Working with Pull Requests

Listen to Episode 6: Working with Pull Requests - a conversational audio overview of this chapter. Listen before reading to preview the concepts, or after to reinforce what you learned.

Creating, Reviewing, and Merging Pull Requests with a Screen Reader

Pull requests are where your work becomes a contribution. This guide takes you through the full pull request workflow - from opening one to participating in review - using only your keyboard and screen reader.

Official GitHub Accessibility Guide: GitHub publishes an NVDA-focused guide for working with pull requests using a screen reader at Using GitHub Pull Requests with a Screen Reader. This chapter covers the same material with additional perspectives (VoiceOver, low vision, CLI) and workshop-specific challenges. Use the official guide as a companion reference.

Screen reader note - New Files Changed Experience: This guide uses GitHub's improved Files Changed experience, which adds proper ARIA landmark structure to the Files Changed tab, including the file tree and diff navigation. This feature may already be active for your account - it has been broadly rolled out and may no longer appear as a Feature Preview toggle at all.

To verify: Activate the User Menu button (top-right of any GitHub page) → activate "Feature preview" → scan the list for "New Files Changed Experience":

Full step-by-step instructions with per-screen-reader commands are in Pre-Workshop Setup, Step 4.

Browse vs Focus Mode (NVDA): Use Browse Mode (the default) for reading PR conversations, navigating headings, and reviewing diffs. Switch to Focus Mode (NVDA+Space) only when you need to type in comment boxes or search fields. Switch back to Browse Mode to resume navigation. Maximize your browser window for consistent landmark layout.

Workshop Recommendation (Chapter 6)

Chapter 6 is the first PR-validated chapter where students convert issue work into merge-ready contributions.

Chapter 6 Challenge Set

  1. Create one small branch change - edit a practice file on a new branch.
  2. Open a linked PR - use the PR template and include Closes #XX.
  3. Pass required checks - respond to bot feedback until all required checks pass.

Branch guidance for Chapter 6: This is the first chapter where you edit files and create branches. Use one of these two paths:

Do NOT use your username-practice branch yet. The practice branch is for Chapter 11 and beyond when you work locally with Git and VS Code. For Chapter 6, use a short-lived feature branch as described above.

Challenge 6.1 Step-by-Step: Create One Small Branch Change

Goal: Edit one of the practice files and save your change on a new branch.

Where you are working: the learning-room repository on GitHub.com, using the web editor.

Before you start: Open your assigned Chapter 6.1 challenge issue (the one titled "Chapter 6.1: Create One Small Branch Change (@yourname)"). The issue description tells you which file to edit and what to fix.

The Learning Room has three practice files with intentional problems. Your assigned issue points you to one of them:

The following table summarizes the practice files in the learning-room, what each file contains, and the type of issues to look for.

File What it contains What to fix
docs/welcome.md Introduction to open source contribution Three [TODO] sections where content is missing
docs/keyboard-shortcuts.md Screen reader shortcut reference tables Intentional errors in shortcut references
docs/setup-guide.md Getting-started instructions Broken links and incomplete steps

Steps using the web editor:

  1. In the learning-room repository, navigate to the file specified in your issue. Use the file tree or the "Go to file" button (T keyboard shortcut).
  2. Open the file and activate the pencil icon (Edit this file) button.
    • Screen reader users (NVDA/JAWS): Press B to navigate buttons, find "Edit this file," and press Enter.
    • VoiceOver users: Press VO+U, open Buttons rotor, find "Edit this file," and press VO+Space.
  3. The file opens in the web editor. Make your change. For example:
    • If your issue is about a [TODO] section: replace the [TODO] placeholder with the requested content (one to three sentences).
    • If your issue is about a broken link: find and correct the URL.
    • If your issue is about a shortcut error: find and fix the incorrect value in the table.
  4. Keep your change small and focused. Edit only what the issue asks for.

Proposing your changes (this creates your branch):

  1. After editing, activate the Commit changes button (green button above the editor).
  2. A dialog appears. In the Branch name field, type: fix/yourname-issueXX (replace yourname with your GitHub username, and XX with the issue number).
  3. Select Create a new branch for this commit and start a pull request.
  4. Activate Propose changes.

You are done when: GitHub shows the "Open a pull request" page. Your file change is saved on a new branch. Continue to Challenge 6.2.

Challenge 6.2 Step-by-Step: Open a Linked PR

Goal: Open a pull request that links to your challenge issue so it closes automatically on merge.

Where you are working: the "Open a pull request" page that appeared after Challenge 6.1 (or navigate to Pull Requests tab and select "Compare and pull request").

