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rung

merge

Merge the current branch’s pull request via the GitHub API. Automatically handles rebasing descendants and updating PR bases.

Usage

Terminal window
rung merge
rung merge --method merge
rung merge --method rebase
rung merge --no-delete

Aliases

  • rung m — shorthand for rung merge

Options

OptionDescription
-m, --method <method>Merge method: squash (default), merge, or rebase
--no-deleteDon’t delete the remote branch after merge

Merge Methods

MethodDescription
squashCombines all commits into one (default)
mergeCreates a merge commit
rebaseRebases commits onto the base branch

What Merge Does

When you run rung merge:

  1. Merge PR — Merges the PR via GitHub API using the specified method
  2. Rebase descendants — Rebases all child branches onto the new base
  3. Update PR bases — Updates child PRs to point to the new base branch
  4. Remove from stack — Removes the merged branch from the stack
  5. Delete branches — Deletes local and remote branches (unless --no-delete)
  6. Pull changes — Pulls latest changes to keep local up to date

Example

Terminal window
# On feat-add-user-model with approved PR #41
$ rung merge


✓ Merged PR #41 (squash)
✓ Rebased feat-add-user-api onto main
✓ Updated PR #42 base to main
✓ Deleted branch feat-add-user-model
✓ Pulled latest main

Before

  Stack
  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
  ● ▶ feat-add-user-model #41 ← main
  ●   feat-add-user-api #42 ← feat-add-user-model
  ●   feat-add-user-tests #43 ← feat-add-user-api
  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

After

  Stack
  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
  ● ▶ feat-add-user-api #42 ← main
  ●   feat-add-user-tests #43 ← feat-add-user-api
  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

Merge Order

Always merge from the bottom of the stack up (closest to main first). This ensures:

  • Each PR has the correct context
  • Reviewers see the full picture
  • CI runs against the correct base

Using Different Methods

Squash Merge (Default)

Terminal window
rung merge
# or
rung merge --method squash

Combines all commits into a single commit on the base branch. Good for clean history.

Regular Merge

Terminal window
rung merge --method merge

Creates a merge commit preserving all individual commits. Good for preserving detailed history.

Rebase Merge

Terminal window
rung merge --method rebase

Replays commits onto the base branch without a merge commit. Creates linear history.

Keep Remote Branch

If you want to keep the remote branch after merging:

Terminal window
rung merge --no-delete

Useful for:

  • Preserving branch for reference
  • Required by some CI/CD pipelines
  • When you need to re-reference the branch later

JSON Output

Terminal window
$ rung merge --json
{
  "merged": {
    "branch": "feat-add-user-model",
    "pr": 41,
    "method": "squash"
  },
  "rebased": [
    {
      "branch": "feat-add-user-api",
      "new_base": "main",
      "commits": 2
    }
  ],
  "updated_prs": [42],
  "deleted": ["feat-add-user-model"]
}

Requirements

  • The PR must be approved and all checks passing
  • You must have write access to the repository
  • GitHub authentication must be configured

Notes

  • The merge uses GitHub’s API, so it respects branch protection rules
  • If descendant rebasing causes conflicts, you’ll need to resolve them
  • After merging, your checkout moves to the first child branch (or main if no children)
  • submit — Submit PRs for review
  • status — Check PR status
  • sync — Sync branches manually