fix(github): stop stale merged PRs from sticking in branch status

Branch PR status now resolves open PRs only, revalidates closed/merged
associations on a discovery cadence, and clears authoritative empty
results so the panel can self-heal without a manual refresh.

Co-authored-by: Serhii Dziupin <makeittech@users.noreply.github.com>

packages/ui/src/components/views/git/PullRequestSection.tsx

@@ -1167,21 +1167,19 @@ export const PullRequestSection: React.FC<{
   }, [remotes, status?.resolvedRemoteName]);
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
-    const isTerminal = status?.pr?.state === 'closed' || status?.pr?.state === 'merged';
+    // Terminal (closed/merged) status must still revalidate on focus/visibility:
+    // the branch may now have a newer open PR, or the association may clear.
     const lastRefreshAt = statusEntry?.lastRefreshAt ?? 0;
     const isStale = Date.now() - lastRefreshAt > 60_000;
-    const shouldRefresh = !isTerminal && isStale;
 
     const onFocus = () => {
-      if (shouldRefresh) {
+      if (isStale) {
         void refresh({ force: true, silent: true });
       }
     };
     const onVisibility = () => {
-      if (document.visibilityState === 'visible') {
+      if (document.visibilityState === 'visible' && isStale) {
-        if (shouldRefresh) {
+        void refresh({ force: true, silent: true });
-          void refresh({ force: true, silent: true });
-        }
       }
     };
 
@@ -1191,7 +1189,7 @@ export const PullRequestSection: React.FC<{
       window.removeEventListener('focus', onFocus);
       document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibility);
     };
-  }, [refresh, status?.pr?.state, statusEntry?.lastRefreshAt]);
+  }, [refresh, statusEntry?.lastRefreshAt]);
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (githubAuthChecked && githubAuthStatus?.connected === false) {

packages/ui/src/stores/DOCUMENTATION.md

@@ -173,6 +173,10 @@ Important properties:
 - `refreshTargets()` supports one-shot multi-target bootstrap without turning on live watching
 - runtime reset disposes timers, watchers, API references, and request ownership while inert namespaced snapshots remain isolated
 - persisted cache is versioned, TTL-filtered, and bounded for page refresh continuity, not broad background syncing
+- closed/merged associations use the same `5m` discovery cadence as missing PRs so a newer open PR (or authoritative `pr: null`) can replace them without a manual refresh
+- closed/merged branch associations are not persisted; legacy hydrated terminal PRs are stripped to `pr: null` and marked unresolved until refresh
+- sibling remote-key seeding never copies a closed/merged association
+- a successful refresh that returns `pr: null` replaces any previously cached PR authoritatively
 
 ## Ownership Rules
 

packages/ui/src/stores/useGitHubPrStatusStore.test.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { beforeEach, describe, expect, mock, test } from "bun:test"
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, mock, test } from "bun:test"
 import type { GitHubPullRequestStatus, RuntimeAPIs } from "@/lib/api/types"
 
