diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/PullRequestDetailPanel.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/PullRequestDetailPanel.tsx
index 731a3acecef4..24acadfc03f4 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/PullRequestDetailPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/pullRequest/PullRequestDetailPanel.tsx
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import type { ReviewCommentContext } from "~/reviewCommentContext";
 import { useProjects } from "~/state/entities";
 import { useEnvironments } from "~/state/environments";
 import { useEnvironmentQuery } from "~/state/query";
+import { useUiStateStore } from "~/uiStateStore";
 import { useLiveRefresh } from "~/hooks/useLiveRefresh";
 import { pullRequestEnvironment } from "~/state/pullRequests";
 import { useAtomCommand } from "~/state/use-atom-command";
@@ -453,7 +454,10 @@ export function PullRequestDetailPanel({
     compensationRef.current = null;
     if (scroller) scroller.scrollTop = Math.max(0, scroller.scrollTop + delta);
   }, [condensed]);
-  const [mergeMethod, setMergeMethod] = useState<PullRequestMergeMethod>("merge");
+  // The last method the reader picked, remembered across pull requests and sessions. A
+  // repository that refuses it still falls back below, so nothing here can force a bad merge.
+  const mergeMethod = useUiStateStore((state) => state.pullRequestMergeMethod);
+  const setMergeMethod = useUiStateStore((state) => state.setPullRequestMergeMethod);
   const [confirmation, setConfirmation] = useState<{
     readonly open: boolean;
     readonly action: "merge" | "close" | "enable-auto-merge";
@@ -1418,9 +1422,7 @@ export function PullRequestDetailPanel({
                           {showsDraftToggle ? <MenuSeparator /> : null}
                           <MenuRadioGroup
                             value={selectedMergeMethod}
-                            onValueChange={(method) =>
-                              setMergeMethod(method as PullRequestMergeMethod)
-                            }
+                            onValueChange={setMergeMethod}
                           >
                             {allowedMergeMethods.map((method) => (
                               <MenuRadioItem key={method} value={method} disabled={actionPending}>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.test.ts b/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.test.ts
index 304502873539..8f7c079c69db 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { ProjectId, ThreadId } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import { ProjectId, ThreadId, type PullRequestMergeMethod } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
 
 import {
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   reorderProjects,
   resolveProjectExpanded,
   setDefaultAdvertisedEndpointKey,
+  setPullRequestMergeMethod,
   setProjectExpanded,
   setThreadChangedFilesExpanded,
   type UiState,
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ function makeUiState(overrides: Partial<UiState> = {}): UiState {
     threadLastVisitedAtById: {},
     threadChangedFilesExpandedById: {},
     defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: null,
+    pullRequestMergeMethod: "merge",
     ...overrides,
   };
 }
@@ -144,6 +146,24 @@ describe("uiStateStore pure functions", () => {
       defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: null,
     });
   });
+
+  it("stores the last merge method a reader picked", () => {
+    const next = setPullRequestMergeMethod(makeUiState(), "squash");
+
+    expect(next.pullRequestMergeMethod).toBe("squash");
+    expect(setPullRequestMergeMethod(next, "squash")).toBe(next);
+    expect(setPullRequestMergeMethod(next, "rebase").pullRequestMergeMethod).toBe("rebase");
+  });
+
+  it("ignores unknown merge methods", () => {
+    const state = makeUiState({ pullRequestMergeMethod: "squash" });
+
+    expect(setPullRequestMergeMethod(state, "fast-forward" as PullRequestMergeMethod)).toBe(state);
+    expect(parsePersistedState({ pullRequestMergeMethod: "fast-forward" })).toMatchObject({
+      pullRequestMergeMethod: "merge",
+    });
+    expect(parsePersistedState({})).toMatchObject({ pullRequestMergeMethod: "merge" });
+  });
 });
 
 describe("parsePersistedState", () => {
@@ -183,6 +203,7 @@ describe("parsePersistedState", () => {
           "turn-2": true,
         },
       },
+      pullRequestMergeMethod: "merge",
     });
   });
 
