Protected branches

Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate Offering: GitLab.com, Self-managed, GitLab Dedicated

In GitLab, permissions are fundamentally defined around the idea of having read or write permission to the repository and branches. To impose further restrictions on certain branches, they can be protected.

A protected branch controls:

  • Which users can merge into the branch.
  • Which users can push to the branch.
  • If users can force push to the branch.
  • If changes to files listed in the CODEOWNERS file can be pushed directly to the branch.
  • Which users, groups, or access levels can unprotect the branch using the Protected branches API.
  • Which users can modify the branch with the Commits API.

The default branch for your repository is protected by default.

Who can modify a protected branch

History
  • Branch push permission changed to require GitLab administrators to also have the allowed permission in GitLab 16.0.

When a branch is protected, the default behavior enforces these restrictions on the branch.

Action Who can do it
Protect a branch At least the Maintainer role.
Push to the branch Anyone with Allowed permission. (1)
Force push to the branch No one.
Delete the branch No one. (2)
  1. Users with the Developer role can create a project in a group, but might not be allowed to initially push to the default branch.
  2. No one can delete a protected branch using Git commands, however, users with at least Maintainer role can delete a protected branch from the UI or API.

You can implement a merge request approval policy to prevent protected branches being unprotected or deleted.

When a branch matches multiple rules

When a branch matches multiple rules, the most permissive rule determines the level of protection for the branch. For example, consider these rules, which include wildcards:

Branch name pattern Allowed to merge Allowed to push and merge
v1.x Maintainer Maintainer
v1.* Maintainer + Developer Maintainer
v* No one No one

A branch named v1.x is a case-sensitive match for all three branch name patterns: v1.x, v1.*, and v*. As the most permissive option determines the behavior, the resulting permissions for branch v1.x are:

  • Allowed to merge: Of the three settings, Maintainer + Developer is most permissive, and controls branch behavior as a result. Even though the branch also matched v1.x and v* (which each have stricter permissions), users with the Developer role can merge into the branch.
  • Allowed to push and merge: Of the three settings, Maintainer is the most permissive, and controls branch behavior as a result. Even though branches matching v* are set to No one, branches that also match v1.x or v1.* receive the more permissive Maintainer permission.

To be certain that a rule controls the behavior of a branch, all other patterns that match must apply less or equally permissive rules.

If you want to ensure that No one is allowed to push to branch v1.x, every pattern that matches v1.x must set Allowed to push and merge to No one, like this:

Branch name pattern Allowed to merge Allowed to push and merge
v1.x Maintainer No one
v1.* Maintainer + Developer No one
v* No one No one

Set the default branch protection level

Administrators can set a default branch protection level in the Admin area.

Add protection to existing branches

Configure protected branches for all projects in a group, or just for a project.

For one project

Prerequisites:

  • You must have at least the Maintainer role.
  • When granting a group Allowed to merge or Allowed to push and merge permissions on a protected branch, the project must be accessible and shared with the group. For more information, see Shared projects.

To protect a branch:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. From the Branch dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.
  6. From the Allowed to merge list, select a role that can merge into this branch.

  7. From the Allowed to push and merge list, select a role that can push to this branch.

    note
    In GitLab Premium and Ultimate, you can also add groups or individual users to Allowed to merge and Allowed to push and merge.
  8. Select Protect.

The protected branch displays in the list of protected branches.

For all projects in a group

Tier: Premium, Ultimate Offering: Self-managed
History

Group owners can create protected branches for a group. These settings are inherited by all projects in the group and can’t be overridden by project settings.

Prerequisites:

  • You must have the Owner role for the group.

To protect a branch for all the projects in a group:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your group.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. In the Branch text box, type the branch name or a wildcard. Branch names and wildcards are case-sensitive.
  6. From the Allowed to merge list, select a role that can merge into this branch.
  7. From the Allowed to push and merge list, select a role that can push to this branch.
  8. Select Protect.

The protected branch is added to the list of protected branches.

Add a group to protected branches

To set the members of a group or subgroup as Allowed to merge or Allowed to push and merge to a protected branch:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.

