diff --git a/gh-cli/README.md b/gh-cli/README.md
index f3c6617..4b70e25 100644
--- a/gh-cli/README.md
+++ b/gh-cli/README.md
@@ -1483,20 +1483,29 @@ Creates a (mostly) empty migration for a given organization repository so that i
 
 ### merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
 
-Finds and merges pull requests matching a title pattern across multiple repositories. Useful for batch merging Dependabot PRs or other automated PRs with similar titles.
+Finds and merges pull requests matching a title pattern across multiple repositories. Useful for batch merging Dependabot PRs or other automated PRs with similar titles. By default, prompts for confirmation before each merge; use `--no-prompt` to skip.
 
 ```bash
-# Find and merge PRs with exact title match
+# Find and merge PRs with exact title match (prompts for confirmation per PR)
 ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps-dev): bump eslint from 8.0.0 to 9.0.0"
 
 # Use wildcard to match partial titles
 ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps-dev): bump eslint*"
 
-# With custom commit title
-./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" squash "chore(deps): update dependencies"
+# Merge without confirmation prompt
+./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --no-prompt
+
+# With custom commit title, no confirmation prompt
+./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" squash "chore(deps): update dependencies" --no-prompt
 
 # Dry run to preview
-./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" squash "" --dry-run
+./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --dry-run
+
+# Bump npm patch version on matching PR branches and push (run before merging so CI can pass)
+./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --bump-patch-version
+
+# Bump patch version and enable auto-merge (bump, wait for CI, then auto-merge)
+./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --bump-patch-version --enable-auto-merge
 ```
 
 Input file format (`repos.txt`):
diff --git a/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh b/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
index c99920b..c05b19c 100755
--- a/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
+++ b/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
@@ -3,24 +3,33 @@
 # Finds and merges pull requests matching a title pattern across multiple repositories
 #
 # Usage:
-#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh <repo_list_file> <pr_title_pattern> [merge_method] [commit_title] [--dry-run]
+#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh <repo_list_file> <pr_title_pattern> [merge_method] [commit_title] [--dry-run] [--bump-patch-version] [--enable-auto-merge] [--no-prompt]
 #
 # Arguments:
-#   repo_list_file    - File with repository URLs (one per line)
-#   pr_title_pattern  - Title pattern to match (exact match or use * for wildcard)
-#   merge_method      - Optional: merge method (merge, squash, rebase) - defaults to squash
-#   commit_title      - Optional: custom commit title for all merged PRs (PR number is auto-appended)
-#   --dry-run         - Optional: preview what would be merged without actually merging
+#   repo_list_file        - File with repository URLs (one per line)
+#   pr_title_pattern      - Title pattern to match (exact match or use * for wildcard)
+#   merge_method          - Optional: merge method (merge, squash, rebase) - defaults to squash
+#   commit_title          - Optional: custom commit title for all merged PRs (PR number is auto-appended)
+#   --dry-run             - Optional: preview what would be merged without actually merging
+#   --bump-patch-version  - Optional: clone each matching PR branch, run npm version patch, commit, and push (mutually exclusive with --dry-run; does not merge unless combined with --enable-auto-merge)
+#   --enable-auto-merge   - Optional: enable auto-merge on matching PRs (can combine with --bump-patch-version)
+#   --no-prompt           - Optional: merge without interactive confirmation (default is to prompt before each merge)
 #
 # Examples:
-#   # Find and merge PRs with exact title match
+#   # Find and merge PRs with exact title match (will prompt for confirmation)
 #   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps-dev): bump eslint-plugin-jest from 29.5.0 to 29.9.0 in the eslint group"
 #
-#   # With custom commit title
-#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps-dev): bump eslint*" squash "chore(deps): update eslint dependencies"
+#   # With custom commit title, no confirmation prompt
+#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps-dev): bump eslint*" squash "chore(deps): update eslint dependencies" --no-prompt
 #
-#   # Dry run to preview
-#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" squash "" --dry-run
+#   # Dry run to preview (flags can appear anywhere, no need for "" placeholders)
+#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --dry-run
+#
+#   # Bump patch version on matching PR branches (run before merging so CI can pass)
+#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --bump-patch-version
+#
+#   # Bump patch version and enable auto-merge (bump, wait for CI, then auto-merge)
+#   ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh repos.txt "chore(deps)*" --bump-patch-version --enable-auto-merge
 #
 # Input file format (repos.txt):
 #   https://github.com/joshjohanning/repo1
@@ -30,7 +39,12 @@
 # Notes:
 #   - PRs must be open and in a mergeable state
 #   - Use * as a wildcard in the title pattern (e.g., "chore(deps)*" matches any title starting with "chore(deps)")
-#   - If multiple PRs match in a repo, all will be listed but only the first will be merged (use --dry-run to preview)
+#   - If multiple PRs match in a repo, all will be processed
+#   - --bump-patch-version clones each matching PR branch to a temp dir, bumps the npm patch version, commits, and pushes
+#   - --bump-patch-version is mutually exclusive with --dry-run (does not merge unless combined with --enable-auto-merge)
+#   - --bump-patch-version only works with same-repo PRs (fork-based PRs are skipped)
+#   - --enable-auto-merge queues PRs to merge once all required checks pass (does not bypass protections)
+#   - By default, merge mode prompts for confirmation before each PR merge; use --no-prompt to skip
 #
 # TODO:
 #   - Add --delete-branch flag to delete remote branch after merge
@@ -38,37 +52,82 @@
 