  1. In the Title field, write a short description of your change. Examples:
    • "Complete the Who Can Contribute section in welcome.md"
    • "Fix broken accessibility settings link in setup-guide.md"
    • "Correct NVDA modifier key in keyboard-shortcuts.md"
  2. In the Body field, use the PR template if one is provided. Make sure to include:
    • A summary of what you changed and why (at least 50 characters).
    • The line Closes #XX where XX is the number of your assigned Chapter 6 challenge issue.
  3. Verify the base branch is main and the compare branch is your fix/yourname-issueXX branch.
  4. Activate the Create pull request button.

You are done when: Your PR appears in the Pull Requests list. The bot will begin running checks within about 30 seconds. Continue to Challenge 6.3.

Challenge 6.3 Step-by-Step: Pass Required Checks

Goal: Read bot feedback, fix any issues it finds, and get all required checks to pass.

Where you are working: the Conversation tab of your open pull request.

  1. Wait approximately 30 seconds after opening the PR. The bot posts a validation comment.
  2. Read the bot comment carefully. It checks:
    • That your PR references an issue with Closes #XX.
    • That your PR description is detailed enough (50+ characters).
    • That your changed files are in the learning-room/ folder.
    • Accessibility checks: heading hierarchy, descriptive link text, valid alt text.
  3. If the bot reports failures:
    • Open the changed file from the Files changed tab.
    • Activate the pencil icon to edit the file again (directly on your branch).
    • Fix the issue the bot identified.
    • Commit the fix to the same branch (the bot re-runs automatically on each push).
  4. Repeat step 3 until all required checks show a green checkmark.
  5. When all checks pass, request a review from a peer or the facilitator.

You are done when: The bot comment shows all required checks passed (green checkmarks). Your PR is ready for human review and merge.

Expected Outcomes

If You Get Stuck

  1. Confirm your PR includes Closes #XX in title or body.
  2. Check that changed files are only in learning-room/.
  3. Open the bot validation comment and resolve one required check at a time.
  4. If checks still fail, ask for peer or facilitator review with the exact error message.

Learning Moment

A great PR is small, linked to an issue, and easy to review. Faster feedback builds confidence and momentum.

Why this feels achievable

About Learning Cards in This Chapter

This chapter provides learning cards: expandable blocks that offer perspective-specific guidance for different ways of working. Not every card appears at every step. Open the ones that match how you work.

The following table describes the six learning card types used in this chapter.

Card Who it helps What it covers
Visual / mouse Sighted users navigating with a mouse or trackpad Click targets, visual cues, layout orientation
Low vision Users with magnification, zoom, or high-contrast themes Zoom-friendly navigation, finding controls at high magnification, high contrast visibility
NVDA / JAWS (Windows) Screen reader users on Windows Keystroke sequences, Focus and Browse mode, landmark paths
VoiceOver (macOS) Screen reader users on macOS VO key sequences, rotor usage, interaction model
GitHub.com web All users working in the browser Browser-based workflows without local tools
CLI (git / gh) Terminal users on any platform Git and GitHub CLI commands for PR management

Local Git Alternative: The Full Branch-Edit-PR Workflow

If you cloned the learning-room in Block 0 and prefer working locally

The web editor workflow (pencil button, "Propose changes") is the primary path taught in this chapter. If you cloned the Learning Room in Block 0 and are comfortable in a terminal, here is the local equivalent. This is the same workflow covered in depth in Chapter 11: Git and Source Control.

Step 1 - Sync and create a feature branch:

cd ~/Documents/learning-room
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b fix/welcome-todos

Step 2 - Edit the file in your editor:

Open the file in VS Code or your preferred editor:

code docs/welcome.md

Make your changes and save the file.

Step 3 - Stage, commit, and push:

git add docs/welcome.md
git commit -m "Complete TODO sections in welcome.md"
git push -u origin fix/welcome-todos

Step 4 - Open a pull request:

gh pr create --title "Complete TODO sections in welcome.md" \
  --body "Closes #42" --base main

Or open interactively:

gh pr create

The GitHub CLI walks you through title, body, base branch, and reviewers.

What happens next is identical: the Learning Room bot validates your PR, posts feedback, and you request a human reviewer - the same as the web workflow.

Tip: You can also create a named feature branch with git checkout -b fix/yourname-issueXX if you prefer that naming convention over the practice branch.

What Is a Pull Request?

A pull request (PR) is a proposal to merge changes from one branch into another. When you have:

...you open a PR to request that those changes be merged into the target branch (usually main).

A PR shows:

Learning Room connection: In the Learning Room repository, every hands-on contribution follows this pattern. For example, when you complete Challenge 3 (filling the [TODO] sections in docs/welcome.md), you open a PR that shows your added content as green + lines in the diff, your description explains which TODOs you completed and why, and the validation bot posts automated check results. The scenarios in this chapter use Learning Room files so you can follow along with real content.

