# Change requests

The git merge layer that lands a session's branch on the default branch.

Canonical page: https://kortix.com/docs/concepts/change-requests

A **change request** merges one branch (`head_ref`, usually a session branch)
into another (`base_ref`, usually the default branch). It is the **only** path
for session work to reach the default branch.

It's Kortix-native: the row is metadata; the git operations run in the Kortix API
against any backend (GitHub, GitLab, plain git) — no per-host integration.

- **Why** — sessions run on ephemeral branches; the sandbox is destroyed at the
  end, and everything else boots from the default branch. Until a change request
  merges, the work is invisible and unreviewed. This covers everything committed:
  code, skills, agents, the manifest (`kortix.yaml`/`kortix.toml`), `AGENTS.md`
  — no exceptions.
- **Lifecycle** — `open → merged` (terminal) or `open → closed` (reopenable). A
  merged request can't be reopened or closed.
- **Merge** — fast-forward when `head_ref` is ahead, else a three-way merge
  commit (default message `Merge CR #<n>: <title>`). A preview flags conflicts
  first; resolve on the branch and push.

The agent opens the request (`kortix cr open`) but does not merge its own work —
you merge from the dashboard or `kortix cr merge <n>`. Data model, diff
semantics, and REST API: [change requests reference](/docs/reference/change-requests).