  4. Add groups to the following fields: 

    # Allow group members to merge into this branch
Allowed to merge: @group-x

# Allow group members to push and merge into this branch
Allowed to push and merge: @group-x/subgroup-y

Group inheritance and eligibility

%%{init: { "fontFamily": "GitLab Sans" }}%% graph TD accTitle: Diagram of group inheritance for protected branches accDescr: If a project is shared with a group, the group members inherit permissions for protected branches. A[Parent group X] -->|owns| B[Project A] A -->|contains| C[Subgroup Y] B -->|shared with| C C -->|members inherit permissions| B

In this example:

  • Parent group X (group-x) owns Project A.
  • Parent group X also contains a subgroup, Subgroup Y. (group-x/subgroup-y)
  • Project A is shared with Subgroup Y.

The eligible groups for protected branch permissions are:

  • Project A: Both Group X and Subgroup Y, because Project A is shared with Subgroup Y.

Share projects with groups for protected branch permissions

You can share the project with a group or subgroup so that their members are eligible for protected branch permissions.

%%{init: { "fontFamily": "GitLab Sans" }}%% graph LR accTitle: Diagram of project sharing for protected branch permissions accDescr: Sharing a project with a group affects whether their members can have protected branch permissions. A[Parent group X] -->|owns| B[Project A] A -->|also contains| C[Subgroup Y] C -.->D{Share Project A<br/>with Subgroup Y?} -.->|yes| E[Members of Subgroup Y<br/>can have protected<br/>branch permissions] D{Share Project A<br/>with Subgroup Y?} -.->|no| F[Members of Subgroup Y<br />cannot have protected<br/>branch permissions] E -.->|Add Subgroup Y<br/> to protected branch settings| I[Subgroup Y members<br/>can merge/push] -.-> B F -.-> |Add Subgroup Y<br/> to protected branch settings| J[Settings will not<br/>take effect] -.-> B

To grant access to Subgroup Y members for Project A, you must share the project with the subgroup. Adding the subgroup directly to the protected branch settings is not effective and isn’t applicable to subgroup members.

note
For a group to have protected branch permissions, the project must be directly shared with the group. Inherited project membership from parent groups is not sufficient for protected branch permissions.

Protect multiple branches with wildcard rules

When using wildcards, multiple rules can apply to a single branch. If more than one rule applies to a branch, the most permissive rule controls how the branch behaves. For merge controls to work properly, set Allowed to push and merge to a broader set of users than Allowed to merge.

Prerequisites:

  • You must have at least the Maintainer role.

To protect multiple branches at the same time:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.

  5. From the Branch dropdown list, type the branch name and a wildcard. Branch names and wildcards are case-sensitive. For example:

    Wildcard protected branch Matching branches
    *-stable production-stable, staging-stable
    production/* production/app-server, production/load-balancer
    *gitlab* gitlab, gitlab/staging, master/gitlab/production
  6. From the Allowed to merge list, select a role that can merge into this branch.
  7. From the Allowed to push and merge list, select a role that can push to this branch. In GitLab Premium or Ultimate, you can also add groups or individual users.
  8. Select Protect.

The protected branch displays in the list of protected branches.

Require everyone to submit merge requests for a protected branch

You can force everyone to submit a merge request, rather than allowing them to check in directly to a protected branch:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. From the Branch dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.
  6. From the Allowed to merge list, select Developers + Maintainers.
  7. From the Allowed to push and merge list, select No one.
  8. Select Protect.

Alternatively, you can create or edit a branch rule. Then:

  1. Select Edit in the Allowed to merge section.
  2. Select Developers and Maintainers.
  3. Select Save changes.

Allow everyone to push directly to a protected branch

You can allow everyone with write access to push to the protected branch.

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. From the Branch dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.
  6. From the Allowed to push and merge list, select Developers + Maintainers.
  7. Select Protect.

Alternatively, you can create or edit a branch rule. Then:

  1. Select Edit in the Allowed to push and merge section.
  2. Select Developers and Maintainers.
  3. Select Save changes.

Allow deploy keys to push to a protected branch

You can push to a protected branch with a deploy key.

Prerequisites:

  • The deploy key must be enabled for your project. A project deploy key is enabled by default when it is created. However, a public deploy key must be granted access to the project.
  • The deploy key must have write access to your project repository.
  • The owner of the deploy key must have at least read access to the project.
  • The owner of the deploy key must also be a member of the project.

