Stop waiting on your own pull requests: GitHub stacked PRs in practice

Name: Stop waiting on your own pull requests: GitHub stacked PRs in practice
Uploaded: 2026-11-12T15:03:08+00:00
Description: Sameen Karim demonstrates how GitHub stacked pull requests split complex changes into smaller, dependent reviews. The session covers building stacks with...

Yesterday by Sameen Karim

Sameen Karim, Senior Product Manager at GitHub, walks through a stacked pull request workflow in this GitHub Universe 2026 session, from creating dependent changes to reviewing and merging them.

Working with stacked pull requests

Large pull requests can create review bottlenecks, delay feedback, and interrupt development while authors wait for approval. GitHub stacked PRs let developers split a complex change into smaller, dependent pull requests while retaining the context connecting those changes.

The demonstration follows a stack through its development lifecycle: building it with the GitHub CLI, reviewing it on github.com, adding more pull requests, and handling merges and CI fixes. The session also covers general availability, branch protection, auto-merge, and VS Code support.

Session walkthrough

00:00 — Introduction: The review bottlenecks that stacked pull requests address.
00:27 — Understanding GitHub stacked PRs: How smaller, dependent pull requests organize a larger change while maintaining context.
02:11 — General availability: GitHub stacked PRs reaches GA.
03:05 — Creating stacks with the GitHub CLI: Karim demonstrates building a stack from the command line.
04:47 — Reviewing on github.com: The review workflow for pull requests within a stack.
06:14 — Extending a stack: Adding new pull requests as development continues.
08:10 — Atomic merges and branch protection: How merging interacts with repository protection requirements.
10:31 — Auto-merge and VS Code support: Additional support for working with and merging stacked changes.
11:36 — Fixing CI and rebasing: Handling CI fixes and rebasing the stack.
12:15 — Completed merges and next steps: The demonstration concludes with the stacked pull requests fully merged.

The workflow focuses on making complex changes reviewable in smaller pieces, rather than holding all feedback until one large pull request is ready. It also addresses the ongoing maintenance of those dependent changes as the stack grows and moves through review.