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Overview

Pull requests (PRs) are the primary mechanism for proposing, reviewing, and merging code changes in Gitea. They enable team collaboration through code review, automated testing, and controlled merging strategies.

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Creating Pull Requests

1

Create Feature Branch

Start by creating a branch for your changes:
git checkout -b feature/new-feature
git add .
git commit -m "Implement new feature"
git push -u origin feature/new-feature
2

Open Pull Request

Navigate to the repository in Gitea and click New Pull Request
3

Configure PR Details

  • Base Branch: Target branch for merge (usually main)
  • Compare Branch: Your feature branch
  • Title: Descriptive PR title
  • Description: Detailed explanation of changes
  • Reviewers: Request reviews from team members

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Code Review

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Review Process

Gitea provides a comprehensive code review workflow:
  • Inline Comments: Comment on specific lines of code
  • Suggested Changes: Propose code modifications that can be applied directly
  • Review Status: Approve, request changes, or comment
  • Conversation Resolution: Mark comment threads as resolved

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Review Requirements

Configure branch protection to enforce review requirements:
  • Minimum number of approvals
  • Required review from code owners
  • Dismiss stale approvals on new commits
  • Block merge until all reviews are approved

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Merge Strategies

Gitea supports multiple merge strategies:

Merge Commit

Creates a merge commit preserving full history

Rebase

Rebases commits onto base branch for linear history

Squash

Combines all commits into a single commit

Fast-Forward

Only if fast-forward is possible (no divergence)

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Merge Commit

Preserves complete commit history: 
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff feature/new-feature

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Rebase and Merge

Rebases feature branch commits onto base branch: 
git checkout feature/new-feature
git rebase main
git checkout main
git merge feature/new-feature

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Squash and Merge

Combines all commits into one: 
git merge --squash feature/new-feature
git commit -m "Add new feature (#123)"

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Automated Checks

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Status Checks

Integrate CI/CD pipelines and automated testing:
  • Gitea Actions: Run workflows on PR events
  • External CI: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Travis CI
  • Status API: Report check results via API

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Required Checks

Configure required status checks in branch protection: 
# .gitea/workflows/pr-checks.yml
name: PR Checks
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run tests
        run: make test
      - name: Lint code
        run: make lint

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Merge Conflict Resolution

When conflicts occur:
1

Update Your Branch

git fetch origin
git checkout feature/new-feature
git merge origin/main
2

Resolve Conflicts

Edit conflicting files and resolve markers:
<<<<<<< HEAD
your changes
=======
incoming changes
>>>>>>> origin/main
3

Complete Merge

git add .
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflicts"
git push

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Advanced Features

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Draft Pull Requests

Create work-in-progress PRs:
  • Mark PR as draft to indicate it’s not ready for review
  • Prevents accidental merging
  • Convert to ready when complete

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Auto-Merge

Schedule automatic merging when conditions are met:
  • All required checks pass
  • Required approvals obtained
  • No blocking reviews

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Pull Request Templates

Create .gitea/pull_request_template.md: 
## Description
<!-- Describe your changes -->

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Breaking change
- [ ] Documentation update

## Testing
- [ ] Unit tests added/updated
- [ ] Integration tests pass
- [ ] Manual testing performed

## Checklist
- [ ] Code follows style guidelines
- [ ] Self-review completed
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] No new warnings generated

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Best Practices

Keep PRs Small

Smaller PRs are easier to review and merge faster

Clear Descriptions

Explain what, why, and how of your changes

Link Issues

Reference related issues (Fixes #123)

Respond Promptly

Address review feedback quickly

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See Also

Issues

Issue tracking and project management

Actions

CI/CD with Gitea Actions

Repositories

Repository management features

API Reference

Pull Request API endpoints

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