merge queue failed: required check timed out, how to fix

TL;DR

The merge queue dequeued the PR because a required check timed out. Re-add the PR to the queue, and fix the underlying flakiness (raise the check timeout, split the slow job, or quarantine the flaky test) so it does not happen again.

Error

Merge queue: entry removed  -  required check "ci / e2e" timed out after 60m

Steps

1. Open the timed-out check's logs and confirm it actually timed out (not failed fast). Expected: a timeout message, not a test failure.
2. Re-add the PR to the merge queue from the PR page. Expected: the entry is queued again.
3. Fix the root cause: raise the job timeout-minutes, split the slow suite, or mark the flaky test as quarantined. Expected: the check completes reliably under its timeout.
4. Watch the next queue run. Expected: the entry merges without a timeout.

When to use

• The merge queue removed the entry because a required check timed out.
• The check passes when it finishes in time.

When not to use

• The check failed with a real error - fix the error, not the timeout.
• The PR is not using merge queue; this fix does not apply to plain branch protection.

Tool compatibility

• GitHub merge queue (public beta+).
• Any CI provider behind the check.

Variant phrasings

Check timed out only in the queue, not on the PR

Queue runs group PRs together; the extra load slows the suite - split or parallelize it.

Timeout on a required third-party check

Ask the check owner to raise the timeout or make the check report progress.

Why it happens

The merge queue validates the exact merge commit; a timed-out required check means the validation never completed, so the queue drops the entry rather than merging unvalidated code.

Edge cases

• Repeatedly requeueing without fixing the flake just burns queue slots; fix the check after the second timeout.
• Timeouts that only happen in the queue often mean resource contention - check runner concurrency.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst1srYkMAkhCWntroxGFQww

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst1srYkMAkhCWntroxGFQww

Thread query: merge queue failed: required check timed out, how to fix

TL;DR: The merge queue dequeued the PR because a required check timed out. Re-add the PR to the queue, and fix the underlying flakiness (raise the check timeout, split the slow job, or quarantine the flaky test) so it does not happen again.