Visual / mouse users

Click the Pull requests tab in the repository navigation bar. The tab shows the count of open PRs. Click any PR title to open it.

Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)

The Pull requests tab is in the repository navigation bar near the top of the page. At 200% browser zoom or higher, the tab bar may wrap to a second line. The tab text includes the open PR count in parentheses.

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS - Windows)
  1. D → "Repository navigation" landmark
  2. K to navigate tabs → "Pull requests, [N] open"
  3. Enter to open
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. VO+U → Landmarks → navigate to "Repository navigation"
  2. Quick Nav K or VO+Right to navigate tabs → "Pull requests"
  3. VO+Space to open

From a PR notification

If you received a notification about a PR, follow the notification link directly to the PR page.

GitHub CLI (gh) alternative

List and view pull requests from your terminal:

# List open PRs
gh pr list

# Filter by review status
gh pr list --search "review-requested:@me"

# View a specific PR in the terminal
gh pr view 42

# Open a PR in your browser
gh pr view 42 --web

Setup: Install the GitHub CLI from cli.github.com and authenticate with gh auth login. See Appendix D for details.

The Pull Request List Page

The PR list works identically to the Issues list:

Screen reader note - PR list semantics: The PR list does not have individual ARIA item containers with per-item semantics. To read a PR's full detail (title, author, labels, status), you must navigate sequentially with Tab or arrow keys through the elements for each item. Starting from a PR title link, Tab forward to find the author, labels, and review status for that same PR before moving to the next title.

Hovercards: Hovercards appear when you hover over usernames and links in the PR list, adding extra verbosity. To reduce this noise: go to your GitHub Profile → Accessibility settings → disable "Show link previews" and similar hover triggers. This makes sequential navigation significantly less cluttered.

Anatomy of a Pull Request Page

A PR page has three main tabs:

[PR title - h1]
[State badge: Open / Merged / Closed / Draft]
[Author, base ← compare, timestamp]

[ Conversation ] [ Commits ] [ Files changed ]
                                ↑ tab bar landmark

─── Conversation Tab ────────────────────────────────────────
[PR description - authored by opener]
[Status checks summary]
[Activity / review thread]
  [Review comment - h3]
  [Line comments - nested]
[Merge controls (for maintainers)]
[Comment box]

─── Commits Tab ─────────────────────────────────────────────
[List of commits, grouped by date - h3 for dates]
[Each commit as a list item with SHA, message, author]

─── Files Changed Tab ────────────────────────────────────────
[File filter search]
[File tree (left panel)]
[Diff for each file - each file is a heading]
[Line-level comment threads within diffs]

The Conversation, Commits, and Files changed tabs are in a “Pull request navigation tabs” landmark.

Visual / mouse users

The three tabs - Conversation, Commits, and Files changed - appear just below the PR title. Click the tab you want. The active tab is underlined. The count on Files changed shows how many files were modified.

Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)

The PR tab bar sits just below the PR title and state badge. At high zoom levels:

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS)
  1. Press D → navigate to “Pull request navigation tabs”
  2. Press or arrow keys to move between tab options
  3. Press Enter to activate a tab
Screen reader users (VoiceOver)
  1. VO+U → Landmarks → “Pull request navigation tabs”
  2. VO+Right to move between tabs
  3. VO+Space to activate

Each tab link reads with its name and the count: "Files changed, 3 files changed."

Reading the Conversation Tab

PR Description

  1. 2 → navigate to "Description" h2 heading
  2. to read the description
  3. Markdown renders as semantic HTML - headings, lists, code blocks are fully accessible

Status Checks Section

Below the description, the status checks summary shows whether automated tests passed. Look for:

Visual / mouse users

Status checks appear as a coloured banner below the PR description - green tick for passed, red X for failed, yellow spinner for running. Click Show all checks to expand the full list. Click a check name to go to its run log.

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS - Windows)
  1. Press H or 2 to find the "Checks" or "Status checks" heading
  2. Press K to navigate links for individual check names
  3. Press Enter on a check to see its details
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. Quick Nav H or VO+Cmd+H to jump to the "Checks" or "Status checks" heading
  2. Quick Nav K to navigate check name links
  3. VO+Space on a check to see its details

See GitHub Actions & Workflows for full guidance on reading status checks.

Review Comments

Each review comment thread is an h3. Navigate with 3:

To reply to a review comment:

Step 1: Navigate to the comment (3)
Step 2: Tab to "Reply…" link/button
Step 3: The reply text area appears - Focus Mode → type your reply
Step 4: Ctrl+Enter to submit

Resolving conversations

When a review comment has been addressed, you can mark the conversation as resolved:

  1. Navigate to the conversation thread (3 to jump between comment headings)
  2. Tab to the end of the thread to find the "Resolve conversation" button
  3. Press Enter to mark it resolved
  4. The conversation collapses and shows as "Resolved"

Resolved conversations are still accessible - they collapse but can be expanded again. This helps both reviewers and authors track which feedback items have been addressed.

