# Know whether a pull request is safe to merge

The merge gate combines findings, proof runs, requirements, tests, change risk and approvals into one verdict, a readiness score from 0 to 100 and a checklist of what to fix.

[Start free trial](https://app.mergeharbor.com/signup) [Read the docs](https://mergeharbor.com/docs/merge-gate)

.mergeharbor.yml

```
merge_gate:
  enabled: true
  mode: advisory # or enforce
  preset: standard # relaxed | standard | strict | regulated
  rules:
    required_approvals: 1
    min_coverage: 70
  branches:
    - pattern: "release/*"
      preset: regulated
```

## How it works

1.  ### Gather every signal

    For each commit, the gate reads the review, open findings, proof runs, linked issue criteria, tests, change risk, approvals and your rules.

2.  ### Get one verdict

    Ready to merge, ready with warnings, blocked or waiting for review, with a checklist where each item says what to do next.

3.  ### Report or enforce

    Advisory mode, the default, reports the verdict without failing the check. Switch to enforce and make the check required to stop merges.

## What you get

A checklist, not just a score

Items are ordered by importance and say what to do, such as "Fix: refund amount is not validated" or "Get 1 more approval".

Presets to start from

Relaxed, Standard, Strict and Regulated policies, each with checks you can change. Standard is the default.

Stricter rules for some branches

Branch policies apply a different preset to some target branches, for example Strict for main and Regulated for release/\*.

Works on five code hosts

MergeHarbor / merge gate appears as its own check on GitHub, and as a commit or pull request status on GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea and Azure DevOps.

Overrides with a reason

People with the override permission can pass a blocked commit with a reason. MergeHarbor comments on the pull request and records it in the audit log.

Merge gate analytics

See how many merged pull requests were ready, blocked then fixed, overridden, or passed and later reverted, and what blocks merges most.

Documentation: [Merge gate](https://mergeharbor.com/docs/merge-gate) [Configuration reference](https://mergeharbor.com/docs/configuration)

## Frequently asked questions

Will the gate start blocking merges as soon as I turn it on?

No. Advisory mode is the default and never fails the check. Switch to enforce under Settings → Checks & gates → Merge gate, then make the check required on your code host.

What if a signal is not measured for a repository?

A signal that is not measured never blocks. The checklist says it was not checked, so a passing verdict does not hide a gap.

Can repositories weaken the organization's policy?

Policies cascade from the organization to the repository to .mergeharbor.yml. The organization can lock its policy so repositories cannot weaken it.

Have another question? [Ask our support team](https://mergeharbor.com/contact?topic=support)

## Explore other features

### Codebase-aware review

Reviews that read your codebase, not just the diff

[Codebase-aware review](https://mergeharbor.com/features/review-agent)

### Proof runs

Tests that reproduce findings in a sandbox

[Proof runs](https://mergeharbor.com/features/proof-runs)

### Change risk

Risk scores, test gaps and migration safety

[Change risk](https://mergeharbor.com/features/change-risk)

## Review every pull request with the context of your whole codebase

Connect a code host in minutes. Reviews start right away, and codebase context is added as indexing completes.

[Start free trial](https://app.mergeharbor.com/signup) [Book a demo](https://mergeharbor.com/contact?topic=sales&source=demo)