How to Fix Required Checks Not Running on the Merge Group

A required check that is skipped on the merge group (by a path filter or if condition) never reports success, so the queue cannot merge.

GitHub treats a skipped required check as not passing on the merge group. Add a lightweight always-run placeholder job with the required name so the queue always gets a success.

Steps

• Find the required check that is being skipped on the merge group.
• Add a placeholder job that always runs and reports the required name.
• Point branch protection at the placeholder if the real check is optional there.

Always-run placeholder

on:
  merge_group:
  pull_request:
jobs:
  test:
    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: npm test
  test-gate:
    # Required name; always reports success on the merge group
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "gate ok"

Gotchas

• Requiring the real path-filtered check directly means a docs-only merge group never satisfies it.
• Keep the placeholder cheap; it exists only to report a status, not to run the suite twice.

Related guides