@@ -280,6 +301,7 @@ describe("uiStateStore persistence", () => {
         },
       },
       defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: "desktop-core:lan:http",
+      pullRequestMergeMethod: "squash",
     });
 
     persistState(state);
@@ -303,6 +325,7 @@ describe("uiStateStore persistence", () => {
           "turn-2": true,
         },
       },
+      pullRequestMergeMethod: "squash",
     });
     expect(parsePersistedState(persisted)).toEqual({
       ...state,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.ts b/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.ts
index 5d744d540a5a..182f4c5139d2 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/uiStateStore.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
+import type { PullRequestMergeMethod } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { Debouncer } from "@tanstack/react-pacer";
 import { create } from "zustand";
 import { normalizeProjectPathForComparison } from "./lib/projectPaths";
 
 export const PERSISTED_STATE_KEY = "t3code:ui-state:v1";
 const THREAD_CHANGED_FILES_EXPANSION_VERSION = 1;
+const MERGE_METHODS = [
+  "merge",
+  "squash",
+  "rebase",
+] as const satisfies readonly PullRequestMergeMethod[];
 const LEGACY_PERSISTED_STATE_KEYS = [
   "t3code:renderer-state:v8",
   "t3code:renderer-state:v7",
@@ -27,6 +33,7 @@ export interface PersistedUiState {
   defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey?: string | null;
   threadChangedFilesExpansionVersion?: typeof THREAD_CHANGED_FILES_EXPANSION_VERSION;
   threadChangedFilesExpandedById?: Record<string, Record<string, boolean>>;
+  pullRequestMergeMethod?: string;
 }
 
 export interface UiProjectState {
@@ -43,7 +50,12 @@ export interface UiEndpointState {
   defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: string | null;
 }
 
-export interface UiState extends UiProjectState, UiThreadState, UiEndpointState {}
+export interface UiPullRequestState {
+  pullRequestMergeMethod: PullRequestMergeMethod;
+}
+
+export interface UiState
+  extends UiProjectState, UiThreadState, UiEndpointState, UiPullRequestState {}
 
 const initialState: UiState = {
   projectExpandedById: {},
@@ -51,6 +63,7 @@ const initialState: UiState = {
   threadLastVisitedAtById: {},
   threadChangedFilesExpandedById: {},
   defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: null,
+  pullRequestMergeMethod: "merge",
 };
 
 const LEGACY_PROJECT_CWD_PREFERENCE_PREFIX = "legacy-project-cwd:";
@@ -135,6 +148,9 @@ export function parsePersistedState(parsed: PersistedUiState): UiState {
       parsed.defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey.length > 0
         ? parsed.defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey
         : null,
+    pullRequestMergeMethod:
+      MERGE_METHODS.find((method) => method === parsed.pullRequestMergeMethod) ??
+      initialState.pullRequestMergeMethod,
   };
 }
 
@@ -207,6 +223,7 @@ export function persistState(state: UiState): void {
         defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: state.defaultAdvertisedEndpointKey,
         threadChangedFilesExpansionVersion: THREAD_CHANGED_FILES_EXPANSION_VERSION,
         threadChangedFilesExpandedById: state.threadChangedFilesExpandedById,
+        pullRequestMergeMethod: state.pullRequestMergeMethod,
       } satisfies PersistedUiState),
     );
     if (!legacyKeysCleanedUp) {
@@ -304,6 +321,16 @@ export function setDefaultAdvertisedEndpointKey(state: UiState, key: string | nu
   };
 }
 
+export function setPullRequestMergeMethod(state: UiState, method: PullRequestMergeMethod): UiState {
+  if (!MERGE_METHODS.includes(method) || state.pullRequestMergeMethod === method) {
+    return state;
+  }
+  return {
+    ...state,
+    pullRequestMergeMethod: method,
+  };
+}
+
 export function resolveProjectExpanded(
   projectExpandedById: Readonly<Record<string, boolean>>,
   preferenceKeys: readonly string[],
@@ -386,6 +413,7 @@ interface UiStateStore extends UiState {
   markThreadUnread: (threadId: string, latestTurnCompletedAt: string | null | undefined) => void;
   setThreadChangedFilesExpanded: (threadId: string, turnId: string, expanded: boolean) => void;
   setDefaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: (key: string | null) => void;
+  setPullRequestMergeMethod: (method: PullRequestMergeMethod) => void;
   setProjectExpanded: (projectIds: string | readonly string[], expanded: boolean) => void;
   reorderProjects: (
     currentProjectOrder: readonly string[],
@@ -404,6 +432,7 @@ export const useUiStateStore = create<UiStateStore>((set) => ({
     set((state) => setThreadChangedFilesExpanded(state, threadId, turnId, expanded)),
   setDefaultAdvertisedEndpointKey: (key) =>
     set((state) => setDefaultAdvertisedEndpointKey(state, key)),
+  setPullRequestMergeMethod: (method) => set((state) => setPullRequestMergeMethod(state, method)),
   setProjectExpanded: (projectIds, expanded) =>
     set((state) => setProjectExpanded(state, projectIds, expanded)),
   reorderProjects: (currentProjectOrder, draggedProjectIds, targetProjectIds) =>