GitHub · Pull requests · Indirect merges · Checked October 27, 2026

GitHub: a pull request is marked merged without being merged

A pull request can be marked as merged if its head branch commits become reachable from the base branch outside that pull request. This can happen when the same commits are merged through another pull request or pushed directly to the default branch (GitHub's pull request merges, checked October 27, 2026). Pull requests merged indirectly are marked as merged even if branch protection rules on that pull request were not satisfied.

commits merged via another pull request     marked merged
commits pushed to the default branch        marked merged
branch protection on this pull request      not satisfied: still merged
GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pull_number}/merge
                                            204 merged | 404 not merged

Why it happens

Another pull request: the same commits were merged through a different pull request, so they are on the base branch.
A direct push: the commits were pushed straight to the default branch, without the pull request.
No rules were checked: an indirect merge does not go through the pull request, so the branch protection rules on it did not have to be met. GitHub notes that indirect merges are uncommon but can affect automation and branch protection expectations.

What to do

Find where the commits came in: search for a commit SHA with is:merged. 0eff326d6213c is:merged matches merged pull requests with a commit SHA that starts with 0eff326d6213c (GitHub's searching issues and pull requests).
Check it from the REST API: GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pull_number}/merge checks whether a pull request has been merged into the base branch. The answer is 204 if it has and 404 if not, with an empty body (GitHub's check if a pull request has been merged). The pull request itself has merged and merged_by.
Do not read merged as reviewed: automation that acts on merged pull requests sees an indirectly merged one as merged too, although its branch protection rules may not have been satisfied.
List the ones not merged: is:unmerged matches pull requests that are either open or were closed without being merged (GitHub's searching issues and pull requests).
Stop direct pushes: the ruleset rule Require a pull request before merging requires that all changes to the target branch be associated with a pull request; the pull request does not have to be approved, but it must be opened (GitHub's available rules for rulesets).

GitHub pull requests in IntelliJ IDEA

Pull Request Inbox for GitHub, a plugin by Lesstep for JetBrains IDEs 2024.1 or later, shows a pull request's reviews, checks and conversations next to the diff, and merges it with the methods the target branch allows. It lists the open pull requests GitHub reports and takes merged from GitHub, so a pull request merged indirectly leaves the list when it is next loaded, and if its details are loaded again, the checks say it is merged. The review inbox, diffs and conversations are free; approving, commenting, resolving and merging are Pro (US$1.50 a month, with a 30-day trial).

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