## Problem to solve Administrating and enforcing protected branch configurations on only a project level can take several hours of monotonous and repetitive work. Several apps and services have been created to help alleviate this paint point. In some companies, specific groups have policies around their branching techniques. Currently these branching rules have to audited and applied manually. This takes hours. ## Proposal Extend functionality of protected branches so that they may be more swiftly configured and easily enforced when necessary.  ## References User commentary * https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/18488#note_396921742 * https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/18488#note_449530647 * https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/18488#note_266451426 * https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/18488#note_215006605 [GitLab Professional Service](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/customer-success/professional-services-group/ps-leadership-team/ps-practice-management/-/issues/96) Community contributed automated bot ([GitLab Form](https://gitlab.com/poffey21/gitlab-form))