diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index dfdb6ef8..a4d582fe 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 name: CI
+run-name: >-
+  ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' && format('PR-CI #{0}', github.event.pull_request.number)
+  || github.event_name == 'merge_group' && 'MergeQueue-CI'
+  || github.event_name == 'push' && 'Main-CI'
+  || 'CI' }}
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -141,9 +146,16 @@ jobs:
 
   # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   # REQUIRED CHECKS GATE
+  #
+  # Fan-in aggregator that must turn RED when any required job fails or is
+  # cancelled. `if: always()` is critical: without it, this job is skipped
+  # when any `needs` dependency fails, and GitHub treats a skipped required
+  # status check as "not failed" — which let PR #151 merge through the
+  # merge queue despite failing e2e + orchestrator integration tests.
   # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   required-checks:
     name: Required Checks
+    if: always()
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs:
       - lint
@@ -157,6 +169,12 @@ jobs:
       - storage-integration-test
       - consumer-integration-test
     steps:
-      - name: All required checks passed
+      - name: Fail if any required check did not succeed
+        if: ${{ contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled') || contains(needs.*.result, 'skipped') }}
         run: |
-          echo "All required checks passed!" >&2
+          echo "One or more required checks did not succeed:" >&2
+          echo '${{ toJSON(needs) }}' >&2
+          exit 1
+
+      - name: All required checks passed
+        run: echo "All required checks passed!"
diff --git a/example/server/orchestrator/main.go b/example/server/orchestrator/main.go
index 9d65a9b4..cbc7265c 100644
--- a/example/server/orchestrator/main.go
+++ b/example/server/orchestrator/main.go
@@ -606,13 +606,18 @@ func newChangeProvider(logger *zap.Logger, scope tally.Scope) (changeprovider.Ch
 }
 
 // newPusher creates a git-backed Pusher bound to the configured checkout
-// path, remote, and target branch. Configured via PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH
-// (required), PUSHER_REMOTE (default "origin"), and PUSHER_TARGET (default
-// "main").
+// path, remote, and target branch. Configured via PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH,
+// PUSHER_REMOTE (default "origin"), and PUSHER_TARGET (default "main").
+//
+// If PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH is not set the orchestrator falls back to a
+// no-op pusher that errors when invoked. This keeps the example server
+// runnable in environments that don't exercise the merge controller
+// (e.g. ping-only integration tests, local dev without a git checkout).
 func newPusher(logger *zap.Logger, scope tally.Scope) (pusher.Pusher, error) {
 	checkout := os.Getenv("PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH")
 	if checkout == "" {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH environment variable is required")
+		logger.Warn("PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH not set; using no-op pusher (merge controller will fail if invoked)")
+		return noopPusher{}, nil
 	}
 	return gitpusher.NewPusher(gitpusher.Params{
 		CheckoutPath: checkout,
@@ -622,3 +627,15 @@ func newPusher(logger *zap.Logger, scope tally.Scope) (pusher.Pusher, error) {
 		MetricsScope: scope.SubScope("pusher"),
 	}), nil
 }
+
+// noopPusher is a fallback Pusher used when PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH is not
+// configured. It returns an error on every Push so the merge controller
+// (which treats non-ErrConflict errors as transient and nacks the message)
+// will not silently report success. It exists so the orchestrator can
+// still start up — and serve Ping / accept enqueues — in environments
+// that don't run the merge step.
+type noopPusher struct{}
+
+func (noopPusher) Push(_ context.Context, _ []entity.Change) (pusher.Result, error) {
+	return pusher.Result{}, fmt.Errorf("pusher not configured: set PUSHER_CHECKOUT_PATH to enable pushing")
+}