 let runtimeKey = "runtime-a"
@@ -166,3 +166,246 @@ describe("GitHub PR status cache ownership", () => {
     expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.isLoading).toBe(false)
   })
 })
+
+describe("GitHub PR status stale terminal associations", () => {
+  const originalSetInterval = globalThis.setInterval
+  const originalSetTimeout = globalThis.setTimeout
+  const originalClearInterval = globalThis.clearInterval
+  const originalClearTimeout = globalThis.clearTimeout
+  let intervalCallbacks: Array<() => void> = []
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    runtimeKey = "runtime-a"
+    intervalCallbacks = []
+
+    const setIntervalStub = ((handler: TimerHandler) => {
+      if (typeof handler === "function") {
+        intervalCallbacks.push(handler as () => void)
+      }
+      return 1
+    }) as unknown as typeof setInterval
+    const setTimeoutStub = (() => 1) as unknown as typeof setTimeout
+    const clearIntervalStub = (() => undefined) as typeof clearInterval
+    const clearTimeoutStub = (() => undefined) as typeof clearTimeout
+
+    globalThis.setInterval = setIntervalStub
+    globalThis.setTimeout = setTimeoutStub
+    globalThis.clearInterval = clearIntervalStub
+    globalThis.clearTimeout = clearTimeoutStub
+
+    // bun:test has no DOM; the store uses window timers and optional document visibility.
+    Object.assign(globalThis, {
+      window: {
+        setInterval: setIntervalStub,
+        setTimeout: setTimeoutStub,
+        clearInterval: clearIntervalStub,
+        clearTimeout: clearTimeoutStub,
+      },
+      document: { visibilityState: "visible" },
+    })
+
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.setState({ entries: {}, activeRequestCount: 0, totalRequestCount: 0 })
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().resetForRuntimeSwitch()
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().resetForRuntimeSwitch()
+    globalThis.setInterval = originalSetInterval
+    globalThis.setTimeout = originalSetTimeout
+    globalThis.clearInterval = originalClearInterval
+    globalThis.clearTimeout = originalClearTimeout
+    delete (globalThis as { window?: unknown }).window
+    delete (globalThis as { document?: unknown }).document
+  })
+
+  test("forced refresh replaces a merged PR with a newer open PR", async () => {
+    const merged: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 1_000,
+      pr: { number: 12, title: "old", url: "u12", state: "merged", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    const newerOpen: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 2_000,
+      pr: { number: 15, title: "new", url: "u15", state: "open", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    let requestCount = 0
+    const github = {
+      prStatus: async () => {
+        requestCount += 1
+        return requestCount === 1 ? merged : newerOpen
+      },
+    } as unknown as RuntimeAPIs["github"]
+    const key = getGitHubPrStatusKey("/repo", "feature", "origin")
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().ensureEntry(key)
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().setParams(key, params(github, "feature"))
+
+    await useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().refresh(key, { force: true })
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number).toBe(12)
+
+    await useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().refresh(key, { force: true })
+    expect(requestCount).toBe(2)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number).toBe(15)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.state).toBe("open")
+  })
+
+  test("forced refresh clears a merged PR when no open PR remains", async () => {
+    const merged: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 1_000,
+      repo: { owner: "acme", repo: "app", url: "https://github.com/acme/app" },
+      pr: { number: 12, title: "old", url: "u12", state: "merged", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    const empty: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 2_000,
+      repo: { owner: "acme", repo: "app", url: "https://github.com/acme/app" },
+      pr: null,
+    }
+    const github = {
+      prStatus: async () => empty,
+    } as unknown as RuntimeAPIs["github"]
+    const key = getGitHubPrStatusKey("/repo", "feature", "origin")
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().ensureEntry(key)
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.setState((state) => ({
+      entries: {
+        ...state.entries,
+        [key]: {
+          ...state.entries[key]!,
+          status: merged,
+          isInitialStatusResolved: true,
+          lastRefreshAt: Date.now(),
+        },
+      },
+    }))
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().setParams(key, params(github, "feature"))
+
+    await useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().refresh(key, { force: true })
+
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr).toBeNull()
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.repo).toEqual({
+      owner: "acme",
+      repo: "app",
+      url: "https://github.com/acme/app",
+    })
+  })
+
+  test("watcher discovery revalidates a cached merged PR", async () => {
+    const merged: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 1_000,
+      pr: { number: 12, title: "old", url: "u12", state: "merged", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    const newerOpen: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 2_000,
+      pr: { number: 15, title: "new", url: "u15", state: "open", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    const responses = [merged, newerOpen]
+    let requestCount = 0
+    const github = {
+      prStatus: async () => {
+        requestCount += 1
+        return responses.shift()!
+      },
+    } as unknown as RuntimeAPIs["github"]
+    const key = getGitHubPrStatusKey("/repo", "feature", "origin")
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().ensureEntry(key)
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().setParams(key, params(github, "feature"))
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().startWatching(key)
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < 50 && useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number !== 12; i += 1) {
+      await Promise.resolve()
+    }
+    expect(requestCount).toBe(1)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number).toBe(12)
+    expect(intervalCallbacks).toHaveLength(1)
+
+    // Discovery poll for terminal state (lastDiscoveryPollAt starts at 0).
+    intervalCallbacks[0]!()
+    for (let i = 0; i < 50 && useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number !== 15; i += 1) {
+      await Promise.resolve()
+    }
+
+    expect(requestCount).toBe(2)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number).toBe(15)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.state).toBe("open")
+  })
+
+  test("watcher discovery clears a cached merged PR when no open PR exists", async () => {
+    const merged: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 1_000,
+      pr: { number: 12, title: "old", url: "u12", state: "merged", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    const empty: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 2_000,
+      pr: null,
+    }
+    const responses = [merged, empty]
+    let requestCount = 0
+    const github = {
+      prStatus: async () => {
+        requestCount += 1
+        return responses.shift()!
+      },
+    } as unknown as RuntimeAPIs["github"]
+    const key = getGitHubPrStatusKey("/repo", "feature", "origin")
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().ensureEntry(key)
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().setParams(key, params(github, "feature"))
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().startWatching(key)
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < 50 && useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number !== 12; i += 1) {
+      await Promise.resolve()
+    }
+    expect(requestCount).toBe(1)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr?.number).toBe(12)
+
+    intervalCallbacks[0]!()
+    for (let i = 0; i < 50 && useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr != null; i += 1) {
+      await Promise.resolve()
+    }
+
+    expect(requestCount).toBe(2)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[key]?.status?.pr).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  test("does not seed sibling entries from a closed PR", () => {
+    const closed: GitHubPullRequestStatus = {
+      connected: true,
+      fetchedAt: 1_000,
+      pr: { number: 9, title: "closed", url: "u9", state: "closed", draft: false, base: "main", head: "feature" },
+    }
+    const autoKey = getGitHubPrStatusKey("/repo", "feature", null)
+    const originKey = getGitHubPrStatusKey("/repo", "feature", "origin")
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.setState({
+      entries: {
+        [autoKey]: {
+          status: closed,
+          isLoading: false,
+          error: null,
+          isInitialStatusResolved: true,
+          lastRefreshAt: Date.now(),
+          lastDiscoveryPollAt: 0,
+          watchers: 0,
+          params: null,
+          identity: {
+            runtimeKey: "runtime-a",
+            directory: "/repo",
+            branch: "feature",
+            remoteName: null,
+          },
+          resolvedRemoteName: "origin",
+          paramsRevision: 0,
+        },
+      },
+      activeRequestCount: 0,
+      totalRequestCount: 0,
+    })
+
+    useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().ensureEntry(originKey)
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[originKey]?.status).toBeNull()
+    expect(useGitHubPrStatusStore.getState().entries[originKey]?.isInitialStatusResolved).toBe(false)
+  })
+})

