To stop unauthorized changes, protect main and release branches with pull-request reviews, current passing checks, restricted push actors, and administrator enforcement. Turn off force pushes and branch deletion, then add rulesets and Actions policies when you also need to control workflow files, fork networks, or who may execute automation.
The key distinction is that branch protection controls what can be merged or pushed into a branch, while Actions policies control which workflow runs are allowed to start. A secure setup uses both layers and verifies the resulting policy through GitHub’s protected-branch API.
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What a protected branch actually controls
A branch-protection rule applies to branches matching the pattern you choose, such as main, release/*, or a broader branch set. The rule can require a pull request, approvals, status checks, resolved conversations, signed commits, linear history, a merge queue, successful deployments, or a locked branch. It can also restrict push actors and prohibit force pushes or deletion.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThese controls address different risks. Reviews and checks govern the quality and authorization of a merge; push restrictions govern who can update the ref at all; force-push and deletion controls prevent destructive rewrites; signed-commit requirements help establish author authenticity; and administrator enforcement removes the normal administrative bypass.
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Controls that matter most for unauthorized updates
| Control | What it prevents or requires |
|---|---|
| Require a pull request | Changes must arrive through a reviewed pull request instead of a direct update. |
| Required approving reviews | Sets the number of approvals needed before a merge. |
| Approval of the most recent reviewable push | Requires a fresh approval after the latest reviewable change, preserving separation between author and approver. |
| Required status checks | Blocks merging until selected checks report an acceptable result on the current commit. |
| Restrict who can push | Limits direct updates to named users, teams, or installed GitHub Apps. |
| Do not allow bypassing the above settings | Applies the rule to administrators instead of allowing the default administrative bypass. |
| Prevent force pushes | Stops non-fast-forward updates that rewrite branch history. |
| Prevent deletion | Stops the protected branch from being deleted. |
| Conversation resolution | Requires review conversations to be resolved before merging. |
| Signed commits | Requires commits in the protected history to carry a valid signature. |
| Linear history | Requires a non-merge, linear commit history where the project’s process calls for it. |
| Merge queue | Queues qualifying pull requests and validates them in the queue’s merge context. |
| Required deployments | Requires specified deployments to succeed before a merge. |
| Branch locking | Locks the branch against updates while the lock is active. |
How do I prevent direct pushes to main?
- Open the repository and select Settings → Branches.
- Create a branch-protection rule for
main. Add separate rules for release patterns such asrelease/*when those branches need the same guarantees. - Enable the pull-request requirement and select the approval count. If the person who authored the latest change must not be the sole approver, enable approval of the most recent reviewable push.
- Enable required status checks and select the checks that represent your build, test, security, and deployment gates. Turn on the option requiring branches to be up to date when those checks must run against the latest base commit.
- Enable conversation resolution if unresolved review threads should block merging. Add signed-commit or linear-history requirements only if contributors and tooling can satisfy them consistently.
- Under push restrictions, specify the users, teams, or installed GitHub Apps that may update the protected branch. Keep this list as small as the operating model allows.
- Disable force pushes and branch deletion. These settings protect the branch even when a caller has ordinary write access.
- Enable Do not allow bypassing the above settings when administrators must be subject to the same gates.
- Save the rule, then test it with an account that is not an administrator or bypass actor. Confirm that a direct push is rejected and that a pull request cannot merge until each selected condition is satisfied.
Branch restrictions are an allow-list, not merely a warning. GitHub describes the effect this way: "When you enable branch restrictions, only users, teams, or apps that have been given permission can push to the protected branch." If administrators remain exempt, an administrator can still update the branch unless the no-bypass setting is enabled.
How can I stop unauthorized changes to GitHub Actions workflows?
Workflow files under .github/workflows are ordinary repository files, so a branch rule protects their merge into main only when the rule covers that branch. Require a pull request, review, and passing checks for the protected branch, and make the checks validate both application code and workflow changes. A workflow edit should not be able to weaken the very checks that guard it.
Require approval before changing .github/workflows
Use a ruleset when you need a path-specific control. Rulesets can restrict sensitive file paths and define the actors allowed to bypass the restriction. Configure the path pattern for .github/workflows/** (or the narrower workflow paths that matter), require the pull-request and review conditions for the target branch, and keep the bypass set to the smallest group that must perform emergency maintenance. On plans that support it, push rulesets can apply across the repository’s fork network, reducing the chance that a fork introduces an unreviewed workflow change through a permitted push path.
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Path protection complements, rather than replaces, branch protection. The branch rule still decides whether the resulting commit may land in main; the path rule adds a specific guard around workflow files that can alter build, deployment, or credential-handling behavior.
