# Postmortem: Removing Misleading Merge Requests for Remote Tracking Branches on GitHub
**Summary**
A developer encountered persistent merge request prompts on a GitHub fork despite changes already being integrated via regular pull requests. Locally, `git status` showed the branch was ahead of `upstream/main` by 3 commits. The workflow issue centers around unpropagated upstream changes creating branch synchronization mismatches.
**Root Cause**
- Direct pushes to the fork without reconciling upstream changes caused branch divergence
- GitHub detected commits in the fork absent from `upstream/main`, triggering merge suggestions
- Confusion between `origin` (developer's fork) and `upstream` (original repository) configurations
**Why This Happens in Real Systems**
- Junior developers making direct commits/merges without syncing upstream first
- Fork-based workflows suffering from stale branch references
- Poor enforcement of branch synchronization patterns in teams
- Misunderstanding between local/remote branch tracking relationships
- Git's decentralized nature allowing divergence until manual reconciliation
**Real-World Impact**
- Unactionable notifications clutter GitHub interfaces
- Confusion between "push divergence" vs. "legitimate merge needs"
- Increased cognitive load filtering irrelevant merge suggestions
- Risk of accidental merges creating duplicate commits
- Repository history pollution with unintended branches/links
**Example** or Code
```bash
# Symptomatic local state:
$ git status
On branch main
Your branch is ahead of 'upstream/main' by 3 commits.
(use "git push" to publish your local commits)
# Verification of mismatched branch history:
$ git log --graph --oneline origin/main..upstream/main
* 582ac4d (upstream/main) Feature PR #50
* 9b3f221 Hotfix PR #49
How Senior Engineers Fix It
- Synchronize fork with upstream explicitly:
git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git reset --hard upstream/main
- Force-update fork to overcome GH discrepancies:
git push origin main --force-with-lease
- Verify propagation via GitHub API/Settings
- Implement branch protection against direct pushes
- Configure automated fork syncing via Github Actions
- Use
git branch -u upstream/main to fix tracking
Why Juniors Miss It
- Misinterpret “ahead by X commits” as legitimate divergence
- Assume GitHub syncs forks automatically
- Confusion between
origin vs upstream remotes
- Unfamiliar with
--force implications
- Overlook
git fetch upstream step after PR merges
- Prefer GUI tools that hide remote tracking details
