The Branch Filter allows you to apply rules only to PRs involving specific branches. This is useful for creating different validation rules for different types of branches, such as having stricter rules for PRs targeting production branches.

​
Configuration

​
type
string
required
Must be set to "branch"
​
base
object
Conditions for the base branch (the branch you’re merging into)
​
base.match
string | string[]
Base branch patterns that should match (supports regex)
​
base.ignore
string | string[]
Base branch patterns that should not match (supports regex)
​
head
object
Conditions for the head branch (the branch with your changes)
​
head.match
string | string[]
Head branch patterns that should match (supports regex)
​
head.ignore
string | string[]
Head branch patterns that should not match (supports regex)

​
Basic Usage

if:
  - type: "branch"
    base:
      match: "main"  # Apply rule only to PRs targeting main branch

​
Examples

​
Production Branches

Apply a rule only to PRs targeting production branches: 
if:
  - type: "branch"
    base:
      match: ["main", "production", "release-.*"]

​
Feature Branches

Apply a rule only to PRs from feature branches: 
if:
  - type: "branch"
    head:
      match: "feature/.*"

​
Exclude WIP Branches

Skip a rule for PRs from work-in-progress branches: 
if:
  - type: "branch"
    head:
      ignore: ["wip/.*", "draft/.*"]

​
Specific Branch Combinations

Apply a rule only to PRs from feature branches to the main branch: 
if:
  - type: "branch"
    base:
      match: "main"
    head:
      match: "feature/.*"

​
Pattern Matching

The Branch Filter supports several pattern matching methods:
  1. Exact match: "main"
  2. Glob patterns: "release-*"
  3. Regular expressions: "/^feature\/.*$/" (enclosed in forward slashes)

​
Practical Example

Different validation rules for different branch types: 
ruleset:
  # Strict rules for production PRs
  - name: "Production PR"
    when:
      - "pull_request.*"
    if:
      - type: "branch"
        base:
          match: "main"
    validate:
      - type: "approvals"
        count:
          min: 2
        require_code_owners: true
      - type: "size"
        files: 20
    on_failure:
      - comment:
          body: "PRs to main require at least 2 approvals including code owners and should be limited in size."

  # Looser rules for development PRs
  - name: "Development PR"
    when:
      - "pull_request.*"
    if:
      - type: "branch"
        base:
          match: "develop"
    validate:
      - type: "approvals"
        count:
          min: 1
    on_failure:
      - comment:
          body: "PRs to develop require at least 1 approval."

​
How It Works

The Branch Filter retrieves the base and head branch names from the GitHub event context and checks if they match the specified patterns. If match is specified, the branch must match at least one of the patterns for the rule to be applied. If ignore is specified, the branch must not match any of the patterns.

​
Best Practices

Use branch naming conventions consistently in your team
Create branch-specific rules that align with your development workflow
Consider branch protection rules alongside Rulesets
Be aware that branch names are case-sensitive in Git/GitHub