Move a task to Done when its pull request merges
The pull request is merged, so the work is done, but the card still says otherwise until someone drags it. Here is how to let a merge close the task for you, and when to choose that over a gentler nudge.
The UnaTask team, Building UnaTask. Jul 26, 2026. 4 min read.
There is a small chore at the very end of every piece of work. The pull request merges, the code ships, and now you are supposed to go find the task and drag it to Done. It takes three seconds, which is exactly why it keeps not happening.
So the board fills with cards that are already finished. The lie is minor on any one task and expensive across a whole project, because now nobody trusts the columns and you are back to asking people what really shipped.
When a task in UnaTask is linked to the pull request that closes it, the merge itself can move the task. You choose what that means for your workspace, and then the last mile takes care of itself.
Pick what a merge should do
In Settings, under GitHub, there is one choice for the whole workspace:
- Just update the badge. The task shows the pull request as merged and nothing else moves. You keep the last word.
- Notify the assignees. The people on the task hear that their code landed, so the update happens without anyone posting it by hand.
- Move the task to Done. The task closes itself the moment the pull request merges.
It is one setting, and admins own it, so the behaviour is consistent for everyone in the workspace.
What it needs to work
The task and the pull request have to be linked. You can link one by hand from the task, by searching your open pull requests or pasting a link, or you can let it link itself: drop the task reference into the pull request description or the branch name and it attaches when the pull request opens. After that, the merge does the rest.
The work reports itself finished, instead of waiting for someone to remember.
When to choose Done, and when to choose Notify
If a task usually maps to a single pull request, Move the task to Done is the clean choice: one merge, one finished task. If your tasks tend to carry several pull requests, a merge closing the task on the first one may be too eager, so Notify the assignees keeps you informed while you decide when it is truly done. You can change the setting any time as your workflow settles.
Either way, the badge on the task always shows the real state, merged and all, so you are never guessing. The only question is how much you want the merge to do on your behalf.
Merge the pull request and watch the task move, or watch the assignees get the news, without opening the board to do it yourself. The finish line takes care of itself.
See the full GitHub integration