feat: add ignore_drafts option to filter draft PRs from inbox

README.md

@@ -45,12 +45,15 @@ When a PR shows up in your inbox, `zen review <number>` opens that PR in a new t
 - **Open PRs touching paths you watch** — for staying aware of areas you care about.
 
 ```bash
-zen inbox                        # everything, filtered by configured authors
-zen inbox --all                  # from all authors
-zen inbox --path pkg/sts         # PRs touching specific paths
-zen inbox --repo other-repo      # different repo
+zen inbox                       # everything, filtered by configured authors
+zen inbox --all                 # from all authors
+zen inbox --path pkg/sts        # PRs touching specific paths
+zen inbox --repo other-repo     # different repo
+zen inbox --ignore-drafts       # skip drafts on this run (or set ignore_drafts: true in config)
 ```
 
+Drafts are shown by default. To skip drafts permanently, set `ignore_drafts: true` in your config — see [docs/configuration.md](docs/configuration.md). The `--ignore-drafts` flag overrides the config for a single run.
+
 Example output:
 
 ```

cmd/inbox.go

@@ -20,11 +20,12 @@ var inboxCmd = &cobra.Command{
 }
 
 var (
-	inboxRepo       string
-	inboxAuthors    string
-	inboxAll        bool
-	inboxPathFilter string
-	inboxLimit      int
+	inboxRepo         string
+	inboxAuthors      string
+	inboxAll          bool
+	inboxPathFilter   string
+	inboxLimit        int
+	inboxIgnoreDrafts bool
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ func init() {
 	inboxCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&inboxAll, "all", false, "Show from all authors")
 	inboxCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&inboxPathFilter, "path", "p", "", "List PRs touching files under DIR")
 	inboxCmd.Flags().IntVar(&inboxLimit, "limit", 100, "Max PRs to scan when using --path")
+	inboxCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&inboxIgnoreDrafts, "ignore-drafts", false, "Skip draft PRs (overrides config when set)")
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(inboxCmd)
 }
 
@@ -46,7 +48,7 @@ type InboxPR struct {
 	MatchedCount int    `json:"matched_count,omitempty"`
 }
 
-func runInbox(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+func runInbox(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 	repos := []string{inboxRepo}
 	if inboxRepo == "" {
 		repos = cfg.RepoNames()
@@ -60,6 +62,11 @@ func runInbox(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 		authors = nil
 	}
 
+	ignoreDrafts := cfg.IgnoreDrafts
+	if cmd.Flags().Changed("ignore-drafts") {
+		ignoreDrafts = inboxIgnoreDrafts
+	}
+
 	// Cache current user once for all repos.
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	currentUser, _ := ghpkg.GetCurrentUser(ctx)
@@ -70,7 +77,7 @@ func runInbox(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 
 	hasResults := false
 	for _, repo := range repos {
-		found, err := runInboxForRepo(repo, authors, currentUser)
+		found, err := runInboxForRepo(repo, authors, currentUser, ignoreDrafts)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -100,14 +107,14 @@ func runInbox(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func runInboxForRepo(repo string, authors []string, currentUser string) (bool, error) {
+func runInboxForRepo(repo string, authors []string, currentUser string, ignoreDrafts bool) (bool, error) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	fullRepo := cfg.RepoFullName(repo)
 	localPRs := getLocalPRNumbers(repo)
