diff --git a/appview/pages/pages.go b/appview/pages/pages.go
index b6d46da3..daff98fa 100644
--- a/appview/pages/pages.go
+++ b/appview/pages/pages.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	"tangled.org/core/appview/pages/markup/sanitizer"
 	"tangled.org/core/appview/pages/repoinfo"
 	"tangled.org/core/appview/pagination"
+	gitmirrorv1 "tangled.org/core/gitmirror/proto/gen"
 	"tangled.org/core/idresolver"
 	"tangled.org/core/types"
 
@@ -1411,7 +1412,7 @@ type RepoNewPull_StepDetailsParams struct {
 
 type MergeCheckParams struct {
 	IsConflicted bool
-	Conflicts    []*tangled.GitMergeCheck_ConflictInfo
+	Conflicts    []*gitmirrorv1.MergeConflict
 	Error        string
 }
 
diff --git a/appview/pulls/compose.go b/appview/pulls/compose.go
index f7e5e7fc..e46b6c57 100644
--- a/appview/pulls/compose.go
+++ b/appview/pulls/compose.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"tangled.org/core/appview/pages"
 	"tangled.org/core/appview/pages/markup/sanitizer"
 	"tangled.org/core/consts"
+	gitmirrorv1 "tangled.org/core/gitmirror/proto/gen"
 	"tangled.org/core/types"
 
 	"github.com/bluesky-social/indigo/atproto/syntax"
@@ -275,8 +276,7 @@ func (s *Pulls) composeParams(r *http.Request, repo *models.Repo) (pages.RepoNew
 	}
 
 	if sourceRepo == "" || sourceBranch == "" || targetBranch == "" {
-		// return params
-		l.Error("what's wrong", "source", sourceRepo, "source.branch", sourceBranch, "target.branch", targetBranch)
+		l.Error("params missing", "source", sourceRepo, "source.branch", sourceBranch, "target.branch", targetBranch)
 		return pages.RepoNewPullParams{
 			BaseParams:     pages.BaseParamsFromContext(r.Context()),
 			RepoInfo:       repoInfo,
@@ -289,13 +289,6 @@ func (s *Pulls) composeParams(r *http.Request, repo *models.Repo) (pages.RepoNew
 			TargetBranch:   targetBranch,
 			Fork:           fork,
 			Patch:          patch,
-			// Title:            title,
-			// Body:             body,
-			// StepReviewParams: &stepReviewParams,
-			// MergeCheck:       mergeCheckParams,
-			// PrefillError:     prefillErrorMsg,
-			// LabelDefs:        labelDefs,
-			// LabelState:       labelState,
 		}, nil
 	}
 
@@ -444,21 +437,24 @@ func sortBranchesByRecency(branches []types.Branch) []types.Branch {
 
 func (s *Pulls) composeMergeCheck(ctx context.Context, targetRepo *models.Repo, targetBranch string, sourceRepoDid syntax.DID, sourceCommit string) pages.MergeCheckParams {
 	l := s.logger.With("handler", "composeMergeCheck", "repo", targetRepo.RepoDid, "branch", targetBranch, "source", sourceCommit)
-	xrpcc := s.knotClient(targetRepo.Knot)
-	out, err := tangled.GitMergeCheck(ctx, xrpcc, &tangled.GitMergeCheck_Input{
-		Repo:   targetRepo.RepoDid,
-		Branch: targetBranch,
-		Source: &tangled.GitMergeCheck_Input_Source{
-			Repo:   sourceRepoDid.String(),
-			Commit: sourceCommit,
-		},
+
+	xrpcc := &indigoxrpc.Client{Host: s.config.KnotMirror.Url}
+	branch, err := tangled.GitTempGetBranch(ctx, xrpcc, targetBranch, targetRepo.RepoDid)
+	if err != nil {
+		l.Warn("failed to resolve target branch", "err", err)
+		return pages.MergeCheckParams{Error: "merge check failed"}
+	}
+
+	out, err := s.gitmirror.MergeCheck(ctx, &gitmirrorv1.MergeCheckRequest{
+		Target: &gitmirrorv1.RepoCommit{Repo: targetRepo.RepoDid, Commit: []byte(branch.Hash)},
+		Source: &gitmirrorv1.RepoCommit{Repo: sourceRepoDid.String(), Commit: []byte(sourceCommit)},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		l.Warn("failed to do merge-check", "err", err)
-		return pages.MergeCheckParams{Error: "unimplemented"}
+		return pages.MergeCheckParams{Error: "merge check failed"}
 	}
 	for _, conflict := range out.Conflicts {
-		l.Debug("merge-check", "conflict", *conflict)
+		l.Debug("merge-check", "filename", conflict.Filename, "reason", conflict.Reason)
 	}
 	return pages.MergeCheckParams{
 		IsConflicted: out.IsConflicted,
diff --git a/appview/pulls/pulls.go b/appview/pulls/pulls.go
index 71144d49..74f24f61 100644
--- a/appview/pulls/pulls.go
+++ b/appview/pulls/pulls.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package pulls
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"time"
 
@@ -20,7 +19,6 @@ import (
 	"tangled.org/core/ogre"
 	"tangled.org/core/types"
 
-	indigoxrpc "github.com/bluesky-social/indigo/xrpc"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2/expirable"
 )
 
@@ -80,12 +78,4 @@ func New(
 	}
 }
 
-func (s *Pulls) knotClient(host string) *indigoxrpc.Client {
-	scheme := "https"
-	if s.config.Core.Dev {
-		scheme = "http"
-	}
-	return &indigoxrpc.Client{Host: fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s", scheme, host)}
-}
-
 func ptrPullState(s models.PullState) *models.PullState { return &s }