Classic branch-protection rules versus rulesets
| Comparison axis | Classic branch-protection rule | Ruleset |
|---|---|---|
| Branch and tag scope | Targets branches through a branch pattern, such as main or release/*. |
Uses a broader rule model that can target the repository’s refs according to the ruleset scope. |
| Push-versus-merge coverage | Combines merge requirements with protected-branch push, force-push, and deletion settings. | Can express push rules as well as merge-related requirements in a single policy model. |
| File-path restrictions | Does not provide the path-focused workflow-file control described for rulesets. | Can restrict sensitive paths, including workflow directories, when supported by the repository plan. |
| Fork-network behavior | Applies to the repository’s protected branches. | Push rulesets can apply across a repository’s fork network. |
| Bypass-actor granularity | Uses branch restrictions and the administrator bypass setting. | Defines explicit bypass actors for the ruleset, allowing a narrowly scoped exception. |
| Status-check and review requirements | Directly exposes required reviews, required checks, and related branch gates. | Can combine those requirements with path and push conditions in the ruleset model. |
| API manageability | The protected-branch REST representation exposes the configured branch gates and restrictions for auditing. | Rulesets provide a policy object suited to broader, centrally managed conditions; inspect the applicable ruleset representation as well as the branch endpoint. |
Use a classic rule for a straightforward protected-branch gate. Add a ruleset when the policy must cover sensitive paths, push behavior, explicit bypass actors, or a fork network. Large repositories commonly use both: a branch rule for merge safety and a ruleset for workflow and repository-wide push controls.
Actions policies control what can execute
Branch protection governs what lands in a branch; it does not by itself decide who may start a workflow or which event types are trusted. Configure Actions policies separately.
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- Actor policies: restrict which users, teams, or other actors may trigger workflows.
- Event policies: limit high-risk events such as
workflow_dispatchandpull_request_target. Treat events that run with repository credentials or elevated context as requiring explicit authorization. - Dependency lockfile protection: require action dependencies to be pinned so a moving action reference cannot silently change the code that executes.
- Workflow checks: require checks that validate workflow syntax, permissions, dependency changes, and deployment behavior before a workflow edit can merge.
These policies should be aligned with the branch rule. For example, a pull request may be allowed to modify a workflow file, but the merge should wait for a review and for checks that inspect the resulting workflow. Separately, the Actions policy can prevent an untrusted actor or event from running that workflow.
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Why is my required status check still pending?
GitHub evaluates required checks on the latest commit proposed for the protected branch. A result from an older commit does not satisfy the requirement. The acceptable completed states include success, skipped, and neutral.
Check the workflow filters
Path and branch filters can prevent a workflow from running at all. If that workflow is marked required, no check is reported and the pull request remains pending. Review every paths, paths-ignore, branch, and event filter against the files and target branch in the pull request. Either make the workflow run for the required change or remove that check from the required list.
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Check merge-queue support
If a merge queue is enabled, the workflow must include a merge_group trigger. A workflow that runs on ordinary pull-request events but not on the queue’s merge-group event cannot report the required result for the queued merge.
Check the expected source
A protected branch can require a check from a specific GitHub App. If an identically named check is produced by another app or integration, GitHub can reject it as the wrong source. Verify the producing App and the required-check configuration rather than relying on the check name alone.
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Push a new commit only after confirming the workflow definition and filters. Then inspect the check run attached to that new commit. Re-running a result attached to an earlier commit does not satisfy a requirement tied to the current tip.
Auditing protection through the REST API
Periodic inspection catches configuration drift after a repository transfer, team change, or emergency exception. The protected-branch REST representation exposes required checks, required reviews, administrator enforcement, force-push and deletion settings, branch-creation blocking, conversation resolution, branch locking, and push restrictions.
Build an audit that records the expected policy for each protected branch and compares it with the API response. Flag a branch when:
- the branch no longer requires a pull request or the required approval count has changed;
- a required check is missing, renamed, or no longer tied to the expected GitHub App;
- administrator enforcement is off;
- force pushes or deletion are allowed;
- an unexpected user, team, or App appears in the push-allow list;
- conversation resolution, branch locking, or branch-creation blocking differs from policy.
Store the desired configuration as policy-as-code, review changes through the same pull-request process, and run the audit on a schedule. The API check is a verification layer; it does not replace a live test with a non-bypass user.
Deployment sequence and safe testing
- Identify every production and release branch pattern that needs protection.
- List the checks that must pass on the current commit and confirm each workflow reports for normal pull requests and, if used, merge-queue groups.
- Apply pull-request reviews, status checks, conversation resolution, and any signed-commit or linear-history requirements.
- Restrict push actors, disable force pushes and deletion, and enable administrator enforcement.
- Add a ruleset for workflow paths or fork-network push controls, defining only necessary bypass actors.
- Configure Actions actor, event, and dependency-lock policies.
- Test direct pushes, force pushes, deletion attempts, unapproved pull requests, stale checks, workflow-file edits, and administrator actions with accounts representing each role.
- Inspect the API representation and correct any difference between the intended and actual policy.
A protection design is complete only when both the merge path and the execution path are tested: an unauthorized commit must not land, and an unauthorized workflow must not run.
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