diff --git a/.github/workflows/ready.yml b/.github/workflows/ready.yml
index 8577b5b..79cddd0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ready.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ready.yml
@@ -139,7 +139,8 @@ jobs:
               }
               const method = final.head.ref === 'preview' && final.head.repo?.full_name === final.base.repo?.full_name
                 ? 'merge' : 'squash';
-              if (final.mergeable_state === 'clean') {
+              // Unrequired failed jobs can make GitHub report unstable; required rules still enforce this merge.
+              if (['clean', 'unstable'].includes(final.mergeable_state)) {
                 if (process.env.MERGE_TOKEN) {
                   await mergeRequest(`/repos/${owner}/${repo}/pulls/${number}/merge`, 'PUT', {sha, merge_method: method});
                 } else {
diff --git a/tests/ready.test.mjs b/tests/ready.test.mjs
index 8a56cba..5c3bd95 100644
--- a/tests/ready.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/ready.test.mjs
@@ -118,6 +118,13 @@ test('already-green PR merges immediately with the validated SHA', async () => {
 test('automatic merge is bound to the validated head', async () => {
   assert.deepEqual((await scenario()).merges, [{id: 'PR1', sha: 'head', mergeMethod: 'SQUASH'}]);
 });
+test('unrequired failures do not strand an otherwise eligible PR', async () => {
+  const result = await scenario({pull: {mergeable_state: 'unstable'}});
+  assert.deepEqual(result.merges, [{owner: 'o', repo: 'r', pull_number: 1, sha: 'head', merge_method: 'squash'}]);
+  const denied = await scenario({pull: {mergeable_state: 'unstable'}, rejectPull: 1});
+  assert.equal(denied.merges.length, 0);
+  assert.match(denied.errors[0], /Head changed/);
+});
 test('every expected Netlify context must be centrally required', async () => {
   const result = await scenario({netlify: ['netlify/app/deploy-preview', 'netlify/site/deploy-preview'],
     required: ['Check / Check', 'Review', 'netlify/app/deploy-preview']});
@@ -175,7 +182,7 @@ test('CloudCannon preview merges preserve ancestry', async () => {
 });
 
 test('release app handles only the merge while Review remains an Actions status', async () => {
-  for (const mergeable_state of ['clean', 'blocked']) {
+  for (const mergeable_state of ['clean', 'unstable', 'blocked']) {
     const requests = [];
     const result = await scenario({mergeToken: 'synthetic-token', pull: {mergeable_state},
       fetch: async (url, options) => { requests.push({url, options});
@@ -185,7 +192,7 @@ test('release app handles only the merge while Review remains an Actions status'
     assert.equal(requests.length, 1);
     assert.equal(requests[0].options.headers.Authorization, 'Bearer synthetic-token');
     const body = JSON.parse(requests[0].options.body);
-    if (mergeable_state === 'clean') assert.deepEqual(body, {sha: 'head', merge_method: 'squash'});
+    if (mergeable_state !== 'blocked') assert.deepEqual(body, {sha: 'head', merge_method: 'squash'});
     else assert.deepEqual(body.variables, {id: 'PR1', sha: 'head', mergeMethod: 'SQUASH'});
   }
 });