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Create a GitHub Repository

Any developer added to the HMCTS GitHub organisation can create a new GitHub repository.

If you do not have access, follow GitHub onboarding.

  1. Naming convention for repository is {product}-{component}. For product-level (shared) infrastructure, the name should be {product}-shared-infrastructure. More info
  2. If you are creating a NodeJS front end or Java backend component, you may want to use a template. These templates provide the boilerplate code needed for a new app.
  3. Repositories should be public. See GOV.UK guidance.

  4. Do not add collaborators from outside the organisation. Access must be managed with GitHub teams, not individual users.

    Note: Remove the user-level admin access you received when creating the repository after you have added your team admins with the admin role.

  5. Find or create your GitHub team in Github. Give your team members the following access to the repository.

    GitHub team Role
    <team-name> write
    <team-name>-admins admin

  6. Add a branch protection rule for the master branch with the recommended settings below. This is in https://github.com/[REPO]/settings/branches, then clicking “Add rule” beside Branch protection rules.

    • Enable Require a pull request before merging and Require approvals (minimum 1)
    • Choose which status checks need to be mandatory for merging PRs. The standard Jenkins check is continuous-integration/jenkins/pr-merge (this can be done only after Jenkins checks have run once)
    • We recommend enabling Do not allow bypassing the above settings.
This page was last reviewed on 29 July 2026. It needs to be reviewed again on 29 January 2027 by the page owner platops-build-notices .