Merge Queue

A merge queue is a controlled sequencing system for pull requests that are ready to enter a repository's main branch. Instead of merging approved changes whenever someone clicks the button, the queue orders them, updates each candidate against the latest main branch, and reruns the required checks before the merge happens. This protects against a common integration failure: each pull request passes on its own, but the combination of several parallel changes breaks the build, tests, or product behavior. The pattern becomes more important with AI coding agents. Ten agents can produce separate branches or worktrees quickly, but the integration bottleneck moves to review and merge discipline. A merge queue makes that final step explicit. It keeps the main branch stable, reduces race conditions between human and agent work, and ensures every change is validated against the current state of the codebase. In practice, it turns parallel development from a pile of approved diffs into an ordered, testable release stream.