diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef082b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+<!--
+  PR title: Conventional Commits — type(scope): description
+    e.g. fix(mv): bring header and completions up to repo conventions
+    Lowercase after the colon, imperative mood, no trailing period.
+    Append `!` after the scope for a breaking change: feat(logging)!: ...
+    Types in use: feat, fix, docs, test, chore, perf, refactor, style.
+    See CONTRIBUTING.md § Commit Conventions.
+
+  Still writing code? Prefix the title with `WIP:` —
+    WIP: feat(media): add play-media fzf picker
+  Gitea recognizes the prefix, marks the PR a draft, and blocks merging
+  until you remove it. The prefix goes before the whole conventional
+  subject, and comes off when the branch is complete.
+
+  `WIP:` means MORE CHANGES ARE COMING. It is not for a finished branch
+  waiting on verification — that is what an unchecked box in Verification
+  already signals. A complete branch with open checkboxes is a normal PR,
+  not a WIP.
+
+  Keep the two headings below, in this order, and delete these comments.
+  Optional sections may be added between them (see the note above
+  "Verification").
+-->
+
+## Summary
+
+<!--
+  What changed and why. A short prose paragraph, 2-5 bullets, or a
+  paragraph followed by bullets — whichever fits the change.
+
+  - Name concrete paths and identifiers in backticks (`functions/mv.fish`,
+    `$__fish_config_op_autoexec`), not vague descriptions.
+  - Lead a bullet with a **bold phrase** when it covers a distinct file or
+    behavior, so the list scans at a glance.
+  - Explain the reasoning, not just the diff — a reader should understand
+    why this approach over the obvious alternative.
+  - Say so explicitly when there is no behavioral change, when a file is
+    generated by the docs pipeline, or when the change is scoped to the
+    site build only.
+
+  If this PR resolves a tracked issue, close it with a trailing line at the
+  end of this section — not at the very bottom, since Verification is
+  always last:
+
+      Closes #42
+
+  Gitea and GitHub both auto-close the issue on merge. `Fixes #N` and
+  `Resolves #N` work identically; pick whichever reads correctly. Use one
+  line per issue (`Closes #42, closes #43` — the keyword must be repeated,
+  a bare `#43` after a comma is only a link and will NOT close). For an
+  issue that is related but should stay open, reference it without a
+  keyword: `Refs #42`. Omit all of this entirely when no issue is involved
+  — do not leave an empty `Closes #` behind.
+-->
+
+<!--
+  OPTIONAL SECTIONS — add any `##` heading here that the change actually
+  needs, and skip them entirely for a straightforward one. Used in this
+  repo, roughly in order of frequency:
+
+    ## Root cause          — for a bug fix, what was actually wrong
+    ## Why                 — motivation, when it isn't obvious
+    ## How it works        — mechanism, for a non-trivial new feature
+    ## Behavior            — user-visible behavior before/after
+    ## Changes             — a longer breakdown than Summary can carry
+    ## Docs                — documentation touched by this change
+    ## Notes               — caveats, follow-ups, deferred work
+    ## Scope note          — what this deliberately does NOT cover
+    ## Opinionated guard (C1-C6)
+                           — which tier gates this, and behavior when off
+    ## ⚠️ Breaking Change  — required whenever the title carries `!`;
+                             state the break and the migration path
+
+  A "Why not <alternative>?" heading is also common when a reviewer would
+  reasonably ask why the obvious approach was rejected.
+-->
+
+## Verification
+
+<!--
+  Every check this change needs, as a checkbox list. Always the last
+  section.
+
+  A CHECKED box means verified — either it ran programmatically (test
+  suite, linter, docs verifier, CI) or the author performed it by hand and
+  confirmed the result. Check these off before opening the PR.
+
+  An UNCHECKED box is an outstanding manual check the reviewer still has to
+  perform. Leave anything you could not verify yourself unchecked rather
+  than dropping it, so it stays visible.
+
+  **This list is the merge gate: the PR does not merge until every box is
+  checked.** So only put things here that can actually be resolved — a
+  check nobody is able to run blocks the PR forever. Genuinely unverifiable
+  caveats, assumptions, and known limitations belong in a `## Notes`
+  section instead, where they inform the review without gating it.
