From 4e0f873bafc2b6628555d08b0ce341261994612d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Michael Hobbs <michael.lee.hobbs@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:54:39 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] Add a PR template with a required How to verify section

The repo has no PR template, and CONTRIBUTING asks a PR only for 'a brief
description' while asking bug *reports* for steps-to-reproduce and
expected-vs-actual. So a bug report is held to a higher reproducibility bar
than the fix for it.

This closes that gap: a required How to verify section asking for a
reviewer-runnable before/after (and exact steps + observed result for
behavior a unit test can't show), plus a short checklist mirroring
CONTRIBUTING and the AGENTS.md contributor rules. Reviewers get a way to
turn the key instead of trusting green CI.
---
 .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md | 29 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e5800f31d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<!--
+Thanks for contributing! See CONTRIBUTING.md. Keep this PR to one concern; open large or
+sweeping changes as an issue first so scope and a verification plan can be agreed.
+-->
+
+## What & why
+<!-- What does this change do, and why? -->
+
+Closes #<!-- issue number (required; no PR without a referenced issue) -->
+
+## How to verify
+<!--
+REQUIRED for any behavior change. Give a reviewer a runnable before/after — not just "tests pass."
+Replacing the battery isn't the job; starting the car is.
+
+- Exact steps / input to reproduce.
+- Observable result BEFORE this change (the bug) vs AFTER (fixed).
+- For behavior a unit test can't capture (wire output, a deployed channel, a REST path),
+  the exact commands and what you observed.
+
+Docs-only or non-behavioral change? Write "N/A — no behavior change" and why.
+-->
+
+## Checklist
+- [ ] Scoped to one concern; no drive-by reformatting/renames
+- [ ] Tests added/adjusted — a regression test **fails before** the change and **passes after** (line coverage is not proof)
+- [ ] `./gradlew build -PdisableSigning=true -Pcoverage=true` passes locally
+- [ ] Behavior & compatibility preserved (public API, serialization, DB schema, wire/HL7) — or the change is intentional and called out above
+- [ ] No PHI in logs; no new unsafe/reflective deserialization or XXE