Explicit
Labels opt pull requests in
Nothing merges until a maintainer adds one of the two recognized labels.
GitHub App
Merge when GitHub says it is ready.
Add an automerge or tag: automerge label. The App waits for reported work to finish, rechecks the pull request, and asks GitHub to merge the exact checked commit.
Patient
Reported work finishes first
Automerge waits while checks run or commit statuses remain pending.
Protected
GitHub keeps final control
Required reviews, rulesets, branch protection, and merge policies still apply.
Add an automerge label to an open, non-draft pull request.
Checks and commit statuses reach terminal states.
A 10-second grace period passes and eligibility is checked again.
GitHub receives a merge request pinned to the checked head commit.