Pull Requests & Merging

Cat-Factory's definition of "done" is deliberately strict: a task is complete only when its pull request is merged with passing CI. This page covers what agents produce and how merging closes the loop.

What the coding agent produces

During the Coder step, an agent:

  1. Clones your repository into an ephemeral container.
  2. Implements the task from its (reviewed) requirements.
  3. Commits its own work to a dedicated per-task branch and validates locally.

The agent never needs push credentials: Cat-Factory owns the delivery contract. The platform pushes the branch, opens the pull request, and drives your existing CI/CD. Because the branch is deterministic and checkpointed, a retried or resumed run continues on the same branch and PR rather than starting over.

The Tester step then validates the change before the closing automation runs.

Conflicts, CI, and the merger

The Full build pipeline finishes with three engine steps that prepare the PR for merge:

  • Conflicts Gate - keeps the PR mergeable with its base, looping a Conflict Resolver agent to merge the base in and resolve any conflicts on the same branch.
  • CI Gate - gates the (now up-to-date) PR on green CI, looping a CI Fixer agent on failure.
  • Merger - scores the PR on complexity, risk, and impact, then either auto-merges when the scores fall within the task's merge-threshold preset or raises a review notification for a human.

Reviewing the PR

Review the pull request exactly as you would any human contribution:

  • Read the diff and the agent's description of what it changed.
  • Confirm CI is green.
  • Request changes or leave comments if something's off.

Because the work is a real PR in your repository, all your existing branch protections, required checks, and review rules apply unchanged.

Merging closes the loop

When you merge the pull request:

  • The associated block flips to Done.
  • A completion event streams back to the board, updating it in real time.
PR opened → CI passes → Tester/Acceptance validate → you review → merge → block Done

Iterating

If the change needs more work, you have the usual options:

  • Push commits or request changes on the PR directly.
  • Refine the block's requirements and start a new run.
  • Use the run's retry to re-run from a failed step.

Each iteration is fully visible on the board and in the run's event log.

Next: connect and bootstrap the repositories agents work in - Repositories.