This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of configure processes and communications. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 uses GitHub for source control and GitHub Actions for CI/CD. You need to implement a branching strategy where every commit to the main branch triggers a build and deployment to a staging environment, but only after a successful pull request review. Which GitHub Actions trigger should you use?
pull_request_target with branches: [main] and types: [closed]
This trigger fires when a PR is closed (merged) into main, ensuring review was completed.
push with branches: [main]
Why wrong: Triggers on every push to main, bypassing PR review.
pull_request with branches: [main]
Why wrong: This triggers on PR creation, not merge.
workflow_dispatch
Why wrong: Manual trigger only.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
pull_request_target with branches: [main] and types: [closed]
Option A is correct because the `pull_request_target` trigger with `types: [closed]` and `branches: [main]` ensures the workflow runs only after a pull request targeting the main branch is closed (merged). This satisfies the requirement of deploying to staging only after a successful pull request review and merge, not on every push. The `pull_request_target` event runs in the context of the base repository, providing access to secrets, which is appropriate for deployment workflows.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
pull_request_target with branches: [main] and types: [closed]
Why this is correct
This trigger fires when a PR is closed (merged) into main, ensuring review was completed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
push with branches: [main]
Why it's wrong here
Triggers on every push to main, bypassing PR review.
pull_request with branches: [main]
Why it's wrong here
This triggers on PR creation, not merge.
workflow_dispatch
Why it's wrong here
Manual trigger only.
Common exam traps
The trap here is confusing `pull_request` (which triggers on PR events like opened or synchronized) with `pull_request_target` (which triggers on PR events but runs in the base repo context), and forgetting that `types: [closed]` is needed to run after merge, not during the PR lifecycle.
Detailed technical explanation
The `pull_request_target` event differs from `pull_request` in that it runs in the context of the base repository (not the merge commit), which allows secure access to repository secrets—critical for deployment steps. The `types: [closed]` filter ensures the workflow only triggers when the PR is closed, typically after merging, and you can further check `github.event.pull_request.merged == true` to confirm it was merged. This pattern is commonly used for post-merge deployments while avoiding security risks from forked PRs.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Configure processes and communications — This question tests Configure processes and communications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: pull_request_target with branches: [main] and types: [closed] — Option A is correct because the `pull_request_target` trigger with `types: [closed]` and `branches: [main]` ensures the workflow runs only after a pull request targeting the main branch is closed (merged). This satisfies the requirement of deploying to staging only after a successful pull request review and merge, not on every push. The `pull_request_target` event runs in the context of the base repository, providing access to secrets, which is appropriate for deployment workflows.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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