packages/ui/src/stores/useGitHubPrStatusStore.ts

@@ -212,6 +212,11 @@ const findResolvedSiblingEntry = (
     if (entryKey === key || !entry.isInitialStatusResolved || !entry.status) {
       continue;
     }
+    // Never seed a fresh key from a closed/merged association — that is what
+    // made stale terminal PRs reappear after remote-key switches.
+    if (isTerminalPrState(entry.status.pr?.state)) {
+      continue;
+    }
     const parsed = parseStatusKey(entryKey);
     if (!parsed
       || parsed.runtimeKey !== target.runtimeKey
@@ -359,15 +364,39 @@ const toPersistedEntry = (entry: PrStatusEntry): PersistedPrStatusEntry => ({
   resolvedRemoteName: entry.resolvedRemoteName ?? entry.status?.resolvedRemoteName ?? null,
 });
 
-const hydrateEntry = (entry: PersistedPrStatusEntry | undefined): PrStatusEntry => ({
+const stripTerminalPersistedStatus = (
-  ...createEntry(),
+  status: GitHubPullRequestStatus | null | undefined,
-  status: entry?.status ?? null,
+): GitHubPullRequestStatus | null => {
-  isInitialStatusResolved: entry?.isInitialStatusResolved ?? false,
+  if (!status) {
-  lastRefreshAt: entry?.lastRefreshAt ?? 0,
+    return null;
-  lastDiscoveryPollAt: entry?.lastDiscoveryPollAt ?? 0,
+  }
-  identity: entry?.identity ?? null,
+  if (!isTerminalPrState(status.pr?.state)) {
-  resolvedRemoteName: entry?.resolvedRemoteName ?? entry?.status?.resolvedRemoteName ?? null,
+    return status;
-});
+  }
+  // Persisted closed/merged branch associations are not live authority. Keep
+  // repo/remote continuity so refresh can resume without briefly showing the
+  // stale terminal PR.
+  return {
+    ...status,
+    pr: null,
+    checks: undefined,
+    canMerge: undefined,
+  };
+};
+
+const hydrateEntry = (entry: PersistedPrStatusEntry | undefined): PrStatusEntry => {
+  const status = stripTerminalPersistedStatus(entry?.status);
+  const hadTerminalPr = Boolean(entry?.status?.pr) && !status?.pr;
+  return {
+    ...createEntry(),
+    status,
+    isInitialStatusResolved: hadTerminalPr ? false : (entry?.isInitialStatusResolved ?? false),
+    lastRefreshAt: entry?.lastRefreshAt ?? 0,
+    lastDiscoveryPollAt: entry?.lastDiscoveryPollAt ?? 0,
+    identity: entry?.identity ?? null,
+    resolvedRemoteName: entry?.resolvedRemoteName ?? entry?.status?.resolvedRemoteName ?? null,
+  };
+};
 
