I need help setting up a GitHub workflow for a team project. We have two developers working together, and I’m the team lead who manages the main repository.
Right now we’re using a fork-based approach where the other developer forks my main repo and sends pull requests. But I’m running into sync issues when I make updates to the main branch and the other developer doesn’t pull those changes into their fork before making new commits.
This creates conflicts when they try to submit pull requests because their code is based on an outdated version of the main branch. What’s the smoothest way to keep everyone’s work in sync? I want to keep things simple since we’re both still learning Git workflows.
Set up a branch protection rule on your main repo that requires PRs to be current before merging. There’s a GitHub setting called “Require branches to be up to date before merging” - it’ll block outdated PRs automatically. When someone tries to merge an old branch, GitHub just shows an “Update branch” button that syncs everything for you. Works great with forks or shared repos, and you won’t have to deal with sync issues anymore since the system handles it instead of relying on your team to remember.
Fork workflows can be effective, but they require discipline in maintaining synchronization with upstream changes. Encourage your developer to add your main repository as an upstream remote. They should regularly fetch updates from the upstream and rebase or merge those changes into their fork’s main branch before creating new feature branches. This practice can help eliminate the outdated base issue. Additionally, it’s beneficial for team members to never work directly on the main branch of their fork. Always creating feature branches from a freshly updated main reduces the complexity of merging and handling conflicts.
hey, maybe try a shared repo instead of forks? it’s less hassle for small teams. just give the other dev access, they can work on feature branches and submit PRs. way easier than dealing with those sync issues you’re facing.