Feature Request: Allow customizing project settings when creating a project from a template

Summary:

Currently, when a project is created from a custom project template, GitLab performs an export/import operation which copies not only the code but also the repository settings — including protected branches, merge request rules, and other configurations — from the template. This is helpful in some cases but limiting in others.

Users don't have the ability to customize repository settings (like branch protection rules) at the time of project creation. This makes it difficult to:

• Use secure templates for governance (with protected branches)
• But allow new projects to start in a more flexible state (e.g., unprotected default branches)

This forces users to manually adjust every new project after creation (inefficient).

Proposal:

Add support for customizing repository settings when creating a project from a template. Specifically:

Show an optional section or modal during project creation allowing the user to override certain inherited settings such as:Protected branches, Merge request settings

For example, a secure template might include protected branches to prevent tampering. But teams creating sandbox or development projects from this template may want to override that protection during creation without affecting the template or requiring manual updates post-creation.

This improves flexibility, encourages reuse of secure templates, and reduces manual post-creation work.