 const boundEntries = (entries: Record<string, PrStatusEntry>): Record<string, PrStatusEntry> => {
   const all = Object.entries(entries);
@@ -496,7 +525,11 @@ export const useGitHubPrStatusStore = create<GitHubPrStatusStore>()(
           }
 
           const hasPr = Boolean(entry.status?.pr);
-          if (!hasPr) {
+          const isTerminal = isTerminalPrState(entry.status?.pr?.state);
+          // Missing PR and terminal (closed/merged) PRs both need discovery:
+          // a new open PR may exist for the same head, or the association may
+          // need to clear to an authoritative empty result.
+          if (!hasPr || isTerminal) {
             const now = Date.now();
             if (now - entry.lastDiscoveryPollAt < PR_DISCOVERY_INTERVAL_MS) {
               return;
@@ -520,10 +553,6 @@ export const useGitHubPrStatusStore = create<GitHubPrStatusStore>()(
             return;
           }
 
-          if (isTerminalPrState(entry.status?.pr?.state)) {
-            return;
-          }
-
           const elapsed = Date.now() - entry.lastRefreshAt;
           const nextInterval = getOpenPrRefreshInterval(entry.status);
           if (elapsed < nextInterval) {
@@ -850,6 +879,11 @@ export const useGitHubPrStatusStore = create<GitHubPrStatusStore>()(
               if (!identity?.directory || !identity.branch) {
                 return false;
               }
+              // Do not persist closed/merged branch associations — they become
+              // permanently sticky without a discovery refresh after reload.
+              if (isTerminalPrState(entry.status?.pr?.state)) {
+                return false;
+              }
               const freshness = Math.max(entry.lastRefreshAt, entry.lastDiscoveryPollAt);
               return freshness > 0 && Date.now() - freshness < PR_PERSIST_TTL_MS;
             })

packages/web/server/lib/github/DOCUMENTATION.md

@@ -75,8 +75,9 @@
 - It resolves those remotes into GitHub repos.
 - It expands each repo through `parent` and `source` so PRs in upstream repos can still be found.
 - It skips PR lookup when the current branch matches that repo's default branch.
-- It first searches for PRs by likely source owner plus exact head branch.
+- It first searches for **open** PRs by likely source owner plus exact head branch.
-- If that fails, it falls back to broader GitHub search for the branch name.
+- If that fails, it falls back to broader GitHub search for open PRs on the branch name.
+- Closed/merged PRs are intentionally not associated with branch status; historical PR browsing stays on explicit list/detail endpoints.
 - `403` and `404` during repo lookups are treated as expected gaps, not hard errors.
 
 ## Shared client state model
@@ -108,11 +109,16 @@
 - Open PR with pending checks -> refresh about every `1m`.
 - Open PR with non-pending checks -> refresh about every `5m`.
 - Open PR without a stable checks signal -> refresh about every `2m`.
-- Closed or merged PR -> stop regular polling.
+- Closed or merged PR -> discovery refresh every `5m` (do not permanently stop polling).
 - Hidden tab -> skip polling.
 - Non-forced refreshes use a `90s` TTL.
 - Failed non-forced attempts also observe the `90s` TTL so transient server or rate-limit failures cannot retry on every sidebar update. Forced user/action refreshes bypass this guard.
 