 merge_methods=("merge" "squash" "rebase")
 
-# Check for --dry-run flag anywhere in arguments
+# Check for --dry-run, --bump-patch-version, and --no-prompt flags anywhere in arguments
 dry_run=false
+bump_patch_version=false
+enable_auto_merge=false
+no_prompt=false
+valid_flags=("--dry-run" "--bump-patch-version" "--enable-auto-merge" "--no-prompt")
 for arg in "$@"; do
   if [ "$arg" = "--dry-run" ]; then
     dry_run=true
-    break
+  elif [ "$arg" = "--bump-patch-version" ]; then
+    bump_patch_version=true
+  elif [ "$arg" = "--enable-auto-merge" ]; then
+    enable_auto_merge=true
+  elif [ "$arg" = "--no-prompt" ]; then
+    no_prompt=true
+  elif [[ "$arg" == --* ]]; then
+    echo "Error: Unknown flag '$arg'"
+    echo "Valid flags: ${valid_flags[*]}"
+    exit 1
   fi
 done
 
 if [ $# -lt 2 ]; then
-  echo "Usage: $0 <repo_list_file> <pr_title_pattern> [merge_method] [commit_title] [--dry-run]"
+  echo "Usage: $0 <repo_list_file> <pr_title_pattern> [merge_method] [commit_title] [--dry-run] [--bump-patch-version] [--enable-auto-merge] [--no-prompt]"
   echo ""
   echo "Arguments:"
-  echo "  repo_list_file    - File with repository URLs (one per line)"
-  echo "  pr_title_pattern  - Title pattern to match (use * for wildcard)"
-  echo "  merge_method      - Optional: merge, squash, or rebase (default: squash)"
-  echo "  commit_title      - Optional: custom commit title for merged PRs (PR number is auto-appended)"
-  echo "  --dry-run         - Preview what would be merged without actually merging"
+  echo "  repo_list_file        - File with repository URLs (one per line)"
+  echo "  pr_title_pattern      - Title pattern to match (use * for wildcard)"
+  echo "  merge_method          - Optional: merge, squash, or rebase (default: squash)"
+  echo "  commit_title          - Optional: custom commit title for merged PRs (PR number is auto-appended)"
+  echo "  --dry-run             - Preview what would be merged without actually merging"
+  echo "  --bump-patch-version  - Bump npm patch version on each matching PR branch and push (mutually exclusive with --dry-run)"
+  echo "  --enable-auto-merge   - Enable auto-merge on matching PRs (can combine with --bump-patch-version)"
+  echo "  --no-prompt           - Merge without interactive confirmation (default is to prompt before each merge)"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$dry_run" = true ] && [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
+  echo "Error: --dry-run and --bump-patch-version are mutually exclusive"
   exit 1
 fi
 
