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[Bug]: Forgejo/Gitea merge fails for repo admins on approval-protected branches (missing force_merge) #18755
Description
Before submitting
- I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate.
- I included enough detail to reproduce or investigate the problem.
Area
apps/server
Steps to reproduce
- Use a Gitea or Forgejo repo whose branch protection on the target branch requires at least one approval.
- Open a PR into that branch as a repo admin, with no approvals yet.
- In the T3 pull request panel, click Merge.
Expected behavior
The merge goes through, like the Gitea web UI. There the admin sees a normal merge button plus the notice "As an administrator, you may still merge this pull request", and the merge succeeds.
Actual behavior
Could not merge this pull request
Forgejo API request failed (HTTP 405): {"message":"Does not have enough approvals", ...}
Impact
Major degradation or frequent failure
Version or commit
0.0.46-nightly.20261012.3021
Environment
Linux, desktop app, Forgejo provider against a Gitea server
Cause
The merge action posts only the merge method:
POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{index}/merge
{ "Do": "<merge method>" }
Gitea and Forgejo enforce branch protection on admins too. An admin bypasses it only when the request sets force_merge: true. force_merge appears nowhere in the build I checked.
The GitHub provider is not affected: it uses the GraphQL mergePullRequest mutation, which has no override field, and GitHub decides admin bypass from the protection rule or ruleset.
Suggested fix
Keep the merge button as it is, with no second button or extra menu entry:
- When the viewer is a repo admin and the PR is blocked by protection (missing approvals, failing required checks), send
force_merge: truewith the merge request. - Show a short notice in the panel, "As an administrator, you may still merge this pull request", so the override is visible before the click.
Admin status can come from permissions.admin on GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}. If the rule has "block admin merge override" enabled, Gitea rejects force_merge; show the server's error as-is. force_merge is part of the public merge API on both Gitea and Forgejo, so one change covers both. I read the cause from the installed build and have not read Gitea's source; that the web UI sends the flag automatically for admins is inferred from its behavior.
Workaround
Merge from the Gitea web UI, which applies the admin override.
Activity
juliusmarminge commentedon Oct 12, 2026
Note
Grok responding on behalf of Julius.
Thanks for the detailed report. This isn't a bug: the merge is behaving as designed.
packages/source-control-forgejo/src/server/ForgejoPullRequestProvider.ts(runAction→case "merge"). It POSTs{ Do: mergeMethod }to/pulls/{index}/mergewith no override. Merge permission is based only onrepo.permissions.push(permissions()). Nothing readspermissions.admin, and the panel has no concept of overriding branch protection.Having T3 send
force_merge: truesilently for admins would add a new capability: bypassing protection from the app. That's the same kind of request as the GitHub admin-bypass idea in #17771 (see also #13065). It's a product decision, so it belongs in Ideas rather than the bug tracker. Feel free to open one there, or add your Forgejo/Gitea use case to #17771.Workaround: merge from the Forgejo/Gitea web UI, which applies the admin override.
Closing as not planned for the tracker.