Rules
Rules answers: what is required and with what effect? The screen shows the rules of the repository Govlin detected; it never asks which one.
The title says which groups block or warn in the repository, that none is checked, or that it has no saved rules. The status line shows the level, where the rules come from (managed in Govlin, a file in the repository, or both) and, when there is a file, whether it agrees with Govlin.
Five groups, one effect each
| Group | Rules |
|---|---|
| Branches | Protected branches (exact names), allowed branch names, refuse force push |
| Commits | Conventional messages, signed commits, maximum files per commit, forbidden files |
| Pull requests | Pull request required, minimum approvals (shown only when required) |
| Traceability | Every change cites a ticket |
| Quality | The quality gate is green, and the active exception, if any |
Each group has one effect:
| Effect | What happens |
|---|---|
| Not checked | The group is not evaluated |
| Warn | The push goes through with a warning |
| Block | The push is refused |
Levels
A level sets the effect of every group at once. It changes the effects, never the rules.
| Level | Effect of every group |
|---|---|
| Observe only | Not checked. Govlin still gathers evidence. |
| Moderate | Warn |
| Strict | Block |
When groups have different effects, the level reads as Custom. Rules is the only place where the level changes; Setup shows it read-only, with a link here.
Advanced
- Groups and administrators: named teams with their members, the branches they may push to and the paths they may change, and the users with administrative access. The pre-push checklist lives here too.
- History: who changed the rules, when, whether they were created or changed, and the version.
Who can change them
Every role reads the rules of its repository. Only an administrator changes them.
The gitgov.toml file
A repository can also carry its rules in a gitgov.toml file at its root (the file keeps the product's historical name). Rules shows whether the file and Govlin agree.
# gitgov.toml at the repository root
[branches]
patterns = ["feat/*", "fix/*", "hotfix/*", "release/*"]
protected = ["main", "release/*"]
[groups.backend]
members = ["alice", "carlos"]
allowed_branches = ["feat/*", "fix/*", "hotfix/*"]
allowed_paths = ["server/", "migrations/"]
admins = ["tech-lead"]
[rules]
require_pull_request = true
min_approvals = 1
require_conventional_commits = true
Rolling out
- Observe only: Govlin gathers evidence and blocks nothing. Use the Action Center and Evidence to see what would fail.
- Moderate: every group warns, so people learn the rules before they bite.
- Strict, or custom: block the groups that matter most, such as Branches and Traceability, and keep the rest on Warn.
Release approvals are configured separately, in Settings → Setup → Release approval policy, and default to Record only, which keeps the evidence and never blocks a release.