Reading the Commits Tab

Step 1: Navigate to Commits tab (D → PR tabs → Enter)
Step 2: 3 to navigate date group headings ("Commits on April 20")
Step 3: I to navigate individual commits within a date group
Step 4: Each commit: SHA link, message, author, [Verified] badge if signed
Step 5: Enter on a commit to open its diff

Reading the Checks Tab

The Checks tab shows the status of automated tests, CI workflows, and other verification processes running on your PR. It helps you verify whether your changes pass all required tests before merging.

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS - Windows)
  1. Navigate to the "Pull request tabs" landmark (D)
  2. Navigate between tab links (K or Tab) and activate "Checks"
  3. Press D to jump to the "check suites" section - this moves focus to the collapsed details button of the first check
  4. Press B or Tab to navigate between check buttons; each button is labeled with the check's name
  5. Press Enter or Space to expand a check and reveal its logs:
    • Navigate through the check steps with K or Tab
    • Activate a step for more details
  6. For a summary view: press D to navigate to the "check run summary" section
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. VO+U -> Landmarks -> "Pull request tabs" -> activate "Checks"
  2. VO+U -> Landmarks -> navigate to "check suites" section
  3. VO+Right to move through check buttons, VO+Space to expand
  4. For summary: VO+U -> Landmarks -> "check run summary"

Reading the Files Changed Tab

This is the core of a code review. You will read diffs - the before/after state of every file that changed.

Note: This guide uses GitHub's improved Files Changed experience. If your Files Changed tab doesn't match these steps, refer to the screen reader verification steps in the prerequisite callout at the top of this chapter - the feature may need to be enabled in Feature Preview, or it may already be active for your account with no action required.

File Tree (left panel)

The file tree lists every changed file. Use it to jump directly to a specific file’s diff.

Visual / mouse users

The file tree panel is on the left side of the Files Changed tab. It lists every modified file. Click a filename to scroll the diff view to that file. You can collapse or expand folders by clicking the arrow. Type in the filter box at the top to narrow the file list.

Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)

The file tree panel is on the left side of the Files Changed tab. At 200% zoom or higher:

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS - Windows)
  1. D → navigate to "File tree" region
  2. ↑/↓ to navigate the file list
  3. Enter to jump to that file's diff
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. VO+U → Landmarks → navigate to "File tree" region
  2. VO+Down to move through the file list
  3. VO+Space to jump to that file's diff

The Diff for a File

Each changed file has:

Lines in a diff are read as

Visual / mouse users

Each file’s diff shows added lines in green and removed lines in red. Scroll the page to read through changes. Unchanged context lines are shown in white/grey. Collapse a file’s diff by clicking the arrow next to its filename heading. Use Ctrl+F (browser Find) to search for specific text within visible diffs.

Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)

The diff view uses color-coded backgrounds: green for added lines, red for removed lines, and white or grey for unchanged context.

Tips for reading diffs at high magnification:

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS)
  1. T to jump to the next diff table
  2. Switch to Focus Mode: Insert+Space (NVDA) or Insert+Z (JAWS)
  3. Ctrl+Alt+↓ to move down one row (next diff line), Ctrl+Alt+↑ to move up
  4. Ctrl+Alt+→ to read across columns (line number | change type | content)
  5. The screen reader reads: “+ Add accessible name to submit button”
  6. Collapsed sections contain unchanged code. Focus the expand/disclosure control and activate it (Enter or Space) to reveal the hidden lines.

Tip: You can also use and in Focus Mode for simpler line-by-line reading when you don’t need column-level detail. Use NVDA+F7 to get a headings overview of all changed files before diving into individual diffs.

Screen reader users (VoiceOver)
  1. T or VO+U → Tables → select the diff table
  2. VO+Shift+Down to enter the table
  3. VO+Right/Left for columns, VO+Up/Down for rows

Placing an inline comment on a diff line

Visual / mouse users

Hover over any line in the diff - a blue + button appears on the left margin. Click it to open a comment box for that line. Type your comment, then click Add single comment (posts immediately) or Start a review (batches the comment with others). To select a range of lines, click and drag across the line numbers on the left.

Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)

The inline comment button (a blue + icon) appears on hover near the left margin of each diff line. At high magnification:

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS - Windows)
  1. Navigate to the specific line in the diff (using the table navigation above)
  2. While focused on that line, a comment button appears - press Enter or Space to activate it
  3. A comment box opens below the line
  4. Focus Mode → type your comment
  5. Tab to Add single comment button (instant comment) OR Start a review (to batch comments)

Multi-line comment (Windows)

  1. Focus the first line you want to comment on
  2. Press Shift+↓ to extend the selection to additional lines
  3. A comment button appears - activate it
  4. The comment applies to the full range of selected lines
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. Navigate to the specific line in the diff (using the table navigation above)
  2. While focused on that line, VO+Space on the comment button that appears
  3. A comment box opens below the line
  4. VO+Shift+Down to interact with the text area, then type your comment
  5. VO+Shift+Up to stop interacting, then Tab to Add single comment and VO+Space

Multi-line comment (macOS)

  1. Focus the first line and Shift+↓ to extend the selection
  2. VO+Space on the comment button that appears
  3. The comment applies to the full range of selected lines

Viewing comments within the diff

Inline comments appear as expandable threads within the diff table. Navigate to them with 3 (they are h3 headings). Each thread shows the comment, any replies, and a "Reply" button.

Opening a Pull Request

From the web editor workflow (editing a file on GitHub)

  1. You edited a file → GitHub showed a "Propose changes" form
  2. You named your branch and activated "Propose changes"
  3. GitHub redirected you to the "Open a pull request" page

From a fork or feature branch

Visual / mouse users
  1. Navigate to the repository on GitHub
  2. If you recently pushed, a yellow banner “Compare & pull request” appears at the top - click it
  3. If no banner appears: click the Pull requests tab → click the green New pull request button
  4. Use the branch dropdowns to choose your base branch (what to merge into) and your compare branch (your changes)
  5. Click Create pull request
Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS - Windows)
  1. Navigate to the repository
  2. A "Compare & pull request" banner may appear (if you recently pushed) - activate it
  3. OR: Navigate to Pull Requests tab → "New pull request"
  4. Choose your base branch (what to merge into) and compare branch (your changes)
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. Navigate to the repository
  2. Check for a "Compare & pull request" banner - Quick Nav B to find and VO+Space to activate it
  3. OR: navigate to Pull Requests tab (VO+U → Landmarks → Repository navigation) → Quick Nav B for "New pull request"
  4. Use the branch dropdowns (VO+Space to open, arrow keys to select) to choose base and compare branches

Filling out the PR form

Title field

Step 1: F to navigate to the title field
Step 2: Focus Mode → type a descriptive title
Step 3: Good: "Add keyboard navigation for carousel component"
Step 4: Bad: "Fix bugs"

Description field

Step 1: Tab to the body text area
Step 2: Focus Mode → type using the PR template (if provided)

Copilot can write your PR description: If your account has Copilot access, a "Copilot actions" button appears in the description toolbar. Activate it to open a menu with options to generate a summary of your changes or an outline of the most important changes in the PR. Screen reader users: Tab from the description text area to find the "Copilot actions" button, then press Enter to open the menu and ↑/↓ to choose an option.

If no template, use this structure:

## Summary

What does this PR change and why?

## Changes

- Added `aria-label` to the search button
- Fixed keyboard trap in the modal dialog
- Replaced `<div>` with `<button>` for the dismiss control

## Related Issues

Closes #42

## Testing

- Tested with NVDA + Chrome on Windows 11
- Tested with VoiceOver + Safari on macOS Sonoma
- Keyboard-only navigation verified

## Screenshots / recordings

[Include if relevant - with descriptive alt text for any images]

Learning Room example: In the Learning Room repository, a PR template is provided for you. Here is what a completed PR looks like for Challenge 3 (Complete Welcome Guide):

## Description

Completed three [TODO] sections in docs/welcome.md:
- Added paragraph about contributors from all backgrounds
- Added guidance on evaluating issues before starting
- Added note about GitHub profile and portfolio impact

## Related Issue

Closes #12

## Type of change

- [x] Documentation update

## Accessibility checklist

- [x] Heading levels follow a logical hierarchy
- [x] Link text is descriptive (no "click here")
- [x] No images added (or alt text provided)

The Closes #12 line tells GitHub to automatically close issue 12 when this PR merges. The validation bot checks that this line is present and that your description is at least 50 characters long.

Setting a Draft PR

If your work is not finished, open as a Draft:

  1. After filling in the form, find the dropdown arrow next to "Create pull request"
  2. Select "Create draft pull request"
  3. This signals to reviewers that it is not ready for formal review yet

Draft Pull Requests - Full Lifecycle

A draft pull request is a PR explicitly marked as a work in progress. It is visible to the team, can receive comments, and runs CI - but is blocked from being merged until you mark it ready.

