull origin main

git checkout -b feature/my-work

# after code changes
git status
git add .
git commit -m "Add my work"
git push -u origin HEAD

gh pr create --base main --title "Add my work" --body "Added my work and tested locally."
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For a cleaner Pull Request body:

gh pr create --base main --title "Add my work" --body-file pr-body.md
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That is the core workflow.

Common Problems and Fixes

Problem 1: gh: command not found

This means GitHub CLI is not installed, or your terminal has not refreshed yet.

On Windows:

winget install --id GitHub.cli --source winget
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Then close the terminal and open it again.

On macOS:

brew install gh
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Then check:

gh --version
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Problem 2: You Are Not Logged In

If you see a message saying you are not logged in, run:

gh auth login
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Then check:

gh auth status
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Problem 3: Current Branch Is Not Pushed

If GitHub CLI says your branch is not pushed yet, run:

git push -u origin HEAD
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Then try again:

gh pr create
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Problem 4: Pull Request Is Created from the Wrong Branch

First, check your current branch:

git branch --show-current
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If you are on the wrong branch, switch to the correct one:

git checkout feature/login-page
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Then create the Pull Request:

gh pr create --base main
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