Enhancing Branch Protection Rule Clarity and Conflict Management
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Proposal
The issue involves the branch protection rules in GitLab. When you remove the protection from a specific branch (e.g., acme-production/release/1.19.1), you're presented with a warning that implies the branch will become writable for developers. However, this is misleading because the branch is still subject to broader protection rules defined for a pattern (like acme-production/release/*). These broader rules can override the specific branch's settings, potentially keeping the branch unwritable even after you've removed its specific protection.
This can lead to misleading messages and access control issues, as the broader rules might restrict access contrary to the intention of unprotecting the specific branch.
Solution Considerations:
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Improved Warning Messages: Modify the system to provide accurate warning messages that reflect the true access control status after changes. This involves the system considering not just the specific branch's rules but also any broader pattern-based rules that might apply.
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Enhanced Rule Management Interface: Develop a more intuitive user interface that clearly shows the hierarchy and interaction between specific branch protection rules and broader pattern-based rules. This would help users understand at a glance how their changes to one set of rules might be influenced or overridden by another.