What is a pull request?
Quick answer
A pull request (PR) is a request to merge one branch's changes into the main version of a project. It shows exactly what changed, collects comments and test results, and waits for a person to approve and merge it. Nothing goes live until it is merged.
Last updated
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Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters for a small business
Every change to a client site needs a moment where someone accountable says yes. Without one, approvals sit in email threads, nobody can find what was agreed, and a bug traces back to someone changing something. A pull request puts the change, the discussion and the proof of testing on one numbered page.
That makes it a natural human in the loop step for AI coding. The agent can write and test as much as it likes on its own branch, while merging stays with a person. Months later the PR still shows who approved what and when, which is the audit trail a client or an auditor will ask for.
What pull request #12 carried
| Part | In the Kosuke lesson |
|---|---|
| Session | Fee table on the Services page |
| Branch | kosuke/chat-7fq2mx |
| Proof | QA Report linked, 5 passed |
| Label | qa: passed |
| Next step | Merge on GitHub as usual |
In a real lesson: Preview Every Website Change Before Your Client Sees It using Kosuke
In Preview Every Website Change Before Your Client Sees It using Kosuke, the pull request comes last, after Calder & Finch CPAs have clicked through the shared preview and said yes. You click Open PR under the message box. The agent saves its work and opens a pull request on GitHub with the QA Report linked in it.
A Ready for review banner then shows #12, labelled qa: passed. The lesson stops there on purpose: you or your developer merge it on GitHub as usual, and the session moves to Completed. Kosuke's Get started checklist lists the two moments separately, Open a pull request and Merge your first PR, because opening is a request and merging is the decision. The preview deployment came first so the decision rests on what the client actually tried.
Try this lesson free or read the step-by-step guide.
Common confusions
Pull request vs branch
A Git branch holds the changes. A pull request is the review page that asks for them to be merged into main.
Pull request vs commit
A commit is one saved step. A pull request bundles all of a branch's commits into a single change to review.
Tips
- Read the summary and the test results before looking at any code.
- Merge only after the client has approved the preview.
- Ask the agent to describe the change in plain words in the PR.
Related terms
More Web apps terms
Where you use it: free lessons
- Preview Every Website Change Before Your Client Sees It using Kosuke (Kosuke, 15 min)
AI tools that use it
Frequently asked questions
- Why is it called a pull request?
- You are asking the project owner to pull your branch's changes into the main version. GitLab calls the same thing a merge request.
- Who should merge a pull request?
- Someone who did not write the change and is accountable for the site, such as the agency owner or the client's developer.
- Can I close a pull request without merging?
- Yes. Closing it leaves the live site unchanged, and the branch and discussion stay on record.