@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.9.4 — 2026-10-26
+
+- `ado_trace`: a branch earlier in the environment flow than the one a change was merged into is not reported as
+  "NOT merged yet" (a change merged straight into master of a library repository says nothing about its dev branch).
+- Before "not yet", one question per source branch: completed PRs from the same source branch into that branch that
+  are not linked to the item ("merged by PRs not linked to the item: PR 31002 (2021-09-01, staging <- 243623_…)").
+
 ## 0.9.3 — 2026-10-19
 
 - `ado_trace`: "is the change in this branch / deployment" asks the history of the target around the day the change
 
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     <AssemblyTitle>ADO Lens for Azure DevOps</AssemblyTitle>
     <Description>Azure DevOps (work items, boards, wiki, Git and TFVC, pipelines) served to AI assistants over MCP</Description>
     <Copyright>Copyright © 2026 WillowDev</Copyright>
-    <Version>0.9.3</Version>
+    <Version>0.9.4</Version>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
 
@@ -189,6 +189,19 @@ public async Task<CodeChange> PullRequestAsync(string? repoId, int id, bool with
         catch (AdoApiException) { return null; }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>Completed PRs from <paramref name="source"/> into <paramref name="target"/>: "PR 123 (09-25, staging <- feature/x)".</summary>
+    public async Task<List<string>> CompletedPullRequestsAsync(string repoId, string source, string target, CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var list = await client.GetListAsync($"_apis/git/repositories/{repoId}/pullrequests?searchCriteria.status=completed" +
+                $"&searchCriteria.sourceRefName={Uri.EscapeDataString("refs/heads/" + source)}&searchCriteria.targetRefName={Uri.EscapeDataString("refs/heads/" + target)}&$top=10", ct);
+            return list.Select(p => $"PR {(p.TryGetProperty("pullRequestId", out var id) ? id.GetInt32() : 0)} " +
+                                    $"({Date(Json.Str(p, "closedDate"))?.ToLocalTime():yyyy-MM-dd}, {target} <- {source})").ToList();
+        }
+        catch (AdoApiException) { return []; }
+    }
+
     /// <summary>A build, or null when it is gone (builds are deleted by retention).</summary>
     public async Task<JsonElement?> BuildAsync(string project, int id, CancellationToken ct)
     {
 
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ bool Later(string? changeTarget, string? branch) =>
                 : isBranch && g.Kind == "pr" && string.Equals(g.TargetBranch, target, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) ? true
                 // A deployment that finished before a change was merged cannot contain it: no need to ask.
                 : deployedAt is { } at && g.Date is { } merged && at < merged ? false
-                : Later(g.TargetBranch, isBranch ? target : targetBranch) ? false
+                : Later(g.TargetBranch, isBranch ? target : targetBranch) ? (bool?)null
                 : !newest.Contains(g) ? (bool?)null
                 : await Contains(repo, commit, target, isBranch, g.Date)));
             // The older changes of a pair follow the answer for its newest one.
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ bool Later(string? changeTarget, string? branch) =>
             var known = answers.Any(a => a is not null);
             // Not yet: unless a change from the same source branch is in and no older than a day before it (the same work
             // merged into each environment by its own PR).
-            var notYet = git.Where(g => !inside.Contains(g) && !IsPromotion(g)
+            var notYet = git.Where(g => !inside.Contains(g) && !IsPromotion(g) && !Later(g.TargetBranch, isBranch ? target : targetBranch)
                 && !inside.Any(i => i.Branch is not null && i.Branch == g.Branch && i.Date >= g.Date?.AddDays(-1))).ToList();
             return (inside, notYet, known);
         }
@@ -376,9 +376,18 @@ static string Names(IEnumerable<CodeChange> list) =>
                 {
                     var (inside, notYet, known) = await GitStatus(group.Key, branch, true, null);
                     if (!known) return null;
-                    if (inside.Count > 0) anyIn = true;
+                    // Work often reaches a branch by its own PR from the same source branch that nobody linked to the
+                    // item: one cheap question per source branch before saying "not yet".
+                    var unlinked = new List<string>();
+                    foreach (var source in notYet.Select(n => n.Branch).Where(b => b is not null).Distinct(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+                        unlinked.AddRange(await code.CompletedPullRequestsAsync(group.Key, source!, branch, dt));
+                    if (unlinked.Count > 0)
+                        notYet = notYet.Where(n => !unlinked.Any(u => u.EndsWith($"<- {n.Branch})", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))).ToList();
+                    if (inside.Count > 0 || unlinked.Count > 0) anyIn = true;
+                    var also = unlinked.Count > 0 ? $"merged by PRs not linked to the item: {string.Join(", ", unlinked.Distinct())}" : null;
                     return (string?)($"- {envLabel} = branch {branch} ({repoName}): " + (inside.Count > 0
-                        ? $"merged: {Names(inside.Where(x => !IsPromotion(x)).DefaultIfEmpty(inside[0]))}" + (notYet.Count > 0 ? $"; not yet: {Names(notYet)}" : "")
+                        ? $"merged: {Names(inside.Where(x => !IsPromotion(x)).DefaultIfEmpty(inside[0]))}" + (also is null ? "" : "; " + also) + (notYet.Count > 0 ? $"; not yet: {Names(notYet)}" : "")
+                        : also is not null ? also + (notYet.Count > 0 ? $"; not yet: {Names(notYet)}" : "")
                         : "NOT merged yet"));
                 }, dt));
             }