+## Persistence notes for terminal PRs
+
+- Closed/merged branch-status entries are not written to local storage.
+- Legacy persisted terminal entries are stripped on hydrate (`pr: null`) and marked unresolved until the next refresh.
+
 ## Background tracking rules
 
 - Track up to `50` likely directories.

packages/web/server/lib/github/pr-status.js

@@ -440,61 +440,62 @@ const searchFallbackPr = async ({ octokit, branch, repoNames }) => {
 
   const normalizedRepoNames = new Set(repoNames.map((name) => normalizeLower(name)).filter(Boolean));
 
-  for (const state of ['open', 'closed']) {
+  // Branch status only discovers open PRs. Closed/merged history belongs to
-    let response;
+  // explicit PR list/detail workflows, not automatic branch association.
+  let response;
+  try {
+    response = await octokit.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests({
+      q: `is:pr state:open head:${branch}`,
+      per_page: 20,
+    });
+    // If we get here, search API works for this repo — clear the disabled flag
+    _searchApiDisabledRepos.delete(repoKey);
+  } catch (error) {
+    noteIfGitHubRateLimit(error);
+    if (error?.status === 403) {
+      _searchApiDisabledRepos.set(repoKey, Date.now());
+      return null;
+    }
+    if (error?.status === 404) {
+      rememberSearchMiss(missKey);
+      return null;
+    }
+    throw error;
+  }
+
+  const items = Array.isArray(response?.data?.items) ? response.data.items : [];
+  for (const item of items) {
+    const repo = parseRepoFromApiUrl(item?.repository_url);
+    if (!repo) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (normalizedRepoNames.size > 0 && !normalizedRepoNames.has(normalizeLower(repo.repo))) {
+      continue;
+    }
     try {
-      response = await octokit.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests({
+      const prResponse = await octokit.rest.pulls.get({
-        q: `is:pr state:${state} head:${branch}`,
+        owner: repo.owner,
-        per_page: 20,
+        repo: repo.repo,
+        pull_number: item.number,
       });
-      // If we get here, search API works for this repo — clear the disabled flag
+      const pr = prResponse?.data;
-      _searchApiDisabledRepos.delete(repoKey);
+      if (!pr || normalizeText(pr.head?.ref) !== branch) {
-    } catch (error) {
+        continue;
-      noteIfGitHubRateLimit(error);
-      if (error?.status === 403) {
-        _searchApiDisabledRepos.set(repoKey, Date.now());
-        return null;
       }
-      if (error?.status === 404) {
+      return {
+        repo: {
+          owner: repo.owner,
+          repo: repo.repo,
+          url: `https://github.com/${repo.owner}/${repo.repo}`,
+        },
+        pr,
+      };
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error?.status === 403 || error?.status === 404) {
         continue;
       }
       throw error;
     }
-
-    const items = Array.isArray(response?.data?.items) ? response.data.items : [];
-    for (const item of items) {
-      const repo = parseRepoFromApiUrl(item?.repository_url);
-      if (!repo) {
-        continue;
-      }
-      if (normalizedRepoNames.size > 0 && !normalizedRepoNames.has(normalizeLower(repo.repo))) {
-        continue;
-      }
-      try {
-        const prResponse = await octokit.rest.pulls.get({
-          owner: repo.owner,
-          repo: repo.repo,
-          pull_number: item.number,
-        });
-        const pr = prResponse?.data;
-        if (!pr || normalizeText(pr.head?.ref) !== branch) {
-          continue;
-        }
-        return {
-          repo: {
-            owner: repo.owner,
-            repo: repo.repo,
-            url: `https://github.com/${repo.owner}/${repo.repo}`,
-          },
-          pr,
-        };
-      } catch (error) {
-        if (error?.status === 403 || error?.status === 404) {
-          continue;
-        }
-        throw error;
-      }
-    }
   }
 
   rememberSearchMiss(missKey);
@@ -511,24 +512,25 @@ const findFirstMatchingPr = async ({ octokit, target, branch, sourceCandidates,
     .filter((pr) => matcher.matches(pr, target.repo.repo))
     .sort((left, right) => matcher.compare(left, right, target.repo.repo))[0] ?? null;
 
