In June, we introduced pull request limits to help maintainers manage the rise in low-quality contributions across open source repositories. For more context, read our post on how pull request limits are helping cut down the noise.

Since then, some maintainers have told us that people are opening large numbers of draft pull requests to get around those limits. Adding a setting to count drafts towards a user's PR limits has become one of the most requested follow-ups. A draft still generates notifications and CI runs, and it still adds to the review backlog. To address this, we’ve added an optional setting that counts draft pull requests toward your repository’s limit.

You’ll find it under Repository settings → Moderation → Interaction Limits → Pull request limits. Turn on Count draft pull requests toward the limit to include drafts.

This is another step toward giving maintainers more control over how contributions are made and accepted. The setting is optional because repositories have different needs: we know draft pull requests are an important part of many workflows, and we want maintainers to choose what works best for their communities.

We’d love to hear how this setting is working for you. Has it helped manage unwanted pull request activity? Do you have feedback or other requests?