GitHub Push Blocked: Repository Rule Violations (GH013 / Secret Detected)

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Read which commit and file contains the secret

   Copy steps
   1. The error output lists the secret type, commit SHA and path
   2. If the secret was real, revoke or rotate it first
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Remove it from the latest commit

   Copy steps
   1. Delete the secret from the file and move it to an environment variable
   2. git add the file and run git commit --amend
   3. git push
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Remove it from older unpushed commits

   Copy steps
   1. Run git rebase -i origin/main~N or git reset --soft to the last clean commit
   2. Recommit without the secret and push
   3. For secrets deep in history use git filter-repo
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Bypass only for false positives or test values

   Copy steps
   1. Open the URL printed in the push error
   2. Choose the reason (false positive, used in tests, will fix later) and push again
   3. Bypass requests can alert admins and may need approval on some organizations
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

git push fails with 'GH013: Repository rule violations found' and 'Push cannot contain secrets', listing the file, line and commit.

Why it happens

• A token, API key or credential is in one of the commits being pushed
• The secret was committed earlier, so deleting it in a new commit still leaves it in history
• A test value or false positive matches a secret pattern
• An organization ruleset blocks the push for other reasons (the message lists the rule)

This guide also covers

• gh013 repository rule violations found
• github push protection blocked push secret
• push cannot contain secrets github
• github remove secret from commit history

Other GitHub errors

• GitHub Permission Denied (publickey) Error
• GitHub 'Password Authentication Was Removed' Error
• GitHub Push Rejected: Updates Were Rejected (Non-Fast-Forward)
• GitHub Push Rejected: File Exceeds 100 MB Limit
• GitHub 'Permission Denied' or 403 When Pushing Over HTTPS
• GitHub Locked Out: Lost 2FA Device or Recovery Codes
• GitHub Actions Workflow Stuck in Queued / Waiting for a Runner
• GitHub Actions: 'Recent Account Payments Have Failed or Spending Limit Needs to Be Increased'