Which GitHub branch protection setting prevents repository administrators from bypassing required status checks?

Branch protection rules in GitHub have an important option: 'Do not allow bypassing the above settings' (also called 'Include administrators' or 'Enforce for administrators'). When this setting is enabled, repository administrators and organization owners CANNOT bypass the configured branch protection requirements — they must follow the same rules as all other contributors. Without this setting, administrators can merge PRs that fail required checks, skip required reviews, or push directly to protected branches. Enabling this creates truly enforced controls that apply universally. This is critical for compliance environments where policies must be enforced without exceptions, even for privileged users. Repository rulesets have a similar concept through the bypass list — if no bypass actors are defined for admins, admins are also subject to the rules.