diff --git a/.github/workflows/pkgcheck-comment.yml b/.github/workflows/pkgcheck-comment.yml
index 02823130c47..b51655a3d7e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pkgcheck-comment.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pkgcheck-comment.yml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ jobs:
         RUN_URL: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.html_url }}
       run: scripts/pkgcheck-comment.sh pkgcheck-report
 
-    - name: close a pull request with malformed commits
+    - name: close a pull request that breaks the pull request rules
       env:
         GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
         HEAD_SHA: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha }}
@@ -53,9 +53,15 @@ jobs:
         pr=$(jq -r --arg sha "$HEAD_SHA" 'first(.[][] | select(.head.sha == $sha) | .number) // empty' <<< "$pulls")
         [ -n "$pr" ] || exit 0
         bad=$(scripts/commit-rules.sh "$pr")
-        [ -n "$bad" ] || exit 0
-        cat > body.md <<EOF
-        This pull request was closed automatically because these commits break the commit rules:
+        missing=$(scripts/pr-template.sh "$pr")
+        [ -n "$bad$missing" ] || exit 0
+        echo "This pull request was closed automatically because it breaks the rules below." > body.md
+        if [ -n "$bad" ]; then
+          cat >> body.md <<EOF
+
+        ## Commits
+
+        These commits break the commit rules:
 
         $bad
 
@@ -84,6 +90,23 @@ jobs:
         git push --force-with-lease
         \`\`\`
 
-        A closed pull request cannot be reopened after a force push, so open a new one. See [CONTRIBUTING.en.md](https://github.com/gentoo-zh/overlay/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.en.md).
+        A closed pull request cannot be reopened after a force push.
+        EOF
+        fi
+        if [ -n "$missing" ]; then
+          cat >> body.md <<EOF
+
+        ## Pull request template
+
+        The description lost these checkboxes of the [pull request template](https://github.com/gentoo-zh/overlay/blob/master/.github/pull_request_template.md):
+
+        $missing
+
+        Write the description above the template and keep the checkboxes. Leave a box unticked when it does not apply.
+        EOF
+        fi
+        cat >> body.md <<EOF
+
+        Fix the problems above and open a new pull request. See [CONTRIBUTING.en.md](https://github.com/gentoo-zh/overlay/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.en.md).
         EOF
         gh pr close "$pr" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --comment "$(cat body.md)"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pkgcheck.yml b/.github/workflows/pkgcheck.yml
index 068b30a6649..954ba930aa8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pkgcheck.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pkgcheck.yml
@@ -23,27 +23,6 @@ jobs:
       with:
         args: --checks=-RedundantVersionCheck --keywords=-NonsolvableDepsInDev --exit=NonexistentDeps
 
-  commits:
-    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      pull-requests: read
-    steps:
-    - name: checkout
-      uses: actions/checkout@v7
-
-    - name: check the commit rules
-      env:
-        GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-        PR: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
-      run: |
-        bad=$(scripts/commit-rules.sh "$PR")
-        if [ -n "$bad" ]; then
-          printf '%s\n' "$bad"
-          exit 1
-        fi
-
   # Ebuilds execute PR code; the write token belongs to pkgcheck-comment.
   report:
     if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-rules.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-rules.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c1694c03d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-rules.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+name: pr-rules
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - master
+    # edited reruns the check after the description is fixed, without rerunning pkgcheck
+    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize, edited]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+jobs:
+  pr-rules:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+    - name: checkout
+      uses: actions/checkout@v7
+
+    - name: check the commit rules
+      env:
+        GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+        PR: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+      run: |
+        bad=$(scripts/commit-rules.sh "$PR")
+        if [ -n "$bad" ]; then
+          printf '%s\n' "$bad"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
+    - name: check that the pull request template is kept
+      if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
+      env:
+        GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+        PR: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+      run: |
+        missing=$(scripts/pr-template.sh "$PR")
+        if [ -n "$missing" ]; then
+          printf 'The description lost these checkboxes of the pull request template:\n%s\n' "$missing"
+          exit 1
+        fi
diff --git a/scripts/pr-template.sh b/scripts/pr-template.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..50141c4d026
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/pr-template.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# usage: pr-template.sh <pull request number>
+# prints the checkboxes of .github/pull_request_template.md missing from the pull request description
+set -euo pipefail
+pr=$(gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/pulls/${1:?pull request number}")
+[ "$(jq -r .user.login <<< "$pr")" != 'gentoo-zh-autobump[bot]' ] || exit 0
+body=$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<< "$pr")
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # literal backticks of the template
+for box in 'I have run `pkgcheck scan --commits --net`' 'If I used AI:'; do
+    grep -iF -- "$box" <<< "$body" | grep -qE '^- \[[ xX]\] ' || echo "- $box"
+done