Merge Scenarios

Tree example

A: playback core (alpha) ├─ B: cache layer (beta) └─ C: advanced renderer (beta/rc)

C is in the same feature family only if C depends on A (directly or transitively). If C is renderer risk, it must stay at beta/rc even if A is on main.

Rule of merge order

• Never merge a child PR before its required parent PR.
• Do not merge PR-3 with API contracts from PR-2 unless PR-2 is merged.
• Prefer small PR slices, each passing its own gates.

Practical check before merge

• All depends_on IDs resolved
• Rollback plan is real and tested
• Channel label aligns with risk and migration strategy