-repo_list_file=$1
-pr_title_pattern=$2
-merge_method=${3:-squash}
-commit_title=${4:-}
+if [ "$dry_run" = true ] && [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ]; then
+  echo "Error: --dry-run and --enable-auto-merge are mutually exclusive"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Parse positional args, skipping flags
+positional_args=()
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  if [[ "$arg" != --* ]]; then
+    positional_args+=("$arg")
+  fi
+done
+
+repo_list_file=${positional_args[0]}
+pr_title_pattern=${positional_args[1]}
+merge_method=${positional_args[2]:-squash}
+commit_title=${positional_args[3]:-}
+
+if [ -z "$repo_list_file" ] || [ -z "$pr_title_pattern" ]; then
+  echo "Error: repo_list_file and pr_title_pattern are required"
+  echo "Usage: $0 <repo_list_file> <pr_title_pattern> [merge_method] [commit_title] [flags...]"
+  exit 1
+fi
 
 if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
   echo "🔍 DRY RUN MODE - No PRs will be merged"
   echo ""
 fi
 
+if [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
+  echo "🔼 BUMP PATCH VERSION MODE - Will bump npm patch version on matching PR branches"
+  echo ""
+fi
+
 # Validate merge method
 if [[ ! " ${merge_methods[*]} " =~ ${merge_method} ]]; then
   echo "Error: merge_method must be one of: ${merge_methods[*]}"
@@ -127,17 +186,36 @@ while IFS= read -r repo_url || [ -n "$repo_url" ]; do
     jq_pattern="${jq_pattern//^/\\^}"
     jq_pattern="${jq_pattern//$/\\$}"
     jq_pattern="${jq_pattern//|/\\|}"
+    jq_pattern="${jq_pattern//\{/\\{}"
+    jq_pattern="${jq_pattern//\}/\\}}"
     jq_pattern="${jq_pattern//\*/.*}"
-    jq_filter="select(.title | test(\"^\" + \$pattern + \"$\"))"
+    # Escape backslashes and double quotes for embedding in jq string literal
+    jq_pattern_escaped="${jq_pattern//\\/\\\\}"
+    jq_pattern_escaped="${jq_pattern_escaped//\"/\\\"}"
+    jq_filter="select(.title | test(\"^${jq_pattern_escaped}$\"))"
   else
     # Exact match - use simple string equality
-    jq_filter="select(.title == \$pattern)"
-    jq_pattern="$pr_title_pattern"
+    # Escape backslashes and double quotes for embedding in jq string literal
+    jq_pattern_escaped="${pr_title_pattern//\\/\\\\}"
+    jq_pattern_escaped="${jq_pattern_escaped//\"/\\\"}"
+    jq_filter="select(.title == \"${jq_pattern_escaped}\")"
   fi
 
   # Get open PRs and filter by title (paginate to get all PRs)
-  matching_prs=$(gh api --paginate "/repos/$repo/pulls?state=open" 2>/dev/null | \
-    jq -r --arg pattern "$jq_pattern" ".[] | $jq_filter | \"\(.number)|\(.title)|\(.user.login)\"")
+  api_stderr=$(mktemp)
+  matching_prs=$(gh api --paginate "/repos/$repo/pulls?state=open" \
+    --jq ".[] | $jq_filter | \"\(.number)|\(.title)|\(.user.login)|\(.head.ref)|\(.head.repo.full_name)\"" 2>"$api_stderr")
+  api_exit=$?
+
+  if [ $api_exit -ne 0 ]; then
+    api_error=$(cat "$api_stderr")
+    rm -f "$api_stderr"
+    echo "  ❌ API error for $repo: $api_error"
+    ((fail_count++))
+    echo ""
+    continue
+  fi
+  rm -f "$api_stderr"
 
   if [ -z "$matching_prs" ]; then
     echo "  📭 No matching PRs found"
@@ -147,31 +225,123 @@ while IFS= read -r repo_url || [ -n "$repo_url" ]; do
   fi
 
