Pull Shark Achievement Collector

Automate the creation and merging of pull requests with GitHub Actions to help progress toward the Pull Shark GitHub achievement.

This repository contains a GitHub Actions workflow that repeatedly:

1. Creates a new branch
2. Makes a small file change
3. Opens a pull request into main
4. Merges the pull request
5. Repeats the process up to a configurable maximum

It also includes retry logic and GitHub API rate‑limit handling to make long runs more stable.

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What this does

The workflow automates a large number of merged pull requests in a repository you control.

It uses:

• GitHub Actions
• GitHub CLI (gh)
• jq
• a Personal Access Token
• rate limit checks and retry loops

The workflow writes to a file named merged_prs.txt so each pull request contains a real change.

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How it works

When you manually trigger the workflow, it will:

• check out the repository
• configure Git
• install gh and jq
• repeatedly create a branch with a unique name
• append one line to merged_prs.txt
• commit and push the branch
• create a pull request into main
• merge the pull request with squash merge
• delete the branch
• repeat until the configured maximum is reached

The script also pauses when GitHub API rate limits are low, then resumes automatically after reset.

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Repository requirements

Before using this workflow, make sure:

• your repository has a main branch
• GitHub Actions are enabled
• branch protections do not block the workflow from merging
• you understand and accept the rate‑limit and activity implications

This is best used in a test or personal repository you control.

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Setup

1. Add the workflow file

Create:

.github/workflows/pullshark.yml

Paste the workflow script into that file.

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2. Create a Personal Access Token

Generate a GitHub Personal Access Token with permissions to:

• read/write repository contents
• create and merge pull requests

Typical permission:

repo

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3. Add the token as a repository secret

In your repository:

1. Go to Settings
2. Open Secrets and Variables
3. Click Actions
4. Create a new secret:

<!-- -->

PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN

Paste your token value.

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Usage

The workflow is triggered manually using workflow_dispatch.

Steps:

1. Open your repository
2. Click the Actions tab
3. Select Automate Pull Requests and Merge for Pullshark Gold
4. Click Run workflow

The workflow will continue creating and merging PRs until the configured limit is reached.

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Workflow configuration

Inside the workflow:

env:
  GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
  MAX: 1024
  CORE_THRESHOLD: 200
  ITERATION_DELAY: 30

MAX

Maximum number of PRs created.

Example:

MAX: 1024

For testing you should start smaller:

MAX: 5

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CORE_THRESHOLD

Minimum remaining API requests before the script pauses.

Example:

CORE_THRESHOLD: 200

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ITERATION_DELAY

Delay in seconds between iterations.

Example:

ITERATION_DELAY: 30

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File changes made

Each automated PR appends a new line to:

merged_prs.txt

Example:

Merged PR #57 at 2026-03-15 19:22:10 UTC

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Rate limiting

The workflow checks:

• GitHub core API rate limits
• GitHub search API limits

If limits are low, it sleeps until reset before continuing.

It also retries:

• branch pushes
• pull request creation
• merges

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Important considerations

Branch protections

If your main branch has protections enabled, merges may fail unless:

• your token has permission
• admin merge is allowed
• required checks do not block the merge

The workflow merges with:

gh pr merge --squash --delete-branch --admin

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Commit identity

The workflow currently sets:

git config --global user.name "chrisbanas"
git config --global user.email "bananas595@gmail.com"

You should update these values to match your GitHub identity.

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Public repository note

If this repo is public, anyone can see:

• the workflow logic
• the generated commit history
• pull request activity

Never expose your token. Always use GitHub Secrets.

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Recommended testing approach

Before running a large job:

MAX: 5

Confirm:

• PR creation works
• merges succeed
• branch deletion works
• rate limits are handled

Then increase the value.

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Security best practices

• never hardcode tokens
• always use repository secrets
• use minimum token permissions
• test in a throwaway repository first

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Disclaimer

Use this workflow responsibly and only in repositories you control or are authorized to automate.

You are responsible for complying with GitHub platform rules and repository policies.