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A pull request review is a discussion and recorded decision about proposed code changes before they are merged. Reviewers can comment, approve, or request changes; automated status checks separately report whether configured tests and other validations pass. Which of those signals must be satisfied to merge depends on the repository’s rules.
What a pull request review does
On GitHub, a pull request review lets people comment on proposed changes, suggest improvements, and approve or request changes before code is merged. A review may include a summary comment, feedback attached to specific lines, suggested edits, and a final decision. GitHub describes the feature in its Pull request reviews documentation.
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Reviews are both a way to discuss a change and a way to record a reviewer’s position. The decision is not, by itself, a universal merge rule: repository settings determine which reviews and other conditions are required.
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| Decision | What it communicates | Does it ask for action? | Merge effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comment | The reviewer is leaving feedback without explicitly approving or requesting changes. | It may raise a question or suggestion, but does not formally signal approval or request changes. | It is not inherently an approval or a block; repository rules determine merge requirements. |
| Approve | The reviewer considers the changes ready to merge. | It does not ask the author to make a change. | It counts toward a merge requirement only if the repository requires approval and the reviewer and review meet the applicable rules. |
| Request changes | The reviewer is flagging feedback the author should address. | Yes: it indicates that the author should consider and respond to the requested changes. | Whether it blocks merging depends on repository rules and the reviewer’s permissions. |
A general comment and a line comment serve different purposes: the first can address the pull request overall, while a line comment anchors feedback to a particular part of the diff. A suggested edit can offer a concrete change the author can apply.
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How a review usually works
- Read the purpose and context. Start with the pull request description so you understand what the proposed change is intended to do.
- Inspect commits and changed files. Follow the diff to see what changed. Reviewing one file at a time and marking it Viewed can help track progress.
- Leave focused feedback. Add a general comment for overall concerns or a line comment for feedback tied to a specific change. Suggested edits can show a possible correction.
- Submit the review. Choose Comment, Approve, or Request changes and include a summary where useful. Comments still pending in a draft review are private to you until you submit the review.
- Respond to the outcome. The author can apply a suggestion or make broader changes, then push commits to the pull-request branch. Those commits update the pull request and may trigger checks again.
GitHub’s Review pull requests guide explains the review workflow. Authors and reviewers can use discussion threads to follow up on feedback; whether threads must be resolved before merging is a repository setting.
How approvals and review requests affect merging
An approval is a reviewer’s signal, not an unconditional permission to merge. Repository administrators can configure protected branches to require a specified number of approving reviews, approval from code owners, or approval of the most recent reviewable push. They can also configure whether relevant new commits dismiss existing approvals as stale. These options and their effects are described in GitHub’s About protected branches documentation.
Similarly, a Request changes review does not automatically block every pull request. Its effect depends on the repository’s rules and the reviewer’s permissions. If a review requirement is unclear, check the pull request’s merge status and ask a repository administrator which branch rules apply.
What status checks mean—and how they differ from reviews
Status checks report whether a commit meets configured conditions. They may come from build and test workflows, scanning, deployment validation, or other integrations. A human reviewer produces a review decision; a check reports an automated or integration-provided result about commits. Passing checks do not mean a person has approved the change, and an approval does not mean checks passed.
| Review | Status check | |
|---|---|---|
| Who or what produces it? | A human reviewer. | An automated workflow or integration. |
| What does it evaluate? | The proposed changes, through human feedback and a recorded decision. | Whether a commit meets the check’s configured condition. |
| Can it be a merge requirement? | Yes, if repository rules require eligible approvals or other review conditions. | Yes, if the repository requires that check and its configured condition is met. |
GitHub’s Status checks documentation explains check results and their configuration. Because check outcomes depend on repository and workflow settings, inspect the reported outcome and the applicable branch rules; a skipped check can have a successful status.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to check when a pull request is not ready to merge
- Review requirement: Is an approval required, and does the approval come from someone eligible under the repository’s rules?
- New commits: Did a later push make an earlier approval stale under the branch settings, or require review of the most recent reviewable push?
- Check results: Are all required checks reporting the outcome the branch rule demands for the current commits?
- Discussion threads: Does the repository require conversations to be resolved before merging?
These requirements are configurable, so a review decision or check result should be read alongside the pull request’s current merge status and repository settings. GitHub’s guidance on resolving reviews covers review conversations, and its guide to managing and standardizing pull requests describes broader repository practices.
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