branches-ignore doesn't work; following official examples

[ton77v]

Select Topic Area

Bug

Body

The goal is to exclude the workflow execution on specific branches.

Trying to follow examples, for instance this one like so:

name: CI Flow

on:
  pull_request:
    # https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions#example-excluding-branches
    branches-ignore:
      - 'mona/octocat'
      - 'releases/**-alpha'

jobs:
  set_up:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Repo Content
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Hello World
        run: echo "Hello World from $(echo ${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/})"

source

The workflow is triggered as expected when you create a PR for any branch for instance "new_branch"

• but when I create branches with names matching the -ignore the workflow is also triggered for both of them

I've tried with and without wildcards and other syntax from the docs, but nothing works. Seems like a bug?

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[michaelowolf]

Possibly answered by https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/26795#discussioncomment-3253430.

https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-when-your-workflow-runs/events-that-trigger-workflows#running-your-pull_request-workflow-based-on-the-head-or-base-branch-of-a-pull-request suggests a way to filter based on the head branch name.

The summary being: the branches and branches-ignore filters apply to the base ("target") branch - there is no equivalent for the head ("source") branch, but you can imlpement an explicit if clause for the job to try to get a similar result.