Protected branches are a feature designed to ensure proper code reviews, support continuous integration (CI) processes, and prevent unauthorized force pushes within a repository. A recent update allows repository owners or administrators to enforce these protected settings across multiple branches automatically. This update facilitates the customization of branch protections and enforces workflows that may include requiring multiple pull request reviews or specific status checks before merging a pull request. The new branch protection rules enhance existing functionalities by allowing a set of protections to be shared across branches with matching naming patterns, utilizing fnmatch syntax. This makes it easier to manage protections for branches with similar naming conventions, such as "releases/v?.?" or "[1-9]-[0-9]-stable", thereby streamlining the process of maintaining branch security and workflow integrity.