-  for (const state of ['open', 'closed']) {
+  // Branch status associates the current head with an open PR only. Returning a
-    // Shared per-repo list first: one pulls.list answers every branch of the
+  // closed/merged PR here made the client cache a terminal status that could not
-    // repo within the TTL. A miss in a complete list is authoritative — skip
+  // self-heal until a manual forced refresh.
-    // the per-branch query fan entirely.
+  const state = 'open';
-    let listWasComplete = false;
+  // Shared per-repo list first: one pulls.list answers every branch of the
-    try {
+  // repo within the TTL. A miss in a complete list is authoritative — skip
-      const listEntry = await getRepoPulls(octokit, target.repo, state, { force });
+  // the per-branch query fan entirely.
-      const fromList = pickPreferred(listEntry.prs);
+  let listWasComplete = false;
-      if (fromList) {
+  try {
-        return fromList;
+    const listEntry = await getRepoPulls(octokit, target.repo, state, { force });
-      }
+    const fromList = pickPreferred(listEntry.prs);
-      listWasComplete = listEntry.complete;
+    if (fromList) {
-    } catch {
+      return fromList;
-      // fall through to the precise per-branch queries
-    }
-    if (listWasComplete) {
-      continue;
     }
+    listWasComplete = listEntry.complete;
+  } catch {
+    // fall through to the precise per-branch queries
+  }
+  if (!listWasComplete) {
     if (coverage) {
       coverage.authoritative = false;
     }
@@ -551,6 +553,9 @@ const findFirstMatchingPr = async ({ octokit, target, branch, sourceCandidates,
   return null;
 };
 
+// Exported for focused unit tests of open-only branch matching.
+export { findFirstMatchingPr };
+
 export async function resolveGitHubPrStatus({ octokit, directory, branch, remoteName, force = false }) {
   // A deleted worktree can still have a session in the sidebar that keeps
   // requesting its PR status. Bail before touching git or GitHub for a

packages/web/server/lib/github/pr-status.test.js

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, mock, test } from 'bun:test';
+
+const listMock = mock(async () => ({ data: [] }));
+
+mock.module('../git/index.js', () => ({
+  getRemotes: async () => [],
+  getStatus: async () => null,
+}));
+
+mock.module('./repo/index.js', () => ({
+  resolveGitHubRepoFromDirectory: async () => null,
+}));
+
+mock.module('./rate-limit.js', () => ({
+  noteIfGitHubRateLimit: () => {},
+}));
+
+const { findFirstMatchingPr, invalidateRepoPullsCache } = await import('./pr-status.js');
+
+const openPr = {
+  number: 15,
+  state: 'open',
+  head: {
+    ref: 'feature',
+    label: 'acme:feature',
+    user: { login: 'acme' },
+    repo: { owner: { login: 'acme' }, name: 'app' },
+  },
+};
+
+const closedPr = {
+  number: 12,
+  state: 'closed',
+  merged_at: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+  head: {
+    ref: 'feature',
+    label: 'acme:feature',
+    user: { login: 'acme' },
+    repo: { owner: { login: 'acme' }, name: 'app' },
+  },
+};
+
+describe('findFirstMatchingPr open-only branch status', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    listMock.mockReset();
+    invalidateRepoPullsCache('acme', 'app');
+  });
+
+  test('returns a matching open PR', async () => {
+    listMock.mockImplementation(async ({ state }) => {
+      if (state === 'open') {
+        return { data: [openPr] };
+      }
+      return { data: [closedPr] };
+    });
+
+    const pr = await findFirstMatchingPr({
+      octokit: { rest: { pulls: { list: listMock } } },
+      target: { repo: { owner: 'acme', repo: 'app' }, remoteName: 'origin' },
+      branch: 'feature',
+      sourceCandidates: [{ repo: { owner: 'acme', repo: 'app' } }],
+      force: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(pr?.number).toBe(15);
+    expect(listMock.mock.calls.every((call) => call[0]?.state === 'open')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test('returns null when only a closed/merged PR exists for the head branch', async () => {
+    listMock.mockImplementation(async ({ state }) => {
+      if (state === 'open') {
+        return { data: [] };
+      }
+      return { data: [closedPr] };
+    });
+
+    const pr = await findFirstMatchingPr({
+      octokit: { rest: { pulls: { list: listMock } } },
+      target: { repo: { owner: 'acme', repo: 'app' }, remoteName: 'origin' },
+      branch: 'feature',
+      sourceCandidates: [{ repo: { owner: 'acme', repo: 'app' } }],
+      force: true,
+    });
+
+    expect(pr).toBeNull();
+    expect(listMock.mock.calls.every((call) => call[0]?.state === 'open')).toBe(true);
+    expect(listMock.mock.calls.some((call) => call[0]?.state === 'closed')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});