diff --git a/tools/actions/commit-queue.sh b/tools/actions/commit-queue.sh
index 3b3138053cb..2ee7694aedd 100755
--- a/tools/actions/commit-queue.sh
+++ b/tools/actions/commit-queue.sh
@@ -87,22 +87,18 @@ for pr in "$@"; do
     commit_body=$(git log -1 --pretty='format:%b')
     commit_head=$(grep 'Fetched commits as' output | cut -d. -f3 | xargs git rev-parse)
 
-    jq -n \
-      --arg title "${commit_title}" \
-      --arg body "${commit_body}" \
-      --arg head "${commit_head}" \
-      '{merge_method:"squash",commit_title:$title,commit_message:$body,sha:$head}' > output.json
-    cat output.json
-    if ! gh api -X PUT "repos/${OWNER}/${REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr}/merge" --input output.json > output; then
+    if ! commits="$(
+      jq -cn \
+        --arg title "${commit_title}" \
+        --arg body "${commit_body}" \
+        --arg head "${commit_head}" \
+        '{merge_method:"squash",commit_title:$title,commit_message:$body,sha:$head}' |\
+      gh api -X PUT "repos/${OWNER}/${REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr}/merge" --input -\
+        --jq 'if .merged then .sha else halt_error end'
+    )"; then
       commit_queue_failed "$pr"
       continue
     fi
-    cat output
-    if ! commits="$(jq -r 'if .merged then .sha else error("not merged") end' < output)"; then
-      commit_queue_failed "$pr"
-      continue
-    fi
-    rm output.json
   fi
 
   rm output
diff --git a/tools/actions/merge.sh b/tools/actions/merge.sh
index 898e9e59ea3..35d1e033501 100755
--- a/tools/actions/merge.sh
+++ b/tools/actions/merge.sh
@@ -39,24 +39,14 @@ git log -1 HEAD^ --pretty='format:%B' | git interpret-trailers --parse --no-divi
 commit_title=$(git log -1 --pretty='format:%s')
 commit_body=$(git log -1 --pretty='format:%b')
 
-jq -n \
+commitSHA="$(
+  jq -cn \
     --arg title "${commit_title}" \
     --arg body "${commit_body}" \
     --arg head "${commit_head}" \
-    '{merge_method:"squash",commit_title:$title,commit_message:$body,sha:$head}' > output.json
-cat output.json
-if ! gh api -X PUT "repos/${OWNER}/${REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr}/merge" --input output.json > output; then
-    cat output
-    echo "Failed to merge $pr"
-    rm output output.json
-    exit 1
-fi
-cat output
-if ! commits="$(jq -r 'if .merged then .sha else error("not merged") end' < output)"; then
-    echo "Failed to merge $pr"
-    rm output output.json
-    exit 1
-fi
-rm output.json output
+    '{merge_method:"squash",commit_title:$title,commit_message:$body,sha:$head}' |\
+  gh api -X PUT "repos/${OWNER}/${REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr}/merge" --input -\
+    --jq 'if .merged then .sha else halt_error end'
+)"
 
-gh pr comment "$pr" --repo "$OWNER/$REPOSITORY" --body "Landed in $commits"
+gh pr comment "$pr" --repo "$OWNER/$REPOSITORY" --body "Landed in $commitSHA"