The fastest way to get a big feature through review is to open more pull requests.

That sounds backwards until you remember what happens to a 60-file diff. It sits in the queue because nobody has an hour to spare. When someone finally opens it, they skim, leave a couple of comments, and approve it. The branch drifts for weeks, and review gets worse the bigger it grows.

GitKraken Desktop 12.6 ships with two features for developers who work in parallel. Stacked Pull Requests lets you split a large feature into an ordered chain of small PRs. Multiple Terminal Tabs gives every process on a worktree its own terminal.

Stacked pull requests in GitKraken Desktop

What are stacked pull requests?

A stacked pull request is a PR that targets another open PR’s branch instead of main. Chain several together and one large feature becomes a sequence of small reviews. Each PR in the stack depends on the one below it. Reviewers can approve piece one while you keep building piece three.

How do you create a stacked PR in GitKraken Desktop?

Open a pull request that targets a branch that already has an open PR. You can either drag and drop a branch to kickoff the PR creation, or use the Left Panel “+” icon. From there, GitKraken Desktop offers to add your new pull request to that PR stack.

You don’t need a separate tool or a naming convention to track which branch targets which.

Where does GitKraken Desktop show the stack?

Everywhere a pull request appears. Stack position, status, and the dependency chain show up in the pull request list, the PR view, and the Commit Graph. 

The PR view is the one we’re most excited about. You can see where each piece of the stack sits andou don’t have to rebuild the order in your head from a list of browser tabs.

Does it work with GitHub’s stacked PR workflow?

Yes. GitKraken Desktop supports GitHub’s own stacked pull request workflow. A stack you create in Desktop looks the same on GitHub.com, and a stack started on GitHub shows up correctly in Desktop. Your team has no new methodology to learn and no proprietary format to explain.

Multiple terminal tabs for every worktree

Can you run more than one terminal per worktree in GitKraken Desktop?

Yes, as of 12.6. Until now, each repository or worktree kept one terminal session. If you wanted a dev server and a test watcher running at the same time, one of them went to a separate terminal app.

Now the terminal panel next to your Commit Graph holds as many tabs as the work needs. Click the + button to open a new tab, switch between tabs, and close the ones you’re done with.

Why team leads should care about smaller PRs

Smaller, ordered pull requests tend to move through review faster than one large diff, so a feature ships in pieces instead of waiting on a single approval. A visible stack also answers a question leads ask every sprint: which piece is blocking the release? The stack shows which PRs have merged and which one is holding up the rest.

And because Desktop uses GitHub’s own workflow, rolling this out means pointing people at a feature they already have. Nobody needs training on a new process.

Get GitKraken Desktop 12.6

Update to GitKraken Desktop 12.6 and open your next big feature as a stack. Start with the smallest reviewable piece, point the next PR at it, and let Desktop keep track of the order.

FAQ

What’s new in GitKraken Desktop 12.6?
GitKraken Desktop 12.6 adds Stacked Pull Requests, which support GitHub’s stacked PR workflow, and Multiple Terminal Tabs, which allow more than one terminal session per repository or worktree. It releases September 29, 2026.

How do I add a pull request to a stack in GitKraken Desktop?
Create a pull request that targets another open PR’s branch instead of main. GitKraken Desktop will offer to add it to that PR’s stack.

Can I see stacked pull requests in the GitKraken Commit Graph?
Yes. Stack position, status, and dependency chain appear in the Commit Graph, the pull request list, and the PR view.

How do I open multiple terminals in GitKraken Desktop?
Use the + button in the terminal panel to open additional tabs for the current repository or worktree. You can switch between tabs and close them individually.

Is GitKraken’s stacked PR support compatible with GitHub?
Yes. It uses GitHub’s native stacked pull request workflow, so stacks look the same in GitKraken Desktop and on GitHub.com.