---
title: "How to review pull requests from several AI agents at once · Cork"
description: "Review pull requests from several AI coding agents at once: triage with gh, review for cross-PR conflicts, use CODEOWNERS, AI review passes and a merge queue."
canonical: "https://corkcli.com/blog/review-pull-requests-from-multiple-ai-agents"
last_updated: "2026-10-03"
published: "2026-10-03"
author: "Kevin Vera"
---

# How to review pull requests from several AI agents at once

Review pull requests from several AI coding agents at once: triage with gh, review for cross-PR conflicts, use CODEOWNERS, AI review passes and a merge queue.

By Kevin Vera · October 3, 2026 · [Guides](https://corkcli.com/blog/c/guides) · 6 min read

To review pull requests from several AI agents at once, stop reviewing them one by one in arrival order. Triage the batch first (list them, see which files each touches, find the ones that overlap), review overlapping pull requests together because that is where the real bugs are, let automated checks and an AI review pass handle the mechanical issues, and merge through a queue that retests each change on top of the ones ahead of it. The human review then goes to design, intent and the interactions between pull requests that no single diff shows.

## Why parallel agent PRs are harder to review

Each agent's pull request usually looks fine in isolation: it was written against main as it was when the agent started, and its tests passed. The problems sit between pull requests. Two agents edit the same function differently. One renames a helper while another adds three new calls to the old name. Two pull requests each add a migration with the same number. Reviewing in arrival order hides all of this, because the second diff is shown against main, not against the first pull request you just approved.

There is also volume. Five agents can open more pull requests in an afternoon than one reviewer can read carefully, so the review process has to decide where human attention goes.

## Step 1: triage the batch from the terminal

The GitHub CLI gives you the whole batch quickly. List open pull requests, filtered to the ones your agents opened (by label, author or search):

```bash
gh pr list --label agent --json number,title,headRefName,author
```

See which files each one touches without opening the browser:

```bash
for n in $(gh pr list --label agent --json number -q '.[].number'); do
  echo "#$n"; gh pr diff "$n" --name-only
done
```

Sort the output by file. Any file that appears under two or more pull requests marks a group to review together. Pull requests that touch nothing in common can be reviewed independently and in any order.

## Step 2: review overlapping PRs as a set

For each overlapping group:

1. **Check out the combination, not just one branch.** `gh pr checkout 41 --worktree ../review-41` puts a pull request in its own worktree. Then merge or rebase the second one on top locally and run the tests. If the combination fails, both authors need to know, not just whoever merges second.
2. **Read the shared symbols first.** For each function or type both pull requests touch, compare the two versions side by side and decide which intent wins, or whether both are needed.
3. **Look for semantic conflicts, not just textual ones.** Renamed or re-signatured functions, changed return types, new required config, and duplicated numbered files (migrations, ADRs) merge cleanly in git and break at runtime.
4. **Re-review after rebases with range-diff.** When an agent rebases its pull request after feedback, `git range-diff @{u} @{1} @` (or the three-ref form with the old and new tips) shows what changed between versions of the series, so you do not re-read the whole diff.

## Step 3: let automation take the mechanical pass

Reserve your attention by pushing the routine checks to machines:

- **Required status checks** for tests, types and lint on every pull request.
- **CODEOWNERS** so the right person is requested automatically when an agent touches their area. The file lives in `.github/`, the root, or `docs/`; the last matching pattern wins; and with branch protection you can require a code owner's approval before merging. Code owners are not auto-requested on draft pull requests, so have agents open drafts until their checks pass.
- **An AI review pass.** For example, with Codex cloud set up for the repo, commenting `@codex review` on a pull request asks Codex to post a GitHub review focused on serious issues, and Codex follows "Review guidelines" in the closest `AGENTS.md` to each changed file. Treat its findings as a filter, not an approval.
- **Small pull requests by default.** Ask agents for one concern per pull request. A 40-line diff gets a real review; a 900-line one gets skimmed.

