Fix · GitHub and Git

Protected branch: I cannot push to main

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

The push is declined because the branch is protected
It says changes must be made through a pull request

Most likely cause

The repository has a rule that stops direct pushes to main; changes must arrive through a pull request.

Check first (about two minutes)

Read the message: does it ask for a pull request, a review or checks?

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Git and GitHub very well and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
Protected branch: I cannot push to main

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The repository has a rule that stops direct pushes to main; changes must arrive through a pull request.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Create a branch from my work (git switch -c my-change), push that branch, and open a pull request.
2. Tell me how to open the pull request on GitHub and what to write.
3. Do not look for a way around the rule.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- My branch is on GitHub and a pull request shows the checks running.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not disable branch protection.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Create a branch from my work (git switch -c my-change), push that branch, and open a pull request.
Tell me how to open the pull request on GitHub and what to write.
Do not look for a way around the rule.

Do not do this

Do not ask an admin to remove the rule for a one-off change.
Do not disable branch protection.

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