diff --git a/internal/mq/id.go b/internal/mq/id.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ce2753d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/mq/id.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Package mq provides merge queue functionality.
+package mq
+
+import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// GenerateMRID generates a merge request ID following the convention: <prefix>-mr-<hash>
+//
+// The hash is derived from the branch name + current timestamp + random bytes to ensure uniqueness.
+// Example: gt-mr-abc123 for a gastown merge request.
+//
+// Parameters:
+//   - prefix: The project prefix (e.g., "gt" for gastown)
+//   - branch: The source branch name (e.g., "polecat/Nux/gt-xyz")
+//
+// Returns a string in the format "<prefix>-mr-<6-char-hash>"
+func GenerateMRID(prefix, branch string) string {
+	// Generate 8 random bytes for additional uniqueness
+	randomBytes := make([]byte, 8)
+	rand.Read(randomBytes)
+
+	return generateMRIDInternal(prefix, branch, time.Now(), randomBytes)
+}
+
+// GenerateMRIDWithTime generates a merge request ID using a specific timestamp.
+// This is primarily useful for testing to ensure deterministic output.
+// Note: Without randomness, two calls with identical inputs will produce the same ID.
+func GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, branch string, timestamp time.Time) string {
+	return generateMRIDInternal(prefix, branch, timestamp, nil)
+}
+
+// generateMRIDInternal is the internal implementation that combines all inputs.
+func generateMRIDInternal(prefix, branch string, timestamp time.Time, randomBytes []byte) string {
+	// Combine branch, timestamp, and optional random bytes for uniqueness
+	input := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d:%x", branch, timestamp.UnixNano(), randomBytes)
+
+	// Generate SHA256 hash
+	hash := sha256.Sum256([]byte(input))
+
+	// Take first 6 characters of hex-encoded hash
+	hashStr := hex.EncodeToString(hash[:])[:6]
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-mr-%s", prefix, hashStr)
+}
diff --git a/internal/mq/id_test.go b/internal/mq/id_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e6dd1e72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/mq/id_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+package mq
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestGenerateMRIDWithTime(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		prefix    string
+		branch    string
+		timestamp time.Time
+		want      string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "basic gastown MR",
+			prefix:    "gt",
+			branch:    "polecat/Nux/gt-xyz",
+			timestamp: time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+			want:      "gt-mr-", // Will verify prefix, actual hash varies
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "different prefix",
+			prefix:    "hop",
+			branch:    "feature/auth",
+			timestamp: time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+			want:      "hop-mr-",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "empty prefix",
+			prefix:    "",
+			branch:    "main",
+			timestamp: time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC),
+			want:      "-mr-",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := GenerateMRIDWithTime(tt.prefix, tt.branch, tt.timestamp)
+
+			// Verify prefix format
+			if !strings.HasPrefix(got, tt.want) {
+				t.Errorf("GenerateMRIDWithTime() = %q, want prefix %q", got, tt.want)
+			}
+
+			// Verify total format: prefix-mr-XXXXXX (6 hex chars)
+			parts := strings.Split(got, "-mr-")
+			if len(parts) != 2 {
+				t.Errorf("GenerateMRIDWithTime() = %q, expected format <prefix>-mr-<hash>", got)
+				return
+			}
+
+			if parts[0] != tt.prefix {
+				t.Errorf("GenerateMRIDWithTime() prefix = %q, want %q", parts[0], tt.prefix)
+			}
+
+			if len(parts[1]) != 6 {
+				t.Errorf("GenerateMRIDWithTime() hash length = %d, want 6", len(parts[1]))
+			}
+
+			// Verify hash is valid hex
+			for _, c := range parts[1] {
+				if !((c >= '0' && c <= '9') || (c >= 'a' && c <= 'f')) {
+					t.Errorf("GenerateMRIDWithTime() hash contains invalid hex char: %c", c)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateMRIDWithTime_Deterministic(t *testing.T) {
+	// Same inputs should produce same output
+	prefix := "gt"
+	branch := "polecat/Nux/gt-xyz"
+	ts := time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	id1 := GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, branch, ts)
+	id2 := GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, branch, ts)
+
+	if id1 != id2 {
+		t.Errorf("Same inputs produced different outputs: %q != %q", id1, id2)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateMRIDWithTime_DifferentTimestamps(t *testing.T) {
+	// Different timestamps should produce different IDs
+	prefix := "gt"
+	branch := "polecat/Nux/gt-xyz"
+	ts1 := time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	ts2 := time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 1, time.UTC) // 1 nanosecond later
+
+	id1 := GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, branch, ts1)
+	id2 := GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, branch, ts2)
+
+	if id1 == id2 {
+		t.Errorf("Different timestamps produced same ID: %q", id1)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateMRIDWithTime_DifferentBranches(t *testing.T) {
+	// Different branches should produce different IDs
+	prefix := "gt"
+	ts := time.Date(2025, 12, 17, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	id1 := GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, "branch-a", ts)
+	id2 := GenerateMRIDWithTime(prefix, "branch-b", ts)
+
+	if id1 == id2 {
+		t.Errorf("Different branches produced same ID: %q", id1)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateMRID(t *testing.T) {
+	// GenerateMRID uses current time, so we just verify format
+	id := GenerateMRID("gt", "polecat/Nux/gt-xyz")
+
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(id, "gt-mr-") {
+		t.Errorf("GenerateMRID() = %q, want prefix gt-mr-", id)
+	}
+
+	parts := strings.Split(id, "-mr-")
+	if len(parts) != 2 || len(parts[1]) != 6 {
+		t.Errorf("GenerateMRID() = %q, invalid format", id)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGenerateMRID_Uniqueness(t *testing.T) {
+	// Generate multiple IDs and verify they're unique
+	ids := make(map[string]bool)
+	prefix := "gt"
+	branch := "test-branch"
+
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		id := GenerateMRID(prefix, branch)
+		if ids[id] {
+			t.Errorf("Duplicate ID generated: %q", id)
+		}
+		ids[id] = true
+	}
+}