 	hasResults := false
 
 	if inboxPathFilter != "" {
-		prs, err := fetchPRsByPath(ctx, fullRepo, inboxPathFilter, authors)
+		prs, err := fetchPRsByPath(ctx, fullRepo, inboxPathFilter, authors, ignoreDrafts)
 		if err != nil {
 			return false, err
 		}
@@ -124,11 +131,11 @@ func runInboxForRepo(repo string, authors []string, currentUser string) (bool, e
 
 		g, gctx := errgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 		g.Go(func() error {
-			reviews, reviewsErr = ghpkg.GetReviewRequests(gctx, fullRepo)
+			reviews, reviewsErr = ghpkg.GetReviewRequests(gctx, fullRepo, ignoreDrafts)
 			return nil
 		})
 		g.Go(func() error {
-			approved, approvedErr = ghpkg.GetApprovedUnmerged(gctx, fullRepo)
+			approved, approvedErr = ghpkg.GetApprovedUnmerged(gctx, fullRepo, ignoreDrafts)
 			return nil
 		})
 		_ = g.Wait()
@@ -150,7 +157,7 @@ func runInboxForRepo(repo string, authors []string, currentUser string) (bool, e
 		}
 
 		if len(cfg.WatchPaths) > 0 {
-			watched, others, err := fetchOpenPRs(ctx, fullRepo, currentUser)
+			watched, others, err := fetchOpenPRs(ctx, fullRepo, currentUser, ignoreDrafts)
 			if err == nil {
 				if len(watched) > 0 {
 					hasResults = true
@@ -216,10 +223,10 @@ func filterLocalPRs(prs []InboxPR, local map[int]bool) []InboxPR {
 	return pending
 }
 
-func fetchPRsByPath(ctx context.Context, fullRepo, pathPrefix string, authors []string) ([]InboxPR, error) {
+func fetchPRsByPath(ctx context.Context, fullRepo, pathPrefix string, authors []string, ignoreDrafts bool) ([]InboxPR, error) {
 	pathPrefix = strings.TrimSuffix(pathPrefix, "/")
 
-	prs, err := ghpkg.ListOpenPRs(ctx, fullRepo, inboxLimit)
+	prs, err := ghpkg.ListOpenPRs(ctx, fullRepo, inboxLimit, ignoreDrafts)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -289,8 +296,8 @@ func fetchPRsByPath(ctx context.Context, fullRepo, pathPrefix string, authors []
 
 // fetchOpenPRs splits recent open PRs into two groups: those touching watched
 // paths and all others. The current user's PRs are excluded from both.
-func fetchOpenPRs(ctx context.Context, fullRepo string, currentUser string) ([]InboxPR, []InboxPR, error) {
-	prs, err := ghpkg.ListOpenPRs(ctx, fullRepo, 30)
+func fetchOpenPRs(ctx context.Context, fullRepo string, currentUser string, ignoreDrafts bool) ([]InboxPR, []InboxPR, error) {
+	prs, err := ghpkg.ListOpenPRs(ctx, fullRepo, 30, ignoreDrafts)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}

cmd/watch.go

@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ func saveState(seenPRs map[string]bool, prCount int) {
 }
 
 func pollOnce(ctx context.Context, seenPRs map[string]bool, queue workqueue.Interface, rec *reconciler.SetupReconciler) {
-	reviews, err := ghpkg.GetReviewRequests(ctx, "chainguard-dev/mono")
+	reviews, err := ghpkg.GetReviewRequests(ctx, "chainguard-dev/mono", cfg.IgnoreDrafts)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Printf("[%s] Error fetching reviews: %v\n", time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339), err)
 		return

docs/configuration.md

@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ terminal: iterm  # or "ghostty"
 # If unset, falls back to `git config user.name` (spaces → hyphens), then no prefix.
 branch_prefix: mgreau
 
+# Skip draft PRs in `zen inbox`, watch notifications, and the MCP inbox tool.
+# Defaults to false (drafts are shown). Set to true to skip drafts so you don't
+# review something that isn't ready. Override on a single run with
+# `--ignore-drafts=false`.
