How can I remove default Admin access for repository creators?

[tumm0283]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

Body

Hi,

I have a question about GH organization permissions.
when a user creates a repository in our organization, they automatically receive Admin access to that repository. Is there a way to change this behavior so the repository creator receives Write access instead of Admin by default?

our organization base permission is set to Write.

Has anyone found a way to configure this? or is this behavior not configurable?

Thank you

[Mehrab-Javadzadeh]

I don't think you can change this behavior. The organization's base permissions cover existing repositories, but whoever makes a new one usually gets Admin access automatically. I don't see any setting to make the creator's permission Write by default.
If you need creators to only have Write access, you'll probably have to change it by hand after they create the repository, or handle it using teams and repository settings.

Maybe someone from GitHub can confirm if this has changed or if there's a new feature for this.

[prashantkoirala465]

I believe this behavior is expected in GitHub Organizations.

Repository creators are automatically given admin permissions because GitHub assumes that someone who creates a repository needs the ability to manage settings, access, and permissions for that repository.

The base permission setting only controls the default access level for other organization members. It doesn't override the creator's ownership-level permissions.

If you want tighter control, a few options are:

• Restrict repository creation to organization owners or a smaller group.
• Use a repository creation workflow where a team creates repositories through a template or automation.
• Use GitHub Enterprise policies if your organization has access to those controls.

Another approach is to have an automation process that removes admin permissions after repository creation and assigns the correct team permissions, although that adds some maintenance overhead.

I don't think there is currently a simple setting that changes "repository creator = Admin" to "repository creator = Write" while still allowing general repository creation.

It would be useful if GitHub provided more granular controls here, especially for larger organizations where repository ownership and permission management need to be separated.

[augustdev290]

Hi,

By default, the person who creates a repository in a GitHub organization becomes the repository owner/admin because they are responsible for managing the repository settings and permissions.

The organization’s base permission setting (such as Write) only applies to members who do not already have a higher level of access. It does not override the automatic admin permission given to the repository creator.

At the moment, there is no organization setting that changes the default behavior so that repository creators receive only Write access instead of Admin access.

If you need tighter control over repository permissions, you may want to consider limiting who can create repositories in the organization and using teams with specific permissions to manage access.

Hope this helps!