Editorial illustration for Graphite blends stacked PRs with AI analysis for faster, higher-quality reviews
AI Code Reviews: Graphite's Stacked PR Revolution
Graphite blends stacked PRs with AI analysis for faster, higher-quality reviews
Why do developers keep hunting for the next code‑review assistant? Because the bottleneck isn’t just the number of pull requests—it’s how they’re organized and how quickly feedback can be turned into action. While many tools promise AI‑driven suggestions, few address the structural friction that comes from reviewing a long chain of dependent changes.
That’s where the idea of “stacked” pull requests enters the conversation: a series of incremental updates that sit on one another, letting reviewers focus on a single logical shift at a time. Yet stacking alone isn’t enough; without intelligent analysis the process can still stall. Teams are looking for a platform that marries these two concepts—ordering code changes while surfacing context‑aware insights in real time.
The following quote outlines exactly how one product attempts to close that gap, positioning its agent as a practical aid for development groups that need both speed and rigor in their review cycles.
Graphite is a complete review platform that rethinks the entire code review workflow. It combines stacked pull requests (PR) with AI-powered analysis for faster, higher-quality reviews. Here are the features that make the Graphite agent useful for development teams: - Enables stacked pull requests that break large features into atomic, reviewable chunks that AI can analyze more effectively - Provides an interactive AI companion directly in your PR interface where you can ask questions and get instant context-aware answers - Generates test plans and summaries automatically - Delivers reviews through a cleaner, faster interface than GitHub's native UI The Graphite guides page has several practical guides categorized by the use case.
Can a single platform really close the gap between rapid code generation and sluggish reviews? Graphite claims to do just that by marrying stacked pull requests with AI‑driven analysis. The tool positions itself as a complete review platform, promising faster, higher‑quality feedback.
Its stacked PR feature aims to keep context intact, while the AI agent scans for bugs, anti‑patterns, and security flaws in seconds. Developers have already felt the pressure of pull requests lingering for days, and Graphite’s approach directly targets that pain point. Yet the article offers no data on actual turnaround improvements, leaving it unclear whether the promised speed gains materialize across varied team sizes.
Likewise, the effectiveness of AI‑generated comments versus human insight remains uncertain. For teams already using assistants like Copilot or Claude Code, Graphite could integrate smoothly, but adoption hurdles are not addressed. Ultimately, the platform presents a logical response to a documented bottleneck, though its real‑world impact will need to be measured.
Further Reading
- Stacking up Graphite in the World of Code Review Tools - Dev.to
- AI for pull request reviews - Graphite - Graphite
- 25+ File Pull Requests Are Killing Your Team's Productivity. Do This ... - YouTube
- Best AI Code Review Tools in 2026 - Manus - Manus
- How Graphite builds reliable AI code review at scale - Customers - Braintrust
Common Questions Answered
What is a stacked pull request in Graphite's workflow?
A stacked pull request breaks large code changes into smaller, logically connected units that can be reviewed incrementally. This approach allows developers to work on subsequent tasks while earlier changes are still under review, reducing cognitive load and improving code review efficiency.
How does Graphite Agent improve the code review process?
Graphite Agent provides instant, actionable feedback directly in pull requests by identifying potential bugs, performance issues, and code improvements. The AI tool has already reviewed millions of pull requests across major companies like Snowflake, Duolingo, and Ramp, helping teams maintain higher code quality and accelerate development cycles.
What makes Graphite's approach to code review different from traditional methods?
Unlike traditional code review tools that only provide async feedback, Graphite unifies AI-powered review, conversation, and iteration into a single workflow. The platform allows developers to create, review, and merge code collaboratively, with AI assistance that goes beyond simple comments to actively help fix issues and update pull requests.