## Step 4: merge through a queue

Once approved, merge in an order that retests the combination. GitHub's merge queue merges pull requests into a busy branch in order and checks that each passes required checks so the branch is not broken by incompatible changes; your workflows must trigger on `merge_group`. Without a queue, at least rebase each approved pull request onto the new main and rerun tests before merging it.

## Prevent the overlaps upstream

The cheapest review is the one you do not need. Most cross-PR conflicts come from agents working on the same code without knowing it. Split tasks by area before launching agents, keep a shared record of who is changing what, and tell each agent about recent changes to the code it is about to touch. The fewer overlapping pull requests you get, the more of your review time goes to design.

## How Cork helps

Cork works before the pull request exists. Each agent is briefed, when it starts or gets a prompt, with the exact signatures, callers and recent changes of the code it is about to touch. When another agent changes code yours depends on, your agent hears it on its next step. A write gate holds an edit against code another agent is changing right now until your agent has their version, and a teammate's rename or signature change becomes a [semantic lint](https://corkcli.com/blog/semantic-lint) rule your agents are checked against. The result is fewer pull requests that silently contradict each other. Cork does not review pull requests or replace your review tools; it reduces the overlaps that make batch review hard, and `recap` tells you what happened and what it cost.

Cork is the [coordination layer](https://corkcli.com/blog/coordination-layer-ai-coding-agents) for multiplayer coding agents: it keeps Claude Code, Codex and Cursor agents, on one machine or across a team's machines, from overwriting each other on one codebase, and hands each agent what the others already learned.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://corkcli.com/install.sh | sh
```

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I find which agent pull requests conflict?

List each pull request's changed files with `gh pr diff <number> --name-only` and look for files that appear in more than one. Then check out the combination and run the tests, since many conflicts are semantic rather than textual.

### Can an AI review AI-written pull requests?

Yes, as a first pass. Tools such as Codex code review post a GitHub review on request or automatically. A human should still review design and cross-PR interactions.

### Should I require code owner approval for agent pull requests?

For areas with clear owners, yes. CODEOWNERS plus branch protection means an owner must approve changes to their paths, and any one listed owner's approval is enough.

### How many agent pull requests can one person review?

There is no fixed number. Keep pull requests small, automate the mechanical checks, and group overlapping ones, so reviewer time goes where it matters.

## Sources

- <https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_pr_list>
- <https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_pr_diff>
- <https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_pr_checkout>
- <https://git-scm.com/docs/git-range-diff>
- <https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/customizing-your-repository/about-code-owners>
- <https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/configuring-branches-and-merges-in-your-repository/configuring-pull-request-merges/managing-a-merge-queue>
- <https://developers.openai.com/codex/integrations/github>

## Related reading

- [Cork vs Graphite: coordinating agents before the PR, or reviewing after it](https://corkcli.com/blog/cork-vs-graphite): Cork vs Graphite: Graphite stacks, reviews and merges pull requests; Cork keeps parallel AI coding agents from colliding before a PR ever exists.
- [How to run multiple Claude Code agents on one repo without conflicts](https://corkcli.com/blog/run-multiple-claude-code-agents-one-repo): Run several Claude Code agents on one repository safely: worktrees, subagents, agent teams, cross-session messaging, and a clean landing routine, step by step.
- [The Merge Tax: Why Adding Coding Agents Is Making Teams Slower](https://corkcli.com/blog/the-merge-tax-why-adding-coding-agents-is-making-teams-slower): Agent authored pull requests conflict at roughly double the human rate, and the worst failures are the ones version control reports as clean. A look at the coordination gap in agentic development.
- [Semantic merge conflicts: when the merge is clean but the code breaks](https://corkcli.com/blog/semantic-merge-conflicts): A semantic merge conflict is a clean git merge that breaks the program. Why git misses them, examples with AI agents, and how to catch and prevent them.

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