Repository administrators can enable protected branches for limiting branch manipulation, as well as enforce required status checks before a branch is merged in a pull request or before commits on a local branch can be pushed to the protected remote branch.

Enabling a protected branch for a repository

  1. On GitHub Enterprise, navigate to the main page of the repository.

  2. Under your repository name, click Settings. Repository settings button

  3. In the left menu, click Branches. Repository options sub-menu

  4. Under Protected Branches, select the branch you want to mark protected using the drop-down menu. Selecting a protected branch drop-down menu

  5. Select Protect this branch. Protecting branch checkbox
  6. Click Save changes.

Enabling required status checks

  1. On GitHub Enterprise, navigate to the main page of the repository.

  2. Under your repository name, click Settings. Repository settings button

  3. In the left menu, click Branches. Repository options sub-menu

  4. Under Protected Branches, select the branch you want to mark with a required status check. Selecting a protected branch drop-down menu

  5. Select Require status checks to pass before merging. Required status checks option
  6. From the list of available status checks, select the ones you want to make required. List of available status checks
  7. Optionally, select Include administrators. This enforces the required status checks on the repository administrators. Include administrators checkbox

  8. Click Save changes.

Tip: To successfully merge a pull request into a base branch that has required status checks enabled, the pull request's head branch must be up-to-date with the base branch.