When to use a draft

What a draft PR does differently

Mark a draft ready for review

  1. Open the PR
  2. Navigate to the "Reviewers" sidebar or scroll to bottom of the Conversation tab
  3. Find and activate the "Ready for review" button
  4. The draft badge changes to "Open" and reviewers are notified

Screen reader path

Scroll to bottom of Conversation tab
→ B to navigate buttons
→ "Ready for review" button → Enter
→ Confirmation: PR status changes to Open

Convert an open PR to draft (after opening)

  1. In the right sidebar, find the "Reviewers" section
  2. Look for the "Convert to draft" link (below the review status)
  3. Confirm in the dialog - this removes merge eligibility until you mark it ready again
GitHub CLI (gh) alternative - draft PR lifecycle

Manage draft PRs from your terminal:

# Create a draft PR
gh pr create --draft --title "WIP: Add carousel keyboard nav"

# Mark a draft ready for review
gh pr ready 42

# Check PR status (shows draft state)
gh pr view 42

# List only draft PRs
gh pr list --draft

Requesting reviewers

From the sidebar Reviewers section:

  1. Navigate to "Reviewers" heading (3 or H)
  2. Activate the gear button
  3. Type a username in the search field
  4. Select from the dropdown
  5. Escape to save

Why some reviews are requested automatically: A file called CODEOWNERS in many repositories maps file paths to specific people or teams. When your PR touches a file covered by a CODEOWNERS rule, GitHub automatically adds those people as required reviewers - you'll see them appear in the Reviewers sidebar without you adding them. You cannot remove a CODEOWNERS-required reviewer. If a required reviewer hasn't responded, reach out to them directly or leave a comment on the PR.

Submitting a Review

When you are asked to review a PR, you have three options:

Starting a review

On the Files Changed tab, when you add inline comments, choose "Start a review" instead of "Add single comment." This batches all your comments into one review submission.

Completing and submitting a review

After adding your inline comments via “Start a review,” you must submit the review to notify the PR author. The review is pending until you submit it.

Visual / mouse users
  1. Look for the Finish your review button in the top-right area of the Files Changed tab (it shows the number of pending comments)
  2. Click it - a popover appears with a summary text area and three radio buttons: Comment, Approve, Request changes
  3. Optionally type a summary comment
  4. Select your verdict by clicking the radio button
  5. Click Submit review
Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)

The Finish your review button is in the top-right area of the Files Changed tab. It shows a badge with the number of pending comments. At high magnification:

Screen reader users (NVDA / JAWS)
  1. Press 1 to go to the h1 (PR title)
  2. Press B (or Tab) to navigate to the “Submit review” button and activate it (Enter/Space)
  3. A “Submit review” dialog/panel appears
  4. Switch to Focus Mode (NVDA+Space) if prompted to type
  5. Optionally type a summary comment in the “markdown value” textbox
  6. Tab to the “Review Event” radio group
  7. Use ↑/↓ to select one of:
    • Comment - general feedback, does not block merge
    • Approve - you are satisfied; signals merge readiness
    • Request changes - must be addressed before merge
  8. Tab to the “Submit review” button and press Enter
Screen reader users (VoiceOver - macOS)
  1. Quick Nav H or VO+Cmd+H to navigate to the PR title (h1)
  2. Quick Nav B or Tab to find the "Submit review" button → VO+Space
  3. A "Submit review" dialog/panel appears
  4. VO+Shift+Down to interact with the summary text area, type an optional comment
  5. VO+Shift+Up to stop interacting, then Tab to the "Review Event" radio group
  6. VO+Left/Right or arrow keys to select:
    • Comment - general feedback, does not block merge
    • Approve - you are satisfied; signals merge readiness
    • Request changes - must be addressed before merge
  7. Tab to the "Submit review" button → VO+Space
> **Tip from accessibility.github.com:** If you submitted comments as "Add single comment" instead of "Start a review," each comment is already posted individually. The "Submit review" flow is only needed when you chose "Start a review" to batch comments together.
GitHub CLI (gh) alternative - reviewing a PR

Review a pull request from your terminal:

# View the PR diff in your terminal
gh pr diff 42

# Approve a PR
gh pr review 42 --approve

# Approve with a comment
gh pr review 42 --approve --body "Looks good - heading hierarchy is correct."

# Request changes
gh pr review 42 --request-changes --body "The alt text on line 34 needs to describe the image content."

# Leave a comment-only review (no verdict)
gh pr review 42 --comment --body "A few suggestions - see inline comments."

Note: gh pr diff outputs the full diff to your terminal, which a screen reader can read line by line. For inline comments on specific lines, use the web interface or VS Code.

GitHub shortcuts for pull requests

These are the GitHub built-in shortcuts for PR pages. Enable Focus Mode first (NVDA: NVDA+Space, JAWS: Insert+Z) before using single-key shortcuts.