   # Process each matching PR
-  while IFS='|' read -r pr_number pr_title pr_author; do
+  while IFS='|' read -r pr_number pr_title pr_author pr_branch pr_head_repo; do
     echo "  📋 Found PR #$pr_number: $pr_title (by $pr_author)"
 
-    # Build the merge command
-    merge_args=("--$merge_method")
+    if [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
+      # Skip fork-based PRs since we can't push to the head repo
+      if [ "$pr_head_repo" != "$repo" ]; then
+        echo "  ⚠️  Skipping $repo#$pr_number - fork-based PR ($pr_head_repo), cannot push to branch"
+        ((skipped_count++))
+        continue
+      fi
 
-    # Always include PR number in commit subject (e.g., "commit message (#123)")
-    if [ "$merge_method" != "rebase" ]; then
-      if [ -n "$commit_title" ]; then
-        merge_args+=("--subject" "$commit_title (#$pr_number)")
+      # Clone to temp dir, bump patch version, commit, and push
+      tmp_dir=$(mktemp -d)
+      clone_dir="$tmp_dir/$repo_name"
+      echo "  🔀 Cloning $repo (branch: $pr_branch) to $clone_dir"
+      if ! gh repo clone "$repo" "$clone_dir" -- --quiet --branch "$pr_branch" 2>&1; then
+        echo "  ❌ Failed to clone $repo"
+        ((fail_count++))
+        rm -rf "$tmp_dir"
+        continue
+      fi
+      new_version=$(cd "$clone_dir" && npm version patch --no-git-tag-version --ignore-scripts)
+      if [ -z "$new_version" ]; then
+        echo "  ❌ Failed to bump version in $repo#$pr_number (is there a package.json?)"
+        ((fail_count++))
+        rm -rf "$tmp_dir"
+        continue
+      fi
+      # Strip leading 'v' if present (npm version returns e.g. "v1.2.3")
+      new_version="${new_version#v}"
+      echo "  🔼 Bumped version to $new_version"
+      if (cd "$clone_dir" && git add package.json && { git add package-lock.json 2>/dev/null || true; } && git commit -m "chore: bump version to $new_version"); then
+        if (cd "$clone_dir" && git push origin "$pr_branch"); then
+          echo "  ✅ Successfully pushed version bump to $repo/$pr_branch"
+          ((success_count++))
+          # Enable auto-merge if requested
+          if [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ]; then
+            auto_merge_args=("--auto" "--$merge_method")
+            if [ "$merge_method" != "rebase" ]; then
+              if [ -n "$commit_title" ]; then
+                auto_merge_args+=("--subject" "$commit_title (#$pr_number)")
+              else
+                auto_merge_args+=("--subject" "$pr_title (#$pr_number)")
+              fi
+            fi
+            if gh pr merge "$pr_number" --repo "$repo" "${auto_merge_args[@]}"; then
+              echo "  🔄 Auto-merge enabled for $repo#$pr_number"
+            else
+              echo "  ⚠️  Failed to enable auto-merge for $repo#$pr_number"
+              ((fail_count++))
+            fi
+          fi
+        else
+          echo "  ❌ Failed to push version bump to $repo/$pr_branch"
+          ((fail_count++))
+        fi
       else
-        merge_args+=("--subject" "$pr_title (#$pr_number)")
+        echo "  ❌ Failed to commit version bump in $repo#$pr_number"
+        ((fail_count++))
       fi
-    fi
-
-    # Attempt to merge
-    if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
-      echo "  🔍 Would merge $repo#$pr_number with: gh pr merge $pr_number --repo $repo ${merge_args[*]}"
-      ((success_count++))
-    elif gh pr merge "$pr_number" --repo "$repo" "${merge_args[@]}"; then
-      echo "  ✅ Successfully merged $repo#$pr_number"
