Create a branch in GitHub based on user permissions

This page describes the user permission checks and authentication process for creating branches when using the GitHub for Atlassian app.

Use this security setting to determine how user permissions are validated when a user attempts to create a branch from within Atlassian products. It ensures that a user’s repository access aligns with GitHub's native permissions.

The list of repositories displayed during branch creation will dynamically filter based on the authenticated GitHub account.

This setting is enabled by default to ensure secure access to repositories.

Manage user permission checks

Use this setting to mirror GitHub’s native repository permissions when users create branches from Jira.

To limit branch creation by user permissions:

1. In Jira, select Apps, then Manage apps.

2. Find GitHub for Atlassian.

3. Select the Settings tab.

4. Find Enable user permissions check in Create Branch.

5. Turn the setting on/off to enable/disable user permission checks.

Once applied, when a user selects Create branch they will only see repositories they have Write or Admin permissions for in GitHub.

Authentication and OAuth process

When the user permissions check is enabled, selecting Create branch triggers an authentication flow to retrieve or validate the user's GitHub token. This process happens in a new browser tab through an OAuth "dance”.

Active or valid sessions
If you're already logged into GitHub and have a valid session, a new tab opens briefly to complete the OAuth handshake. The app retrieves the necessary tokens automatically, and the tab closes once the connection is confirmed.

Expired or missing sessions
If you are not logged into GitHub, or if your previous login token has expired or become invalid, a new tab opens and prompts you to sign in to GitHub.