stacked-pr-base-branch-delete-closes-childlisted

# Deleting a stacked PR's base branch closes the child ## Overview When PR #B's base is the branch of PR #A (a stacked PR), merging #A with `--delete-branch` (or otherwise deleting #A's branch) makes GitHub **close** #B — it does *not* auto-retarget #B onto `main`/`master`. Worse, a closed PR whose base branch is gone **cannot be reopened** (the "Reopen" button errors). The work isn't lost (the head branch still exists), but the PR is dead and you must open a new one. ## When to use Before `gh pr merge <A> --squash --delete-branch` (or merging via the UI with auto-delete) whenever any open PR uses #A's branch as its base. ## The rule Pick one before deleting the base branch: 1. **Retarget the child first**, then merge+delete the base: ```bash gh pr edit <CHILD> --base main # move the child onto main while its old base still exists gh pr merge <BASE> --squash --delete-branch ``` 2. **Or** merge the base **without** `--delete-branch`, retarget the child, then delete the branch manually. If you've already deleted the base and the child auto-closed: don't fight the closed PR — open a fresh one from the same head: ```bash gh pr create --base main --head <child-branch> --title ... --body ... ``` ## Symptoms - A stacked PR shows **Closed** (not Merged) immediately after you merged + deleted its base branch. - Clicking **Reopen** on it fails because the base branch no longer exists. ## Related - epic pr bundling — bundling to avoid stacking in the first p