+
+  - One check per line, imperative, with the exact command in backticks
+    and the expected result stated.
+  - Cover the regression path, not just the happy path: the old behavior
+    still working, the opinionated toggle disabled, the error branch.
+  - Include the repo's standing gates when the change touches what they
+    guard: `fish -n <file>`, `fish_indent`, `python3 docs/verify-manual.py`,
+    `python3 docs/build-manual.py --site`, `fish tests/run-tests.fish`.
+  - Reset any universal variable you set during a check.
+-->
+
+- [ ] 
+- [ ] 
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index e61a79b..e36ddea 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -48,6 +48,19 @@ assumes you *do* have push access (maintainers, regular contributors).
   branching doesn't touch the working tree.)
 - **Merge target is `main`, via PR.** Contributors open the PR; the repo
   owner merges it. Don't merge your own PR.
+- **Don't merge until the `## Verification` checklist is fully checked.**
+  Unchecked boxes are outstanding manual checks, not decoration. See
+  [Pull request descriptions](#pull-request-descriptions) below.
+- **Prefix in-progress PRs with `WIP:`.** If the branch still has code
+  changes coming, open it as `WIP: type(scope): description`. Gitea
+  recognizes the prefix, flags the PR as a draft, and refuses to merge it
+  until the prefix is removed; drop it once the branch is complete.
+
+  `WIP:` signals **more changes are coming** — not "done but unverified".
+  A finished branch waiting on manual checks is an ordinary PR whose
+  `## Verification` boxes aren't all ticked yet; that's already the merge
+  gate above and doesn't need the prefix. The two are independent: a PR
+  can be WIP with everything ticked, or complete with checks outstanding.
 - **Keep feature branches focused.** If you stumble onto something unrelated
   to your current task while working (a pre-existing bug, a stray cleanup),
   don't fold it into the same commit or PR. Handle it with one of these,
@@ -64,6 +77,41 @@ assumes you *do* have push access (maintainers, regular contributors).
      approval before doing this** — there's no standing exception, no matter
      how trivial the change looks.
 
+### Pull request descriptions
+
+Fill in `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` — Gitea pre-loads it into the
+description box when you open a PR. Every PR carries, in this order:
+
+- **`## Summary`** — what changed and why, as a short paragraph, 2-5
+  bullets, or both. Name concrete paths and identifiers in backticks, and
+  explain the reasoning rather than restating the diff.
+- **Optional `##` sections** — add what the change actually needs
+  (`Root cause`, `Why`, `How it works`, `Behavior`, `Docs`, `Notes`,
+  `Scope note`, `Opinionated guard (C1-C6)`), and skip them entirely for a
+  straightforward change. A breaking change (title ending in `!` before
+  the colon) must include `## ⚠️ Breaking Change` with the migration path.
+- **`## Verification`** — always last. Every check this change needs, as a
+  checkbox list, each with the exact command and its expected result.
+  A **checked** box means verified, whether programmatically (test suite,
+  linter, docs verifier, CI) or by hand; check those off before opening the
+  PR. An **unchecked** box is an outstanding manual check the reviewer
+  still has to perform — leave anything you couldn't verify yourself
+  unchecked rather than dropping it.
+
+  **This list is the merge gate: a PR isn't merged until every box is
+  checked.** Only list checks that can actually be resolved — one nobody
+  can run blocks the PR indefinitely. Put genuinely unverifiable caveats,
+  assumptions, and known limitations in `## Notes` instead, where they
+  inform the review without gating it.
+
+When a PR resolves a tracked issue, close it with a trailing `Closes #42`
+line at the end of `## Summary` — not at the very bottom of the body, since
+`## Verification` is always last. `Fixes #N` and `Resolves #N` behave
+identically. Repeat the keyword for each issue (`Closes #42, closes #43`); a
+bare `#43` is only a link and won't close anything. To point at a related
+issue that should stay open, drop the keyword and use `Refs #42`. Leave the
+line out entirely when no issue is involved.
+
 ## Commit Conventions
 
 Commit subjects follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/):