How to fix Pull request is in draft state and cannot be merged in Git

The most common fix is to mark the draft PR as ready for review. You can do this through the GitHub web interface:

1. Navigate to your pull request on GitHub
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the PR description
3. Click the green "Ready for review" button
4. The PR will change from draft to open state

The button is located in the merge section area and will replace the disabled merge controls with the standard merge options once clicked.

Note: Only the PR author or users with write access to the repository can mark a draft PR as ready.

If you prefer the command line, use the GitHub CLI to convert a draft PR:

# Mark a specific PR as ready for review
gh pr ready 123

# Mark the PR for the current branch as ready
gh pr ready

# You can also specify the repository
gh pr ready 123 --repo owner/repo

After running this command, the PR will be converted from draft to open state and can be merged (assuming all other requirements are met).

Verify the change:

# Check the PR status
gh pr view 123

# Look for "State: OPEN" instead of "State: DRAFT"

For automation or scripts, you can use the GitHub REST API to mark a PR as ready:

# Using curl with a personal access token
curl -X PATCH \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/PULL_NUMBER \
  -d '{"draft": false}'

Or using the GraphQL API for more control:

# Using GitHub CLI with GraphQL
gh api graphql -f query='
  mutation {
    markPullRequestReadyForReview(input: {pullRequestId: "PR_NODE_ID"}) {
      pullRequest {
        isDraft
      }
    }
  }
'

To get the PR node ID:

gh pr view 123 --json id --jq '.id'

If you have GitHub Actions or other automation that merges PRs, update it to check for draft state first:

# .github/workflows/auto-merge.yml
name: Auto Merge

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, ready_for_review]

jobs:
  auto-merge:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    # Skip draft PRs entirely
    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
    steps:
      - name: Enable auto-merge
        run: gh pr merge --auto --squash "${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
        env:
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Key points:
- Use the ready_for_review event type to trigger when drafts become ready
- Add if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false condition
- The workflow will run again when the PR is marked ready

If Dependabot, Renovate, or other bots are creating draft PRs, configure them to open regular PRs instead:

For Renovate (renovate.json):

{
  "draftPR": false
}

For Dependabot (dependabot.yml):
Dependabot doesn't create draft PRs by default. If you're seeing draft PRs, check if:
1. A GitHub Action is converting them to drafts
2. Branch protection rules are involved
3. A custom workflow is modifying PR state

For GitHub Actions that create PRs:

- name: Create Pull Request
  uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v5
  with:
    draft: false  # Explicitly set to false
    title: "Update dependencies"

Some repository settings can affect draft PR behavior:

1. Navigate to repository Settings > General
2. Look for pull request settings
3. Check if there are any required workflows that might affect draft state

Branch protection considerations:
- Draft PRs can still trigger status checks
- Required reviews can be requested on draft PRs
- The merge restriction applies regardless of passing checks

To verify current settings via CLI:

# View branch protection rules
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/branches/main/protection

# Check PR details including draft status
gh pr view 123 --json isDraft,state,mergeable

If mergeable shows as BLOCKED and isDraft is true, you need to mark the PR as ready.

To prevent this issue in the future, be mindful when creating PRs:

GitHub Web Interface:
- When creating a PR, there's a dropdown arrow next to "Create pull request"
- Clicking the arrow reveals "Create draft pull request" option
- Make sure to select the correct option

GitHub CLI:

# Create a regular PR (not draft)
gh pr create --title "My feature" --body "Description"

# Create a draft PR (intentionally)
gh pr create --draft --title "WIP: My feature"

Git push with hub:

# Regular PR
hub pull-request -m "My feature"

# Draft PR
hub pull-request -d -m "WIP: My feature"

If you frequently create drafts accidentally, consider:
- Using PR templates that remind about draft status
- Adding a pre-merge checklist
- Using branch naming conventions (e.g., wip/ prefix for draft-intended branches)