GitLab "You Are Not Allowed to Push Code to Protected Branches"

How to fix it

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

1. 1. Push to a feature branch instead

   Copy steps
   1. git switch -c my-change
   2. git push -u origin my-change
   3. Open a merge request into the protected branch.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Move commits you made on main by mistake

   Copy steps
   1. git branch my-change to keep the commits.
   2. git reset --hard origin/main on main.
   3. Push my-change and open a merge request.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Change the protection rule (Maintainer)

   Copy steps
   1. Go to Settings > Repository > Protected branches.
   2. Under "Allowed to push and merge" add the role or user, or enable "Allowed to force push" if needed.
   3. Prefer fixing the workflow over unprotecting main.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Check push rules

   Copy steps
   1. Settings > Repository > Push rules (Premium) can block commit messages, file names or unsigned commits.
   2. Read the full remote: message for the specific rule.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

git push fails with "remote: GitLab: You are not allowed to push code to protected branches on this project" or "pre-receive hook declined" (HTTP 403).

Why it happens

• Default branch is protected and only Maintainers can push
• Force push not allowed on the protected branch
• Your role is Developer/Reporter below the required level
• Push rules or required status block the commit

This guide also covers

• gitlab you are not allowed to push code to protected branches
• gitlab pre-receive hook declined
• gitlab 403 push
• gitlab force push protected branch

Other GitLab errors

• GitLab Permission Denied (publickey) Error
• GitLab Pipeline Stuck on Pending
• GitLab Runner Not Picking Up Jobs
• GitLab "HTTP Basic: Access Denied" on Push or Clone
• How to Resolve GitLab Merge Conflicts
• GitLab "No More Compute Minutes" or CI Minutes Quota Exceeded
• GitLab Pipeline Not Running or "yaml invalid"
• Why Is GitLab So Slow?