github-contribution-workflow-no-fork

name	github-contribution-workflow-no-fork
description	Complete workflow for contributing to GitHub repos when forking is disabled. Handles write access issues, feature branch creation, and PR submission. Trigger keywords: fork disabled, no fork access, can't fork, github pr without fork, contribute to private org, write access denied, feature branch workflow.
license	MIT
metadata	{"version":"1.1.0","hermes":{"tags":["GitHub","Pull-Requests","Branching","Contribution"],"related_skills":[]}}

GitHub Contribution Workflow (No Fork)

For repos where forking is disabled (private orgs, restricted access). Requires read clone + write access for branches (not master).

Workflow

# 1. Clone (gh prefers HTTPS with auth-helper credentials)
gh repo clone owner/repo-name
cd repo-name

# 2. Feature branch — never master directly
git checkout -b feat/your-feature   # or fix/your-issue, refactor/..., docs/..., ci/...

# 3. Make changes
git add <files>
git commit -m "Your commit message"

# 4. Push (works without master write access)
git push -u origin feat/your-feature

# 5. Create PR — derive the default branch, don't assume master
DEFAULT=$(gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef -q .defaultBranchRef.name)
gh pr create --title "Your PR title" --body "PR description" --base "$DEFAULT"

# 6. Amend if needed — force-push ONLY your own feature branch, never a
#    shared/default branch, and only when the user has asked for the amend
#    (force-push doctrine: see git-commit-format-correction)
git add <files>
git commit --amend --no-edit
git push --force-with-lease

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
Write access to repository not granted	No push access to any branch	Request collaborator access from repo owner
Forking is disabled	Org policy	Use this workflow (push to origin instead of fork)
fatal: Authentication failed	gh not authenticated	gh auth login
fatal: could not read Username	HTTPS w/o credential helper	gh repo clone (uses gh auth), or switch to SSH: git remote set-url origin [e-mail]:owner/repo.git

Fork vs No-Fork

Aspect	Fork Workflow	No-Fork Workflow (this skill)
Remote	origin = your fork, upstream = original	origin = original repo
Push target	Your fork	Original repo
PR	Cross-repo	Same-repo
Required access	Read-only	Write for branches