Claude Code pull requests that merge themselves

A Shuriken chat can work on its own branch. When its work is done, you can land it two ways: press Finish to check, rebase and squash-merge it locally, or open a GitHub pull request from the chat and turn on auto-merge, so GitHub merges it once your required checks and reviews pass. This post is about the second way, and how to pick between them.

Why we built it#

Finish was built for the solo case: you, a repository, five agents and no ceremony. One click, and the work is in main. We wrote about it in Finish: checks, rebase and merge in one click.

Then we kept hearing about repositories where that doesn't fly: a protected main where nothing goes in without CI, or a teammate who reviews every change, agent or not. For those, a local merge is the wrong ending. The right ending is a pull request that waits for CI and the reviewer, then merges without anyone coming back to press a button.

How it works#

Open a chat that works on its own branch. The git menu at the top of the chat (it's in ⌘K too) does the rest:

1. Create PR. Before anything leaves your computer, Shuriken scans what the branch adds for things that look like secrets. If it finds one, it stops, pushes nothing and shows you the file. Otherwise it pushes the chat's branch and opens a pull request on GitHub.
2. Auto merge. With the pull request open, the same menu offers Auto merge as squash, merge or rebase. Pick one, and GitHub merges the pull request on its own once its required reviews and status checks pass (GitHub Docs, read 22 October 2026).
3. Keep an eye on it from the chat. A Pull request tab shows its checks, reviews and approvals, and View PR opens it on GitHub.
4. Tidy up. Once it's merged, archive the chat. Its worktree goes with it.

You need GitHub connected in Shuriken. If it isn't, Create PR is greyed out and says why instead of failing quietly.

Why Auto merge sometimes isn't there#

GitHub only offers auto-merge in two conditions. The repository must allow it (Settings › General › Allow auto-merge), and the pull request must be one that can't merge yet, usually because branch protection still wants a review or a passing check. If the pull request could merge right now, Shuriken offers Merge PR instead. A draft or a pull request with conflicts gets neither until that's sorted, and if your repository uses a merge queue, Shuriken says so and leaves the merging to GitHub.

Which checks run where#

The two routes check different things.

• Finish runs the commands you list under checks in shuriken.json, on your computer, after rebasing. A red check goes back to the chat's agent to fix, up to three times.
• A pull request is judged by your repository's CI on GitHub. shuriken.json isn't involved: auto-merge waits for the checks GitHub requires.

If you use both routes, put the same commands in both places. For example:

{
  "checks": ["npm run typecheck", "npm test"]
}

and the same two steps in your CI workflow. Then a chat that passes locally won't surprise you on GitHub.

Finish or pull request?#

Our own rule of thumb: if anyone else will read the code, open a pull request. If it's just you and the tests are local, Finish is faster.

Chats on their own branch each work in their own worktree, so several pull requests can be in flight at once without stepping on each other. More on running many at a time in How to run Claude Code agents in parallel.

Want to try it on your own repository? Try Shuriken, start a chat on its own branch, and press Create PR in its git menu when the agent is done.