GitHub PR page does not accurately reflect the method to update the current branch (merge commit/rebase)

[hobbeswalsh]

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Bug

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Hi there, I'm new to a GitHub organization, looking to merge my first PR. I pushed a commit, then a few minutes later, someone else merged to main, so the PR gives me the option to get my branch back up-to-date. It gives me the option to use either a merge commit or a rebase to update the branch.

The bug is in the overlay that lets me select the method; though the button itself reflects the method I'm going to use, the list of choices in the overlay does not. When I choose "Update with rebase," "Update with merge commit" remains selected. I'll attach a video to show this behavior.

Notice that after I select "rebase" and then open the overlay, "Update with merge commit" is still checked.

Screenshare.-.2026-01-07.10_21_10.AM.mp4

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[QaziAbsaar]

I've run into this UI glitch before. It’s a frontend state issue where the dropdown menu isn't re-rendering to show the new selection, even though the actual logic (the main button) updated correctly.

As long as the main button label changed to "Update branch by rebase," it will execute the rebase. The checkmark inside the menu is just a visual zombie. You can inspect the network request when you click it to be 100% sure, but usually, the button label is the source of truth.

[hobbeswalsh]

Yes, I figured this was the case (didn't bother verifying with the network developer tools) but I figure it's bound to annoy or confuse someone, so hopefully a dev at GitHub can take the 5 minutes it will require to fix it. Thanks for the input @QaziAbsaar !