diff --git a/internal/merge/merge.go b/internal/merge/merge.go
index 06605594..8d8e715a 100644
--- a/internal/merge/merge.go
+++ b/internal/merge/merge.go
@@ -292,12 +292,14 @@ func IsExpiredTombstone(issue Issue, ttl time.Duration) bool {
 }
 
 func merge3Way(base, left, right []Issue) ([]Issue, []string) {
-	return merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right, DefaultTombstoneTTL)
+	return Merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right, DefaultTombstoneTTL)
 }
 
-// merge3WayWithTTL performs a 3-way merge with configurable tombstone TTL.
+// Merge3WayWithTTL performs a 3-way merge with configurable tombstone TTL.
 // This is the core merge function that handles tombstone semantics.
-func merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right []Issue, ttl time.Duration) ([]Issue, []string) {
+// Use this when you need to configure TTL for testing, debugging, or
+// per-repository configuration. For default TTL behavior, use merge3Way.
+func Merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right []Issue, ttl time.Duration) ([]Issue, []string) {
 	// Build maps for quick lookup by IssueKey
 	baseMap := make(map[IssueKey]Issue)
 	for _, issue := range base {
diff --git a/internal/merge/merge_test.go b/internal/merge/merge_test.go
index b688ea49..93a497f3 100644
--- a/internal/merge/merge_test.go
+++ b/internal/merge/merge_test.go
@@ -1648,7 +1648,7 @@ func TestMerge3WayWithTTL(t *testing.T) {
 		left := []Issue{tombstone}
 		right := []Issue{liveIssue}
 
-		result, _ := merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right, shortTTL)
+		result, _ := Merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right, shortTTL)
 		if len(result) != 1 {
 			t.Fatalf("expected 1 issue, got %d", len(result))
 		}
@@ -1665,7 +1665,7 @@ func TestMerge3WayWithTTL(t *testing.T) {
 		left := []Issue{tombstone}
 		right := []Issue{liveIssue}
 
-		result, _ := merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right, longTTL)
+		result, _ := Merge3WayWithTTL(base, left, right, longTTL)
 		if len(result) != 1 {
 			t.Fatalf("expected 1 issue, got %d", len(result))
 		}