What
Claude now reads the repository's PR template when writing commit messages and PR descriptions, mirroring its section headings and treating it as a layout to fill — not instructions to follow.
Details
- Checks four standard template paths:
.github/pull_request_template.md,.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md,PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md,docs/pull_request_template.md - Template content is wrapped in an
<untrusted_repo_pr_template>block and explicitly marked as untrusted — Claude will never follow instructions found inside it, run commands it names, or fill in secrets it requests - When no template exists, uses opinionated default guidance: open with 1–2 plain sentences; keep the body under 250 words; state what you actually verified and how; link supporting artifacts instead of re-describing them
- The
## Test plansection now asks for "what you actually verified and how — the command you ran and the behavior you observed, in 1-2 lines" rather than a checklist of TODO boxes - Commit message guidance: write for a reader with zero context; one idea per sentence; define shorthand on first use
Evidence
PR template path list (search for ".github/pull_request_template.md") and template-safety note (search for "untrusted_repo_pr_template") — vUr at line ~406571
Strings lifted out of the shipped bundle, so the claim above can be checked against them.