diff --git a/MAINTAINING.md b/MAINTAINING.md
index 1bbebb949..574ccad03 100644
--- a/MAINTAINING.md
+++ b/MAINTAINING.md
@@ -58,7 +58,9 @@ git config --global alias.logs 'log --show-signature'
   merge-commit **must** be signed. To simplify the process, and ensure that
   things are done "right", it's preferable to use the [`merge-pr.sh`] script,
   which does that for you automatically.
-- **use** [`merge-pr.sh`] script to merge PRs, e.g. `./merge-pr.sh 1234`.
+- **use** [`merge-pr.sh`] script to merge PRs. First checkout the target
+  branch, usually either `master` or a release dev branch e.g. `v1.17-dev`,
+  make sure it's up to date with qTox/qTox, then e.g. `./merge-pr.sh 1234`.
 
   You don't have to use it, but then you're running into risk of breaking
   travis build of master & other PRs, since it verifies all commit messages,
diff --git a/merge-pr.sh b/merge-pr.sh
index 5f4bfdd2d..6e5bb50bd 100755
--- a/merge-pr.sh
+++ b/merge-pr.sh
@@ -52,6 +52,9 @@ source_functions() {
 main() {
     local remote_name="upstream"
     local merge_branch="merge"
+    local base_branch # because assigning on the same line will break error code parsing.. http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/localvar.html
+    base_branch=$(git symbolic-ref HEAD --short)
+
     source_functions
     exit_if_not_pr $PR
     add_remote
diff --git a/tools/lib/PR_bash.source b/tools/lib/PR_bash.source
index 50663c806..4e1c24f72 100644
--- a/tools/lib/PR_bash.source
+++ b/tools/lib/PR_bash.source
@@ -60,24 +60,24 @@ add_remote() {
 after_merge_msg() {
     echo ""
     echo "PR #$PR was merged into «$@$PR» branch."
-    echo "To compare with master:"
+    echo "To compare with $base_branch:"
     echo ""
-    echo "  git diff master..$@$PR"
+    echo "  git diff $base_branch..$@$PR"
     echo ""
     if [[ "$@" == "merge" ]]
     then
-        echo "To push that to master on github:"
+        echo "To push that to $base_branch on github:"
         echo ""
-        echo "  git checkout master && git merge --ff $@$PR && git push upstream master"
+        echo "  git checkout $base_branch && git merge --ff $@$PR && git push upstream $base_branch"
         echo ""
-        echo "After pushing to master, delete branches:"
+        echo "After pushing to $base_branch, delete branches:"
         echo ""
         echo "  git branch -d {$@,}$PR"
         echo ""
     fi
     echo "To discard any changes:"
     echo ""
-    echo "  git checkout master && git branch -D {$@,}$PR"
+    echo "  git checkout $base_branch && git branch -D {$@,}$PR"
     echo ""
 }
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ after_merge_failure_msg() {
     echo ""
     echo "You may want to remove not merged branches, if they exist:"
     echo ""
-    echo "  git checkout master && git branch -D {$@,}$PR"
+    echo "  git checkout $base_branch && git branch -D {$@,}$PR"
     echo ""
 }
 
@@ -100,16 +100,13 @@ rm_obsolete_branch() {
 get_sources() {
     add_remote
     rm_obsolete_branch
-    git fetch $remote_name && \
-    git checkout master && \
-    git rebase $remote_name/master master && \
     git fetch $remote_name pull/$PR/head:$PR && \
-    git checkout master -b $merge_branch$PR
+    git checkout $base_branch -b $merge_branch$PR
 }
 
 # check whether to sign
 merge() {
     "${@}" --no-ff $PR -m "Merge pull request #$PR
 $OPT_MSG
-$(git shortlog master..$PR)"
+$(git shortlog $base_branch..$PR)"
 }