+ignore_drafts: true
+
 watch:
   dispatch_interval: "10s"      # How often to process queued work
   cleanup_interval: "1h"        # How often to scan for merged PRs

docs/mcp.md

@@ -27,3 +27,5 @@ claude mcp add --scope user zen -- zen mcp serve
 | `zen_config_repos` | Configured repositories |
 | `zen_review` | Create a worktree for a PR (auto-detects repo, injects context) |
 | `zen_review_resume` | Get worktree path and sessions for an existing PR review |
+
+> **Note:** `zen_inbox` uses the `ignore_drafts` setting from your config. Unlike the `zen inbox` CLI, there is no per-call override. Change the config (see [docs/configuration.md](configuration.md)) to toggle draft filtering for MCP callers.

internal/config/config.go

@@ -14,14 +14,15 @@ import (
 
 // Config holds the complete zen configuration.
 type Config struct {
-	Repos        map[string]RepoConfig `yaml:"repos"`
-	WatchPaths   []string              `yaml:"watch_paths"`
-	Authors      []string              `yaml:"authors"`
-	PollInterval string                `yaml:"poll_interval"`
-	ClaudeBin    string                `yaml:"claude_bin"`
-	Terminal     string                `yaml:"terminal"` // "iterm" or "ghostty"
-	BranchPrefix string                `yaml:"branch_prefix"`
-	Watch        WatchConfig           `yaml:"watch"`
+	Repos         map[string]RepoConfig `yaml:"repos"`
+	WatchPaths    []string              `yaml:"watch_paths"`
+	Authors       []string              `yaml:"authors"`
+	PollInterval  string                `yaml:"poll_interval"`
+	ClaudeBin     string                `yaml:"claude_bin"`
+	Terminal      string                `yaml:"terminal"` // "iterm" or "ghostty"
+	BranchPrefix  string                `yaml:"branch_prefix"`
+	IgnoreDrafts  bool                  `yaml:"ignore_drafts"`
+	Watch         WatchConfig           `yaml:"watch"`
 }
 
 // WatchConfig holds configuration for the watch daemon's workqueue behavior.

internal/config/config_test.go

@@ -213,6 +213,61 @@ func TestExpandPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestLoadIgnoreDrafts(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		yaml string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "omitted defaults to false",
+			yaml: `repos:
+  m:
+    full_name: o/m
+    base_path: /tmp/m
+`,
+			want: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "explicit true",
+			yaml: `repos:
+  m:
+    full_name: o/m
+    base_path: /tmp/m
+ignore_drafts: true
+`,
+			want: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "explicit false",
+			yaml: `repos:
+  m:
+    full_name: o/m
+    base_path: /tmp/m
+ignore_drafts: false
+`,
+			want: false,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+			t.Setenv("HOME", tmpDir)
+			zenDir := filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".zen")
+			os.MkdirAll(zenDir, 0o755)
+			os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(zenDir, "config.yaml"), []byte(tt.yaml), 0o644)
+
+			cfg, err := Load()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("Load() error: %v", err)
+			}
+			if cfg.IgnoreDrafts != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("IgnoreDrafts = %v, want %v", cfg.IgnoreDrafts, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestWatchConfigDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 	w := WatchConfig{}
 

internal/github/queries.go

@@ -72,9 +72,40 @@ func GetCurrentUser(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
 	return strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), nil
 }
 
+// buildReviewRequestQueries returns the two GitHub search query strings used
+// by GetReviewRequests: requested-reviews and re-review queries.
+func buildReviewRequestQueries(repoFilter string, ignoreDrafts bool) (string, string) {
+	repoClause := ""
+	if repoFilter != "" {
+		repoClause = " repo:" + repoFilter
+	}
+	draftClause := ""
+	if ignoreDrafts {
+		draftClause = " draft:false"
+	}
+	q1 := fmt.Sprintf("is:pr is:open review-requested:@me%s%s", repoClause, draftClause)
+	q2 := fmt.Sprintf("is:pr is:open reviewed-by:@me review:required%s%s", repoClause, draftClause)
+	return q1, q2
+}
+
+// buildApprovedUnmergedQuery returns the GitHub search query string for
+// GetApprovedUnmerged.