On the PR list page

Shortcut Action
G P Jump to the Pull Requests tab from anywhere in the repo
C Create a new pull request
Ctrl+/ (Win) or Cmd+/ (Mac) Focus the PR search bar

Shortcut note: For G P, press G, release it, then press P (two sequential key presses, not simultaneous).

On an open pull request

Shortcut Action
? Show all shortcuts for this page
Q Request a reviewer
M Set a milestone
L Apply a label
A Set an assignee
R Quote selected text in your reply
Ctrl+Shift+P Toggle Write and Preview tabs in the comment box
Ctrl+Enter Submit comment from inside the text area

On the Files Changed tab

Shortcut Action
T Jump to the "Filter changed files" field
C Open the commits dropdown to filter which commits are shown
Ctrl+G (Win) or Cmd+G (Mac) Insert a code suggestion block around selected code
Ctrl+Shift+Enter (Win) or Cmd+Shift+Enter (Mac) Submit a review comment

For the full shortcut system, see Screen Reader Cheat Sheet - GitHub Shortcuts section.

Suggested Changes

A suggested change is a special form of inline review comment where the reviewer proposes exact replacement text. The PR author can apply the suggestion directly from GitHub - no copy-paste or separate commit needed.

As a reviewer - inserting a suggestion

  1. On the Files Changed tab, navigate to the line you want to propose a change for
  2. Activate the line comment button for that line (the + that appears on hover, or Tab to navigate to it)
  3. In the comment text area that opens, press Ctrl+G (Windows) or Cmd+G (Mac)
  4. GitHub wraps a suggestion block around the current line content:

    ```suggestion
    the current line content here
    ```
  5. Edit the text inside the suggestion block to show your proposed change
  6. Add context above the block if helpful: "This makes the alt text more descriptive:"
  7. Submit as part of your review ("Start a review" → batch with other comments)

Screen reader note: The suggestion block is plain Markdown text in the comment editor. Type it directly:

```suggestion
your proposed text here
```text

(Three backticks, the word suggestion, Enter, your text, Enter, three backticks.)

As an author - applying a suggestion

  1. Open the PR Conversation or Files Changed tab
  2. Navigate to the inline comment containing a suggestion (it shows a diff-style preview)
  3. Find and activate the "Apply suggestion" button below the suggestion block
  4. GitHub creates a commit automatically that applies the change - no file editing required
  5. The conversation thread is marked as resolved

Batching multiple suggestions into one commit

  1. For each suggestion you want to apply, activate "Add suggestion to batch" instead of "Apply suggestion"
  2. After selecting all suggestions, activate the "Commit suggestions" button that appears at the top
  3. GitHub applies all batched suggestions in a single commit

When to use suggestions vs. comments

  1. After adding all your inline comments, navigate to the review summary button
  2. On Files Changed tab: find the "Review changes" button (B to navigate buttons)
  3. Press Enter to open the review dialog
  4. A panel opens:
    • A summary text area for overall comments
    • Radio buttons for Comment / Approve / Request changes
  5. Switch to Focus Mode → type your summary comment
  6. Navigate to the radio buttons with arrow keys → select your verdict
  7. Tab to "Submit review" button → Enter

Understanding Merge Options (for Maintainers)

When a PR is approved and checks pass, a maintainer can merge it. The merge button section appears at the bottom of the Conversation tab.


Step 1: Navigate to the bottom of the Conversation tab
Step 2: Find "Merge pull request" button (or similar)
Step 3: A dropdown arrow next to the button offers strategy options:

- Create a merge commit
- Squash and merge
- Rebase and merge
Step 4: Choose strategy → activate the button
Step 5: Confirm in the dialog that appears
GitHub CLI (gh) alternative - merging a PR

Merge a pull request from your terminal:

# Merge with default strategy (merge commit)
gh pr merge 42

# Squash and merge
gh pr merge 42 --squash

# Rebase and merge
gh pr merge 42 --rebase

# Delete the branch after merging
gh pr merge 42 --squash --delete-branch

# Enable auto-merge (merges when checks pass)
gh pr merge 42 --auto --squash

After a PR is merged

Screen reader tip - deleting the branch after merge: Navigate to the "Add a comment" section (D), then press Shift+B to navigate backwards to the "Delete branch" button and activate it. This keeps your repository clean by removing the now-merged feature branch.

Auto-Merge - Merging When You Can't Wait Around

Auto-merge lets you pre-authorize a PR to merge automatically the moment all branch protection requirements are satisfied - required reviews approved, all status checks passing, and the branch up to date.