To allow a deploy key to push to a protected branch:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. From the Branch dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.
  6. From the Allowed to push and merge list, select the deploy key.
  7. Select Protect.

Deploy keys are not available in the Allowed to merge dropdown list.

Allow force push on a protected branch

You can allow force pushes to protected branches.

To protect a new branch and enable force push:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. From the Branch dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.
  6. From the Allowed to push and merge and Allowed to merge lists, select the settings you want.
  7. To allow all users with push access to force push, turn on the Allowed to force push toggle.
  8. Select Protect.

To enable force pushes on branches that are already protected:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. In the list of protected branches, next to the branch, turn on the Allowed to force push toggle.

Alternatively, you can create or edit a branch rule. Then:

  1. In the list of protected branches, next to the branch, turn on the Allowed to force push toggle.

Members who can push to this branch can now also force push.

When a branch matches multiple rules

When a branch matches multiple rules, the most permissive rule determines the level of protection for the branch. For example, consider these rules, which include wildcards:

Branch name pattern Allow force push
v1.x Yes
v1.* No
v* No

A branch named v1.x matches all three branch name patterns: v1.x, v1.*, and v*. As the most permissive option determines the behavior, the resulting permissions for branch v1.x are:

  • Allow force push: Of the three settings, Yes is most permissive, and controls branch behavior as a result. Even though the branch also matched v1.x and v* (which each have stricter permissions), any user that can push to this branch can also force push.

Require Code Owner approval on a protected branch

Tier: Premium, Ultimate Offering: GitLab.com, Self-managed, GitLab Dedicated

For a protected branch, you can require at least one approval by a Code Owner. If a branch is protected by multiple rules, code owner approval is required if any of the applicable rules have Required approval from code owners enabled.

To protect a new branch and enable Code Owner’s approval:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. From the Branch dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.
  6. From the Allowed to push and merge and Allowed to merge lists, select the settings you want.
  7. Turn on the Require approval from code owners toggle.
  8. Select Protect.

To enable Code Owner’s approval on branches that are already protected:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Settings > Repository.
  3. Expand Protected branches.
  4. Select Add protected branch.
  5. In the list of protected branches, next to the branch, turn on the Code owner approval toggle.

Alternatively, you can create or edit a branch rule. Then, in the list of protected branches, next to the branch, turn on the Code owner approval toggle.

When enabled, all merge requests for these branches require approval by a Code Owner per matched rule before they can be merged. Additionally, direct pushes to the protected branch are denied if a rule is matched.

Any user who is not specified in the CODEOWNERS file cannot push changes for the specified files or paths, unless they are specifically allowed to. You don’t have to restrict developers from pushing directly to the protected branch. Instead, you can restrict pushing to certain files where a review by Code Owners is required.

In GitLab Premium 13.5 and later, users and groups who are allowed to push to protected branches do not need a merge request to merge their feature branches. Thus, they can skip merge request approval rules, Code Owners included.

Run pipelines on protected branches

The permission to merge or push to protected branches defines whether or not a user can run CI/CD pipelines and execute actions on jobs.

Because merge request pipelines run on the source branch, a pipeline isn’t created if the user opening a merge request does not have permission to merge or push to the source branch.

See Security on protected branches for details about the pipelines security model.

Create a new branch with protections

Prerequisites:

To create a new branch with protections:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Code > Branches.
  3. Select New branch.
  4. Fill in the branch name and select an existing branch, tag, or commit to base the new branch on. If you require everyone to submit merge requests for a protected branch, only existing protected branches and commits that are already in protected branches are accepted.

You can also use the Branches API to create a branch with protections.

If branch protection is configured to allow everyone to push directly to a protected branch, a branch with protections can also be created from the command line or a Git client application.

Delete a protected branch

Users with at least the Maintainer role can manually delete protected branches by using the GitLab web interface:

  1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Select Code > Branches.
  3. Next to the branch you want to delete, select Delete ().
  4. On the confirmation dialog, enter the branch name and select Yes, delete protected branch. Branch names are case-sensitive.

Protected branches can only be deleted by using GitLab either from the UI or API. This prevents accidentally deleting a branch through local Git commands or third-party Git clients.

Troubleshooting

Branch names are case-sensitive

Branch names in git are case-sensitive. When configuring your protected branch, or your target branch workflow, dev is not the same DEV or Dev.