+func buildApprovedUnmergedQuery(repoFilter string, ignoreDrafts bool) string {
+	repoClause := ""
+	if repoFilter != "" {
+		repoClause = " repo:" + repoFilter
+	}
+	draftClause := ""
+	if ignoreDrafts {
+		draftClause = " draft:false"
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("is:pr is:open author:@me review:approved%s%s", repoClause, draftClause)
+}
+
 // GetReviewRequests fetches PRs where the user is a requested reviewer,
-// including re-reviews. Uses GraphQL via `gh api graphql`.
-func GetReviewRequests(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string) ([]ReviewRequest, error) {
+// including re-reviews. Uses GraphQL via `gh api graphql`. When ignoreDrafts
+// is true, draft PRs are filtered out at the GitHub search layer.
+func GetReviewRequests(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string, ignoreDrafts bool) ([]ReviewRequest, error) {
 	ctx, cancel := withTimeout(ctx)
 	defer cancel()
 	query := `query($q1: String!, $q2: String!) {
@@ -104,13 +135,7 @@ func GetReviewRequests(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string) ([]ReviewRequest,
   }
 }`
 
-	repoClause := ""
-	if repoFilter != "" {
-		repoClause = " repo:" + repoFilter
-	}
-
-	q1 := fmt.Sprintf("is:pr is:open review-requested:@me%s", repoClause)
-	q2 := fmt.Sprintf("is:pr is:open reviewed-by:@me review:required%s", repoClause)
+	q1, q2 := buildReviewRequestQueries(repoFilter, ignoreDrafts)
 
 	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "gh", "api", "graphql",
 		"-f", "query="+query,
@@ -157,7 +182,8 @@ func GetReviewRequests(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string) ([]ReviewRequest,
 }
 
 // GetApprovedUnmerged fetches the user's own PRs that are approved but not yet merged.
-func GetApprovedUnmerged(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string) ([]ApprovedPR, error) {
+// When ignoreDrafts is true, draft PRs are excluded at the GitHub search layer.
+func GetApprovedUnmerged(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string, ignoreDrafts bool) ([]ApprovedPR, error) {
 	ctx, cancel := withTimeout(ctx)
 	defer cancel()
 	query := `query($q: String!) {
@@ -176,12 +202,7 @@ func GetApprovedUnmerged(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string) ([]ApprovedPR,
   }
 }`
 
-	repoClause := ""
-	if repoFilter != "" {
-		repoClause = " repo:" + repoFilter
-	}
-
-	q := fmt.Sprintf("is:pr is:open author:@me review:approved%s", repoClause)
+	q := buildApprovedUnmergedQuery(repoFilter, ignoreDrafts)
 
 	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "gh", "api", "graphql",
 		"-f", "query="+query,
@@ -215,16 +236,22 @@ func GetApprovedUnmerged(ctx context.Context, repoFilter string) ([]ApprovedPR,
 	return filtered, nil
 }
 
-// ListOpenPRs lists open PRs for a repository using `gh pr list`.
-func ListOpenPRs(ctx context.Context, fullRepo string, limit int) ([]ReviewRequest, error) {
+// ListOpenPRs lists open PRs for a repository using `gh pr list`. When
+// ignoreDrafts is true, drafts are excluded via `--draft=false`.
+func ListOpenPRs(ctx context.Context, fullRepo string, limit int, ignoreDrafts bool) ([]ReviewRequest, error) {
 	ctx, cancel := withTimeout(ctx)
 	defer cancel()
-	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "gh", "pr", "list",
+	args := []string{
+		"pr", "list",
 		"-R", fullRepo,
 		"--state", "open",
 		"--limit", fmt.Sprintf("%d", limit),
 		"--json", "number,title,author,createdAt,url",
-	)
+	}
+	if ignoreDrafts {
+		args = append(args, "--draft=false")
+	}
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "gh", args...)
 	out, err := cmd.Output()
 	if err != nil {
 		if ctx.Err() == context.DeadlineExceeded {