This is especially useful when:

Enabling Auto-Merge on Your PR

1. Open your PR → scroll to the merge box at the bottom
2. Tab to the merge button dropdown arrow (next to "Merge pull request")
3. Select "Enable auto-merge"
4. Choose your merge strategy (squash, rebase, or merge commit)
5. Confirm in the dialog - the merge box now shows "Auto-merge enabled"

Screen reader path

Conversation tab → End key → merge box region
Tab → dropdown button (announced as "Select merge method" or similar)
Enter → arrow keys through options → "Enable auto-merge" → Enter
Dialog: Tab → confirm button → Enter

What happens next

Cancelling Auto-Merge

Merge box → Tab → "Disable auto-merge" button → Enter

Note: Auto-merge is only available if the repository administrator has enabled it in Settings → General. Many open source repos have it on; some do not.

Practical Scenarios

Scenario A: "I want to review an assigned PR"

Example: You are assigned to review a PR titled "Add missing NVDA shortcut to keyboard-shortcuts.md." The PR modifies docs/keyboard-shortcuts.md in the Learning Room repository and references Challenge 2.

1. Notifications → open the PR notification
2. D → PR tabs → Files changed tab
3. T → enter the first diff table → navigate lines with arrow keys
4. Check: does the new shortcut appear in the correct NVDA table? Is the table formatting preserved?
5. For each concern: activate the line comment button → type comment → Start a review
6. D → PR tabs → Conversation → scroll to bottom
7. B → "Review changes" button → type summary → select verdict → Submit review

Scenario B: "I want to respond to review feedback on my PR"

Example: Your PR for Challenge 3 (Complete Welcome Guide) received a review comment: "The [TODO] about evaluating issues is good, but the paragraph could mention checking if the issue is already assigned." The validation bot also flagged a link text issue.

1. Open your PR (Notifications → PR link, or find it in PR list)
2. 3 to navigate review comments
3. For the reviewer's comment: read it → Tab to "Reply" → Focus Mode → type "Good point - I will add a sentence about checking assignees. Pushing a fix now."
4. For the bot's link text flag: fix the link in docs/welcome.md, commit, and push
5. When all addressed: Tab to "Re-request review" button → Enter

Scenario C: "My PR has a merge conflict"

1. You will see a "This branch has conflicts that must be resolved" message near the bottom
2. Tab to "Resolve conflicts" button → GitHub opens a web conflict editor
3. The editor shows conflict markers - see Merge Conflicts guide (07-merge-conflicts.md)
4. Edit the file to resolve → Mark as resolved → Commit merge

Common PR Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake Better Approach
Opening a PR without an associated issue Link to or create an issue first; comment "I'd like to work on this"
A vague title like "Fix things" Be specific: "Fix missing alt text on homepage hero image"
Missing the PR template sections Fill all sections - description, testing, related issues
Pushing many unrelated changes in one PR One PR per logical change (smaller PRs get faster reviews)
Not testing your own changes Test before requesting review
Not responding to reviewer comments Acknowledge all comments, even if you disagree

Try It: Read a Real Pull Request

Time: 3 minutes | What you need: Browser, signed in to GitHub

Go to the Learning Room repository's Pull Requests tab and find any open or recently closed PR:

  1. Navigate to Pull Requests (G then P in Focus Mode)
  2. Open the first PR in the list (press Enter on its title)
  3. Read the description - press 2 to jump to the first section heading, then arrow down to read. Look for: which file was changed (docs/welcome.md, docs/keyboard-shortcuts.md, or docs/setup-guide.md)? Which challenge was this PR solving? Does the description reference Closes #XX?
  4. Check the conversation - press 3 to jump between comments. Read what the validation bot reported - did the bot find any accessibility issues like broken headings or non-descriptive links? How did the author respond?
  5. Look at the diff - press D to the "Pull request tabs" landmark, then navigate to "Files changed" and press Enter. Press H to scan the changed file headings. If the PR touched docs/welcome.md, you should see + lines where the [TODO] sections were filled in. If it touched docs/keyboard-shortcuts.md, you should see new rows added to a shortcut table.

You're done. You just read a complete PR - description, conversation, and code changes.

What success feels like: You followed a PR from description to diff using only headings and landmarks. The next time you open a PR - yours or someone else's - you'll know exactly where everything is.

Day 2 Amplifier - Accessibility Agents: @pr-review

Review at least two pull requests manually before using any agent. A review generated by @pr-review is only as useful as your ability to read, edit, and challenge it. The agent writes a first draft - you supply the context, the history, and the final judgment that no diff can contain.

Once you have mastered manual pull request review:

The agent documents the diff. You bring the context that no diff can contain.

Next: Merge Conflicts Back: VS Code Accessibility Related: Accessible Code Review | Screen Reader Cheat Sheet | Culture & Etiquette | GitHub Actions