- A
Add an environment protection rule requiring approval from specific reviewers.
Why wrong: Environment protection rules are for deployment environments, not branch merges.
- B
Set the workflow to have 'contents: write' permission.
Why wrong: Workflow permissions control capabilities, not merge requirements.
- C
Define a CODEOWNERS file that requires team review for main branch changes.
Why wrong: CODEOWNERS requires reviews, not status checks.
- D
Create a branch protection rule for the main branch with required status checks.
Branch protection rules enforce required checks before merging.
Question 803 of 928
GitHub Branch Protection Required Status Checks
This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement build and release pipelines. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your organization is adopting GitHub Actions for CI/CD. You need to enforce that all workflows must pass required status checks before merging pull requests to the main branch. The repository is in an organization. What should you configure?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a branch protection rule for the main branch with required status checks.
Option D is correct because branch protection rules in GitHub allow you to enforce required status checks on pull requests before merging. By configuring a branch protection rule for the main branch, you can specify that certain GitHub Actions workflow runs must pass (e.g., CI checks) before a pull request can be merged. This directly enforces the policy that all workflows must pass required status checks.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add an environment protection rule requiring approval from specific reviewers.
Why it's wrong here
Environment protection rules are for deployment environments, not branch merges.
- ✗
Set the workflow to have 'contents: write' permission.
Why it's wrong here
Workflow permissions control capabilities, not merge requirements.
- ✗
Define a CODEOWNERS file that requires team review for main branch changes.
Why it's wrong here
CODEOWNERS requires reviews, not status checks.
- ✓
Create a branch protection rule for the main branch with required status checks.
Why this is correct
Branch protection rules enforce required checks before merging.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing branch protection rules (which enforce merge requirements) with environment protection rules (which control deployment approvals) or CODEOWNERS (which mandate file-level reviews), leading candidates to pick options that address review or permissions rather than status checks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Branch protection rules are enforced at the Git level via the GitHub API, preventing pushes or merges that violate the rules. Required status checks are tied to commit statuses reported by GitHub Actions or other CI systems; the merge button is disabled until all required checks pass. In a real-world scenario, you might combine this with required pull request reviews to enforce both code review and CI success before merging.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-400 question test?
Design and implement build and release pipelines — This question tests Design and implement build and release pipelines — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a branch protection rule for the main branch with required status checks. — Option D is correct because branch protection rules in GitHub allow you to enforce required status checks on pull requests before merging. By configuring a branch protection rule for the main branch, you can specify that certain GitHub Actions workflow runs must pass (e.g., CI checks) before a pull request can be merged. This directly enforces the policy that all workflows must pass required status checks.
What should I do if I get this AZ-400 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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