GitKraken Desktop Documentation

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Pull requests

Last updated: May 2025

A pull request (sometimes called merge requests) is a review workflow that lets you propose changes in one branch before merging it into another. GitKraken Desktop supports creating, managing, and reviewing pull requests with integrated Git services like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.

Creating a Pull Request

To create a pull request:

Drag one branch onto another and select Start a pull request
Or right-click the target branch and choose the same option
Or click the icon in the Left Panel PULL REQUESTS section

Start a pull request by dragging a branch

Create a pull request from the Left Panel

Note: If the Azure DevOps PR form isn’t populating, see Azure DevOps Integration.

Pull Request Templates

GitKraken Desktop supports PR templates on GitHub, GitLab, and Azure DevOps. When committed to the remote, the template appears during PR creation.

Pull request template field shown during creation

Tips:

Follow your provider’s documentation for file location
Ensure the template is on the currently checked out branch

Resources:

Assignees, Labels, Reviewers

Some integrations allow adding:

Assignees
Reviewers
Labels

Assign reviewers and labels during PR creation

Conflict warnings appear if your source and target branches differ:

Merge conflict warning in PR modal

Reminder: Push your branch before creating a pull request.

Draft Pull Requests (GitHub)

With the GitHub integration, select the draft checkbox to mark the pull request as a draft.

Enable draft pull request in GitHub

GitHub Pull Request View

Enable the GitHub integration to access GitHub PR view:

Select a PR in the Left Panel
Or click the PR icon in the Launchpad

GitHub pull request view in the repo tab

Access PRs from the Launchpad

From this view, GitHub users can edit:

Title
Description
Reviewers
Assignees
Milestones
Labels

Click to review changes.

Suggest Changes

Suggest edits directly in GitKraken Desktop or gitkraken.dev.

Suggest code changes inside a pull request

Accept or Reject Suggestions

Code suggestions display in the PR view under the “Code Suggestions” label:

Label for PRs containing code suggestions

You can apply or reject each suggestion in the Commit Panel:

Review and apply suggestions

Commenting and Quoting

Comment on pull requests, refresh the comments feed, or quote replies:

Refresh and quote comments

Reply with quotes

Branch Actions and Build Status

Double-click a branch in the PR view to check it out. Click build status to open in browser.

Check out branches and monitor CI

If the remote isn’t added yet, GitKraken will prompt you to add it.

Merge in GitHub PR View

Click to merge.

Merge using GitHub PR view options

Choose:

Create a merge commit
Squash and merge
Rebase and merge

If data appears out of sync, refresh GitKraken Desktop.

Active Pull Requests Panel

Active PRs appear with this icon and are listed in the PULL REQUESTS section of the Left Panel.

Pull request panel and filters

Use predefined filters like My pull requests or All pull requests, or create custom filters.

Tooltips show branch, author, status, and more:

General tooltip details

GitLab tooltip with an assignee

GitHub tooltip with reviewers and build status

Pull request icons:

= CI passed and approved
= CI passed/pending or reviews pending
= Failing CI or changes requested

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