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Abstract One of the most important stellar neutron sources is the²²Ne($$\alpha ,n$$ $\alpha ,n$)²⁵Mg reaction, which gets activated both during the helium intershell burning in asymptotic giant branch stars and in core helium and shell carbon burning in massive stars. The²²Ne($$\alpha ,n$$ $\alpha ,n$)²⁵Mg reaction serves as the main neutron producer for the weaks-process and provides a short but strong neutron exposure during the helium flash phase of the mains-process, significantly affecting the abundances at thes-process branch points. The cross section needs to be known at very low energies, as close as possible to the neutron threshold at$$E_\alpha =$$ $E_{\alpha }=$562 keV (Q= −478 keV), but both direct and indirect measurements have turned out to be very challenging, leading to significant uncertainties. Here we discuss the current status of the reaction, including recent and upcoming measurements, and provide a discussion on the astrophysical implications as well as an outlook into the near future.