"Updates merge request descriptions in GitLab by summarizing MR changes into a bulleted list, excluding changes under docs/. Use when updating an MR description via glab MCP or glab CLI, or when the user asks to summarize MR changes for the description."
Install
npx skillscat add bowentan/super-agent/update-mr-desc Install via the SkillsCat registry.
Update MR Description
Update a merge request's description by inspecting its changes and writing a concise bullet summary. Prefer glab MCP; use glab CLI when MCP is unavailable.
Workflow
- Get the MR diff.
- Filter out docs: Ignore all changes under the
docs/path under the project root. - Summarize the remaining changes into a short bullet list (by intent/feature, not a raw file list).
- Show and confirm: Present the proposed description to the user and wait for explicit confirmation before writing to the remote.
- Update the MR description with that list (only after confirmation).
Getting the diff
- MCP: Use available tools for the current or specified MR to get the patch.
- CLI: From the MR branch or repo:
glab mr diff [MR_ID](omit MR_ID when one MR is in context).
Excluding docs
When building the summary, do not include any change whose path:
docs/under project root
Only summarize changes outside those paths.
Summary format
Write 3-8 bullets that describe what changed and why, not just file names.
Good:
- Add login endpoint and JWT validation
- Extend task model with priority field and migration
- Fix date formatting in report export
Bad:
- Changed
src/auth.py - Changed
src/models/task.py - Changed
reports.py
Infer intent from diffs (new functions, new fields, renames, fixes) and phrase bullets accordingly.
Updating the description
Always show the proposed description and get user confirmation before writing to the remote. Do not call the update tool or CLI until the user has approved the text.
- MCP: Use the MR update tool with the
description(or equivalent) field set to the new content. Preserve or replace existing description per user preference; if unclear, replace with the new bullet summary. - CLI: `glab mr update [MR_ID] --description "$(cat <<'EOF'
- Bullet one
- Bullet two
EOF
)"`
Escape or quote the description so newlines and bullets are preserved.
Checklist
- Diff retrieved (MCP or CLI)
- All changes under
docs/excluded from summary - Summary is bullet and describes intent, not just paths
- Proposed description shown to user and confirmation received
- MR description updated via MCP or
glab mr update(only after confirmation)