.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

@@ -26,6 +26,20 @@
   - 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 Manual 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.
 -->
 
 <!--

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -66,9 +66,8 @@ assumes you *do* have push access (maintainers, regular contributors).
 
 ### Pull request descriptions
 
-Fill in `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` — Gitea and the GitHub mirror
-both pre-load it into the description box for you. Every PR carries, in
-this order:
+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
@@ -84,6 +83,14 @@ this order:
   means that step was *not* verified, so say so explicitly rather than
   leaving it silently blank.
 
+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
+`## Manual 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/):