GitHub PR Close

When to use

• The user asks to close a PR without merging.
• PR is abandoned, superseded, or no longer needed.
• Cleaning up stale PRs.

Inputs to confirm

• PR number, URL, or branch name.
• Whether to delete the associated branch.
• Optional closing comment.
• Target repo if not current (--repo OWNER/REPO).

Workflow

1. Verify auth:

``bash gh --version gh auth status ``

1. Check PR state first:

``bash gh pr view 123 --json number,title,state,headRefName ``

1. Close the PR:

``bash gh pr close 123 gh pr close 123 --comment "Closing: superseded by #456" gh pr close 123 --delete-branch ``

1. Verify closure:

``bash gh pr view 123 --json state,closedAt ``

Examples

# Close PR without comment
gh pr close 123

# Close with explanation
gh pr close 123 --comment "No longer needed after refactoring."

# Close and delete branch
gh pr close 123 --delete-branch --comment "Superseded by #200"

Flags reference

Notes

• Closed PRs can be reopened with gh pr reopen.
• Use --delete-branch to clean up feature branches.
• Arguments accept number, URL, or branch name.

References

• GitHub CLI manual: https://cli.github.com/manual/
• gh pr close --help