diff --git a/.github/mergify.yml b/.github/mergify.yml
index 73267904b8..4ab73bcf07 100644
--- a/.github/mergify.yml
+++ b/.github/mergify.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 pull_request_rules:
   - name: Ask to resolve conflict
     conditions:
+      - -closed
       - conflict
       - -author=dependabot[bot]
+      - label=ready-for-review
       - or:
           - -draft # Don't report conflicts on regular draft.
           - and: # Do report conflicts on draft that are scheduled for the next major release.
@@ -12,6 +14,64 @@ pull_request_rules:
       comment:
         message: This pull request has merge conflicts. Could you please resolve them
           @{{author}}? 🙏
+      label:
+        add:
+          - waiting-on-author
+        remove:
+          - ready-for-review
+
+  - name: Ask to resolve CI failures
+    conditions:
+      - -closed
+      - label=ready-for-review
+      - or:
+          - check-skipped=test-suite-success
+          - check-skipped=local-testnet-success
+          - check-failure=test-suite-success
+          - check-failure=local-testnet-success
+    actions:
+      comment:
+        message: Some required checks have failed. Could you please take a look @{{author}}? 🙏
+      label:
+        add:
+          - waiting-on-author
+        remove:
+          - ready-for-review
+
+  - name: Update labels when PR is unblocked
+    conditions:
+      - -closed
+      - -draft
+      - label=waiting-on-author
+      - -conflict
+      # Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's an easy way to check for PRs pending
+      # CI workflows approvals.
+      - check-success=test-suite-success
+      - check-success=local-testnet-success
+      # Update the label only if there are no more change requests from any reviewers and no unresolved threads.
+      # This rule ensures that a PR with passing CI can be marked as `waiting-on-author`.
+      - "#changes-requested-reviews-by = 0"
+      - "#review-threads-unresolved = 0"
+    actions:
+      label:
+        remove:
+          - waiting-on-author
+        add:
+          - ready-for-review
+
+  - name: Close stale pull request after 30 days of inactivity
+    conditions:
+      - -closed
+      - label=waiting-on-author
+      - updated-at<=30 days ago
+    actions:
+      close:
+        message: >
+          Hi @{{author}}, this pull request has been closed automatically due to 30 days of inactivity.
+          If you’d like to continue working on it, feel free to reopen at any time.
+      label:
+        add:
+          - stale
 
   - name: Approve trivial maintainer PRs
     conditions:
diff --git a/beacon_node/src/cli.rs b/beacon_node/src/cli.rs
index f3f9aa97a2..eb27a03552 100644
--- a/beacon_node/src/cli.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/src/cli.rs
@@ -822,7 +822,7 @@ pub fn cli_app() -> Command {
                 .long("state-cache-size")
                 .value_name("STATE_CACHE_SIZE")
                 .help("Specifies the size of the state cache")
-                .default_value("32")
+                .default_value("128")
                 .action(ArgAction::Set)
                 .display_order(0)
         )
diff --git a/beacon_node/store/src/state_cache.rs b/beacon_node/store/src/state_cache.rs
index b6aacbb77a..f8acd28f32 100644
--- a/beacon_node/store/src/state_cache.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/store/src/state_cache.rs
@@ -345,7 +345,9 @@ impl<E: EthSpec> StateCache<E> {
         let mut old_boundary_state_roots = vec![];
         let mut good_boundary_state_roots = vec![];
 
-        for (&state_root, (_, state)) in self.states.iter().skip(cull_exempt) {
+        // Skip the `cull_exempt` most-recently used, then reverse the iterator to start at
+        // least-recently used states.
+        for (&state_root, (_, state)) in self.states.iter().skip(cull_exempt).rev() {
             let is_advanced = state.slot() > state.latest_block_header().slot;
             let is_boundary = state.slot() % E::slots_per_epoch() == 0;
             let could_finalize =
diff --git a/book/src/help_bn.md b/book/src/help_bn.md
index b2d2af6cec..642add152e 100644
--- a/book/src/help_bn.md
+++ b/book/src/help_bn.md
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ Options:
           Minimum number of states to cull from the state cache when it gets
           full [default: 1]
       --state-cache-size <STATE_CACHE_SIZE>
-          Specifies the size of the state cache [default: 32]
+          Specifies the size of the state cache [default: 128]
       --suggested-fee-recipient <SUGGESTED-FEE-RECIPIENT>
           Emergency fallback fee recipient for use in case the validator client
           does not have one configured. You should set this flag on the
diff --git a/lighthouse/tests/beacon_node.rs b/lighthouse/tests/beacon_node.rs
index 26b6c8ff0e..7a5a83cb29 100644
--- a/lighthouse/tests/beacon_node.rs
+++ b/lighthouse/tests/beacon_node.rs
@@ -1829,7 +1829,7 @@ fn block_cache_size_flag() {
 fn state_cache_size_default() {
     CommandLineTest::new()
         .run_with_zero_port()
-        .with_config(|config| assert_eq!(config.store.state_cache_size, new_non_zero_usize(32)));
+        .with_config(|config| assert_eq!(config.store.state_cache_size, new_non_zero_usize(128)));
 }
 #[test]
 fn state_cache_size_flag() {