---

kind: change

title: Deprecating a Confusing Attribute in the Pull Request API

created_at: 2013-04-25

author_name: jasonrudolph

---

When you get the details for a Pull Request from the API, the

[response](/v3/pulls/#get-a-single-pull-request) provides everything there is to

know about that Pull Request. In addition to the useful information provided in

the API response, the JSON also includes the `merge_commit_sha` attribute. This

attribute is a frequent source of misunderstanding, and we aim to remove the

confusion.

To help current API consumers, we've [documented the

attribute](/v3/pulls/#mergability) for improved understanding.

To protect future API consumers from this confusion, we have

[deprecated](/#expected-changes) the `merge_commit_sha` attribute, and we will

remove it in the next major version of the API.

As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please drop us a line at

[support@github.com](mailto:support@github.com?subject=Deprecating merge_commit_sha).