Why it matters
Branch-backed & patch-backed PRs gives ForkMesh a concrete mechanism for supporting both live branch PRs and stored patch PRs. Pull requests can ride a live branch (diffs derived straight from the head ref) or carry a stored patch for cross-node and offline submissions, both merge the same way.
Collaboration data becomes fragile when issues, reviews, and authorship only exist inside one hosted database. In ForkMesh, branch-backed & patch-backed PRs addresses that need at the feature level, keeping the behavior close to the repository instead of buried in a detached hosted layer.
How ForkMesh handles it
ForkMesh handles branch-backed & patch-backed PRs through the same split it uses across the product: local identities sign issue events, patch PRs, catalog records, and contribution inbox items before they travel through mirrors.
The behavior is intentionally narrow: Pull requests can ride a live branch (diffs derived straight from the head ref) or carry a stored patch for cross-node and offline submissions, both merge the same way. Mirrors can verify provenance before accepting or displaying collaboration records.
Where it fits
Use branch-backed & patch-backed PRs when project context needs to survive migrations, forks, offline work, and mirror failover.
It pairs with the rest of Signed, portable collaboration because Branch-backed & patch-backed PRs keeps supporting both live branch PRs and stored patch PRs connected to the repository, its signatures, and the nodes that serve it.