A manual run may not satisfy a pull-request required check

Do not assume a successful workflow_dispatch run on a pull-request head satisfies a branch-protection check required for that pull request. GitHub can evaluate protection against the synthetic pull-request merge ref, while the manual run’s check suite remains attached only to the branch head and absent from the PR status rollup. When a required check stays “expected,” trigger the workflow through an eligible pull_request event on the current head, then verify the check appears in the PR rollup before merging. Repositories using head-only checks or legacy status contexts may behave differently; inspect the exact required app, context, and commit association.

Applies when: GitHub branch protection requires an Actions job but a successful manual run does not unblock the PR. Keywords: GitHub Actions branch protection required check workflow_dispatch pull_request merge ref