GitHub icons explained: PR, issue and check states

Alex Tutor

Morning. Daniel is about to merge #134. Before he does, open the repository's Pull requests tab and just look at the list for a minute.

Alex Tutor

Pull requests in catchow/website: Open

Fix checkout button after cart edits#134
by Daniel · Approved · checks passed · bug, checkout
Add autumn sale banner#136
by Emma · Draft · content
Bump image-optimizer from 2.3.0 to 2.4.1#137
by dependabot · Review required · 1 check failed · dependencies

You

Three rows, each starting with an icon: two green, one grey. And a small mark next to each title.

Alex Tutor

The icon on the left is the state. As of 2026: green for open, grey for draft, purple for merged, red for closed. The small mark by the title is the result of the checks.

You

Where are the merged ones, though? #133 and Emma's #132 aren't here.

Alex Tutor

The list shows Open by default. Merged and closed pull requests both sit under Closed, right next to it.

Daniel

And #137 is from Dependabot, a GitHub bot that opens a pull request when a library we use gets a new version. Oscar looks after those.

Alex Tutor

Question 1

These are the four pull request state icons, without their labels. Match each numbered icon with its state.

1
2
3
4

Tap an answer, then tap the row it belongs to. You can also drag.

Icon 1
Icon 2
Icon 3
Icon 4

Answers left to place

You

Honestly, in the sun on my phone the purple and the grey look almost the same.

Alex Tutor

Then read the shape. Open: the pull request icon, two dots joined by lines with an arrow. Draft: the same icon with a dashed line. Merged: two lines joining into one. Closed: the pull request icon with a small cross.

About 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women see some colours differently, most often red and green. That's why GitHub pairs every state colour with a shape and a word.

Daniel

GitHub also has colour-blind friendly themes in its appearance settings, which swap red and green for other colours. So a colleague's screen may not match yours at all.

Alex Tutor

So when you write about states, name them. "#133 is merged", "#138 was closed as not planned". Never "the purple one".

Alex Tutor

Question 2

This is the Closed view of the pull request list. Every pull request in it was closed without its changes reaching main.

Pull requests in catchow/website: Closed

Rewrite delivery page copy#132
Raise free-delivery threshold to 1000 UAH#133
Try animated delivery badge#127

TrueFalse

Alex Tutor

Now the Issues tab. Issue icons are circles. An open issue is a circle with a dot in the middle, green.

Alex Tutor

Issues in catchow/website

Checkout button stays grey after editing cart#131
opened by support · bug, checkout · linked pull request #134
Test an orange checkout button#135
opened by Daniel · idea
Courier rates up from 1 June#120
Closed as completed
Show prices in euros#138
Closed as not planned

You

#120 is the finance issue from module 1. Purple, with a tick inside the circle.

Alex Tutor

Closed as completed: the work is done. Purple means the same as on a merged pull request, finished. #138 was closed as not planned: grey, a circle with a slash.

Daniel

That was the idea of showing prices in euros. We decided against it, so we closed it as not planned instead of pretending it was done. GitHub asks for the reason when you close an issue.

You

So both are closed, but only one means someone did the work.

Alex Tutor

For a PM that's the difference between "shipped" and "dropped". When you report on issues, never count the two together.

Alex Tutor

Question 3

Two of these icons share a colour. Match each numbered icon with what it means.

1
2
3
4

Tap an answer, then tap the row it belongs to. You can also drag.

Icon 1
Icon 2
Icon 3
Icon 4

Answers left to place

Alex Tutor

Back to #137. The mark next to its title is a red cross. Open the pull request, and each check shows its own result.

Alex Tutor

Checks on #137

build
Successful
test
Failing: 1 test on product images
preview
Skipped: no previews for dependency updates

Four results to know, as of 2026. A green circle with a tick: passed. A red circle with a cross: failed. A yellow dot: queued or still running. Grey: skipped or neutral, the check didn't run or gave no verdict.

You

So a skipped check isn't a passed check.

Daniel

No, and it's sneaky. As of 2026 a skipped job doesn't block the merge even when it's required. Skipped means nobody tested that part.

And the red cross on #137 means the bot's update broke a test on its own branch. The live site is fine.

Alex Tutor

Question 4

Four check results, without their labels. Which icon means the check is still running?

1
2
3
4

Choose one answerIcon 1Icon 2Icon 3Icon 4

Alex Tutor

Reviews have icons too. On the pull request page they sit next to each reviewer's name in the sidebar.

Alex Tutor

Review decisions

Approved
A tick: the reviewer says it can be merged
Changes requested
A file with plus and minus: changes are needed first
Commented
A speech bubble: comments, no verdict

On the list, the row sums it up in words: "Review required" (no approval yet), "Approved" or "Changes requested".

You

#137 says "Review required". Nobody has approved the bot yet.

Daniel

Right. And as of 2026 a small dot next to a reviewer's name means the request is still waiting: they haven't reviewed yet.

You

Like my name on #134 yesterday morning, before I said a word.

Alex Tutor

Question 5

These icons sit next to three reviewers' names on a pull request. Match each numbered icon with the reviewer's decision.

1
2
3

Tap an answer, then tap the row it belongs to. You can also drag.

Icon 1
Icon 2
Icon 3

Answers left to place

You

And the labels? bug is red. Does red mean urgent?

Alex Tutor

Labels are where colour means nothing on GitHub's side. Whoever creates a label picks its colour. New repositories start with a few defaults, like a red bug, but CatChow could make it pink tomorrow.

