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Use stacked PRs when one feature is too large for a single review but each slice depends on the previous one. Each lane in the stack becomes its own PR, targeting the lane below it instead of main — so reviewers see small, ordered diffs. ADE builds the stack out of child lanes: a lane branched off another lane instead of main. The child-lane chain is the PR stack.
A stacked PR targeting its parent lane's branch

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1. Create the base lane

Create a lane from main for the first slice of work and commit the foundation there.

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2. Stack child lanes

Select the base lane and create a child lane for the next slice — it branches off the base lane, not main. Repeat only as far as the dependency is real. 
main
  feature-auth-models      (base lane, off main)
    feature-auth-ui        (child of the base lane)
      feature-auth-tests   (child of feature-auth-ui)
The worktree graph showing a child-lane stack

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3. Open PRs in order

Open PRs from the bottom of the stack upward. Each PR targets the branch of the lane it was stacked on.
  • The base lane targets main.
  • The first child lane targets the base lane’s branch.
  • The next child lane targets the first child’s branch.
ADE keeps this relationship visible in Lanes, Graph, and PRs.

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4. Review bottom-up

Review the base PR first. Each child PR is easier to understand — and to merge — once its parent is approved.

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5. Land the stack

1

Merge the base PR

Land the bottom PR into main.
2

Retarget the next child

Rebase or retarget the next PR so it now builds on main.
3

Repeat up the stack

Continue child by child until every slice is merged.

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Tips

  • Keep each PR small enough to review on its own.
  • Avoid deep stacks unless the dependency between slices is real.
  • Use the worktree graph to see the chain and its merge order.
  • Re-run tests after rebasing a child lane.
  • If a child lane stops depending on its parent, split it into a sibling lane off main.

Stack lanes

The lane model behind a stack — child lanes in detail.

Pull requests

Create, review, and merge PRs from ADE.