semantic-release "EINVALIDBRANCH" branch not configured in CI

semantic-release only releases from branches listed in its branches configuration. When it runs on a branch not in that list, it logs that the branch is not configured and exits without releasing. This is expected behavior, not a crash, but often surprising in CI.

What this error means

The log says "This test run was triggered on the branch X, while semantic-release is configured to only publish from ..." and no release happens.

semantic-release

[semantic-release] This test run was triggered on the branch develop, while semantic-release is
configured to only publish from main, next.
Cannot find a valid semantic-release configuration for branch develop.

Common causes

The workflow triggers on a non-release branch

CI ran on develop or a feature branch that is not part of the branches list, so semantic-release correctly declines to release.

The branches config omits the intended branch

You release from master but the config lists only main, so the real branch is treated as non-release.

How to fix it

Add the branch to the branches config

List every branch semantic-release should release from.
Include prerelease branches (next, beta) if you use them.
Re-run so the current branch matches a configured entry.

.releaserc

{
  "branches": ["main", "next", { "name": "beta", "prerelease": true }]
}

Restrict the workflow trigger to release branches

Only run the release job on branches you actually release from.

.github/workflows/release.yml

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

How to prevent it

Keep the workflow trigger branches aligned with the branches config.
List all release and prerelease branches explicitly.
Use the default main naming or add your real default branch name.