So read a label's text, and read the state from the icon. A red bug label on an open pull request is simply an open pull request about a bug.

Daniel

Our set is small: bug, checkout, content, idea, and dependencies, which Dependabot adds by itself.

You

Good. Fifty labels in twelve colours would be just noise.

Alex Tutor

Question 6

Pull request #137 has a blue dependencies label and the green pull request icon on the left. What do you know about its state?

Choose one answerBlue means its checks have passedBlue means it is waiting for reviewIt was merged; blue is the colour of merged pull requestsIt is open; the label only says what it is about

Alex Tutor

Now #134. Two approvals, green checks. Daniel opens it to merge, and the merge button is still grey.

You

The merge box says "This branch is out-of-date with the base branch", with an Update branch button.

Daniel

The rule from my March adventure. Since then main requires branches to be up to date before a merge. Mine is three behind: the cat treats bundle, #133 and #132.

Alex Tutor

Update branch merges main into his branch: the same direction as Emma's Commit merge in module 2. It's a new commit, so the checks start again.

Alex Tutor

fix/checkout-button after Update branchUpdate branch brought the three new commits of main into the branch with merge commit 9e3b5d2. The branch is now 0 behind, and the checks run on 9e3b5d2.

f02a6d4Update FAQ answers
3a9d1c4Reproduce bug in a test
8be2f70Add cat treats bundle
b7e4a05Re-enable button after cart edits
6f2c8a1Raise free-delivery threshold to 1000 UAH (#133)
a7d93e4Rewrite delivery page copy (#132)main
c2d7f90Update checkout hint copy
f7a2b61Restore checkout button colour
9e3b5d2Merge branch 'main' into fix/checkout-buttonfix/checkout-button

Daniel

Now the checks test my fix together with everything that reached main since I started. Exactly what I skipped in March.

Alex Tutor

Question 7

Put the states #134 went through in order, from the first to the last.

Tap an item, then tap where it should go. You can also drag or use the arrows.

Alex Tutor

Ten minutes later: all checks have passed, no conflicts, two approvals. The button is green. Daniel presses Squash and merge, then Confirm squash and merge.

Alex Tutor

#134 and #131 after the merge

Fix checkout button after cart edits#134
Merged into main as d51c7e8
Checkout button stays grey after editing cart#131
Closed as completed by #134

You

#134 has the merge icon, and #131 closed itself: a circle with a tick. Two shapes, same good news.

Daniel

On main it's one commit: "Fix checkout button after cart edits (#134)". The branch deleted itself, and the deploy is running. Give it five minutes, then try the live site on your phone.

Alex Tutor

And the three questions from module 2: merged into what, when, and is it still there? Today: main, 9:40, and yes.

You

Support will get a notification that #131 is closed. I'll add a line saying it's live once I've checked.

Alex Tutor

Question 8

Right after the merge, which statements are true? Remember: CatChow deploys every merge into main automatically and deletes merged branches. Select all that apply.

Choose all that applyThe fix is in mainIssue #131 was closed as not plannedIssue #131 closed because #134 said Fixes #131Someone still has to delete fix/checkout-button by handCustomers will see the fix once the deploy finishes, within minutes

Alex Tutor

One more habit. A colleague from sales, who is colour-blind, asks you in chat what's going on with #137.

You

The bot's update with the failing test.

Alex Tutor

Describe its state in two or three sentences, with no colour words at all: the pull request, the checks, the review and what happens next.

Daniel

Bonus points for saying who needs to act.

Alex Tutor

Question 9Short answer · AI-checked task

A colour-blind colleague asks what's going on with #137. Describe its state in 2–3 sentences without any colour words: the pull request, the checks, the review, and who acts next.

Pull request #137

Bump image-optimizer from 2.3.0 to 2.4.1#137
by dependabot · Review required · dependencies
build
test
preview

Write your answer and get a score with feedback from our AI reviewer.

Log in to get AI feedback

Alex Tutor

Last task. On Friday you give a short update at the product meeting: what's live, what's stuck and why, what was dropped.

You

From the lists, not from memory.

Daniel

And please don't say "the grey one" in front of the CEO. Emma's banner is a draft, not a mystery.

Alex Tutor

Here is what the lists show on Friday morning. Write the update as you would say it at the meeting.

Alex Tutor

Question 10Case · AI-checked task

Write Sofia's Friday status update for the product meeting, based on the lists above.

catchow/website on Friday morning

Fix checkout button after cart edits#134
Merged on Wednesday
Checkout button stays grey after editing cart#131
Add autumn sale banner#136
by Emma · the sale starts on Monday
Bump image-optimizer from 2.3.0 to 2.4.1#137
Review required · 1 check failed
Test an orange checkout button#135
idea · no pull request yet
Show prices in euros#138

The product meeting is on Friday; the CEO, marketing and support attend, and most of them never open GitHub. CatChow deploys every merge into main within minutes.

Write a short update (5–8 lines) that covers: what is live, what is in progress or blocked and why, what was dropped, and who acts next. Use state words, not colours.

Write your answer and get a score with feedback from our AI reviewer.

Log in to get AI feedback

That's module 3: a pull request tab by tab, a review from the product side, and every state at a glance.

You

And the checkout button works on my phone. Support has already said thank you.

Daniel

Next module: how teams organise all these branches. Ours is simple. Some teams have a whole develop branch, and releases with version numbers.

Alex Tutor

That’s the lesson. You answered every task — nicely done.

Next lesson: GitHub flow: small branches, fast merges