-      ((success_count++))
+      rm -rf "$tmp_dir"
     else
-      echo "  ❌ Failed to merge $repo#$pr_number"
-      ((fail_count++))
+      # Build the merge command
+      merge_args=("--$merge_method")
+
+      # Always include PR number in commit subject (e.g., "commit message (#123)")
+      if [ "$merge_method" != "rebase" ]; then
+        if [ -n "$commit_title" ]; then
+          merge_args+=("--subject" "$commit_title (#$pr_number)")
+        else
+          merge_args+=("--subject" "$pr_title (#$pr_number)")
+        fi
+      fi
+
+      # Check if status checks have failed before attempting merge (skip for auto-merge since it waits for checks)
+      if [ "$enable_auto_merge" = false ]; then
+        failed_checks=$(gh pr checks "$pr_number" --repo "$repo" --json "name,state" --jq '[.[] | select(.state == "FAILURE")] | length' 2>/dev/null)
+        if [ -n "$failed_checks" ] && [ "$failed_checks" -gt 0 ] 2>/dev/null; then
+          echo "  ⚠️  Skipping $repo#$pr_number - $failed_checks status check(s) failed"
+          ((skipped_count++))
+          continue
+        fi
+      fi
+
+      # Attempt to merge (or enable auto-merge)
+      if [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ]; then
+        merge_args+=("--auto")
+      fi
+      if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
+        echo "  🔍 Would merge $repo#$pr_number with: gh pr merge $pr_number --repo $repo ${merge_args[*]}"
+        ((success_count++))
+      else
+        # Prompt for confirmation unless --no-prompt was passed
+        if [ "$no_prompt" = false ]; then
+          if ! [[ -t 1 ]] || ! [[ -r /dev/tty ]]; then
+            echo "Error: No TTY available for interactive prompt - use --no-prompt"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          read -r -p "  ❓ Merge $repo#$pr_number? [y/N] " confirm < /dev/tty
+          if [[ ! "$confirm" =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+            echo "  ⏭️  Skipped $repo#$pr_number"
+            ((skipped_count++))
+            continue
+          fi
+        fi
+        if gh pr merge "$pr_number" --repo "$repo" "${merge_args[@]}"; then
+          if [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ]; then
+            echo "  🔄 Auto-merge enabled for $repo#$pr_number"
+          else
+            echo "  ✅ Successfully merged $repo#$pr_number"
+          fi
+          ((success_count++))
+        else
+          echo "  ❌ Failed to merge $repo#$pr_number"
+          ((fail_count++))
+        fi
+      fi
     fi
   done <<< "$matching_prs"
 
@@ -181,7 +351,11 @@ done < "$repo_list_file"
 
 echo "========================================"
 echo "Summary:"
-echo "  ✅ Merged:    $success_count"
+if [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
+  echo "  ✅ Bumped:    $success_count"
+else
+  echo "  ✅ Merged:    $success_count"
+fi
 echo "  ❌ Failed:    $fail_count"
 echo "  ⏭️  Skipped:  $skipped_count"
 echo "  📭 No match: $not_found_count"
@@ -191,3 +365,11 @@ if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
   echo ""
   echo "🔍 This was a DRY RUN - no PRs were actually merged"
 fi
+
+if [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ] && [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ]; then
+  echo ""
+  echo "🔼 Version bumps pushed and auto-merge enabled - PRs will merge once CI passes"
+elif [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
+  echo ""
+  echo "🔼 Version bumps pushed - wait for CI to pass before merging"
+fi