Building GitHub PR Squasher: A One-Click Solution for Clean Git History

Ever been asked to squash your commits in a Pull Request? If you're an open source contributor or a professional developer, chances are you've faced this situation multiple times. Today, I'm excited to share a tool I built that solves this common git workflow problem with just one click.

The Problem

Many projects and organizations require a clean git history, often asking contributors to squash their multiple commits into a single, meaningful commit. While this is a great practice, it often involves:

• Learning complex git commands
• Potentially messing up the git history
• Time spent on manual operations
• Risk of losing commit information
• Extra back-and-forth in PR reviews

The Solution: GitHub PR Squasher

I created a browser userscript that adds a simple "Squash & Recreate PR" button to GitHub's PR interface. With one click, it:

1. Creates a new branch
2. Squashes all commits
3. Creates a new PR with the squashed changes
4. Preserves the original PR description
5. Closes the original PR
6. Cleans up by deleting the original branch

Key Features

• ✨ One-click operation
• 📝 Preserves PR context
• 🔒 Secure token storage
• 🏢 GitHub Enterprise support
• 🍴 Works with forked repositories
• 🌍 Supports both public and private repos

Technical Implementation

The script is built using JavaScript and the GitHub REST API. Here's how it works under the hood:

async function handleSquash() {
    // Get PR details
    const prDetails = await githubAPI(`/repos/${owner}/${repo}/pulls/${prNumber}`);

    // Create new branch with base commit
    await githubAPI(`/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs`, 'POST', {
        ref: `refs/heads/${newBranchName}`,
        sha: prDetails.base.sha
    });

    // Create squashed commit
    const newCommit = await githubAPI(`/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/commits`, 'POST', {
        message: `${prInfo.title}\n\nSquashed commits from #${prInfo.prNumber}`,
        tree: headCommit.tree.sha,
        parents: [prDetails.base.sha]
    });

    // Create new PR with squashed changes
    const newPR = await githubAPI(`/repos/${owner}/${repo}/pulls`, 'POST', {
        title: `${prInfo.title} (Squashed)`,
        head: newBranchName,
        base: prInfo.baseBranch,
        body: `${prInfo.description}\n\n---\n_Squashed version of #${prInfo.prNumber}_`
    });
}

Installation and Setup

1. Install from Greasy Fork
2. Set up your GitHub token
3. Start squashing PRs with one click!

Real-World Impact

This tool is particularly valuable for:

Open Source Contributors

• No need to learn complex git commands
• Quickly comply with project requirements
• Focus on code instead of git operations

Professional Developers

• Maintain clean git history effortlessly
• Save time in PR reviews
• Reduce manual errors

Team Leads

• Enforce consistent commit history
• Simplify code review process
• Reduce onboarding friction

The Development Process

Building this tool taught me several valuable lessons:

1. API Integration: Working with GitHub's REST API
2. User Experience: Making complex operations simple
3. Error Handling: Dealing with various edge cases
4. Enterprise Support: Supporting different GitHub environments

Future Enhancements

I'm planning to add:

• Custom commit message templates
• Batch PR processing
• More configuration options
• Statistics tracking

Get Involved

The project is open source and available on GitHub:

• GitHub Repository
• Greasy Fork Page

Feel free to contribute, report issues, or suggest improvements!

Conclusion

What started as a solution to a personal pain point has evolved into a tool that can help developers across the globe maintain cleaner git histories with less effort. Whether you're an open source contributor or a professional developer, GitHub PR Squasher can save you time and reduce friction in your development workflow.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

This post was written by Balakumar, a developer passionate about creating tools that make developers' lives easier. Follow me for more developer tools and insights.