Cannot fork a repository

[LLyaudet]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

Body

Hello,
I cannot fork the following repository.
https://github.com/PHPCSStandards/PHP_CodeSniffer
And I haven't seen any message, notification or email saying my account could be flagged.
Hence I'm totally clueless on what makes that I get the error message:
"You can't fork this repository at this time."
Does anyone know what could be the reason for this error, please?
Previously I had fork the repository:
https://github.com/squizlabs/PHP_CodeSniffer
But I did rename the first fork to PHP_CodeSnifferOld.
Hence, there should be no problem linked to that, or so I assumed.

Thanks, best regards,
Laurent Lyaudet

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[syedsafeer]

Hi @LLyaudet,

The issue is likely because renaming a fork doesn't fully break its link to the original repository network. Since you already have a fork from the related squizlabs repository, GitHub still sees an active connection, which is why it won't let you fork the new one.

To fix this, you usually have to delete the old fork (PHP_CodeSnifferOld) entirely from your account (make sure to backup any important code first). Once it's deleted, you should be able to fork the new repository without any errors.

Hope this helps! If it works, please Mark as Answer.

[LLyaudet]

What do you mean when you say "new users"? My account is more than 10 years old. And I already opened some issues on this repository.

[syedsafeer]

Fair point with a 10 year old account and previous contributions, standard interaction limits definitely shouldn't be the issue here. My mistake for assuming otherwise.

This really narrows it down to two possibilities:
The "Star" test: Were you able to star the repository? If GitHub won't even let you star it, it's a strong sign of a manual block by the organization maintainers, which would also prevent forking and opening new issues.
Fork Network Sync: If starring works, then we are likely looking at that backend sync bug I mentioned earlier. Since renaming a fork doesn't actually detach it from the original "graph," GitHub might be stuck thinking you still have an active conflicting object in your account.

Did the "Star" test reveal anything?

[LLyaudet]

The "Star" test doesn't work for me, hence it is probably a manual block by some maintainer. Someone believing that arguments should be one-way, I assume.
Thanks for the help :). All of this was quite a stupid loss of time. GitHub could print on the repository webpage when some maintainer limited your rights for the repository.

[syedsafeer]

"Stupid loss of time" or not, at least the 1 minute "Star" test gave you a definitive answer while you were busy chasing non existent backend bugs for days. GitHub's silence on blocks is definitely annoying, but now you know exactly where you stand with that repo.

Since the "useless" test actually solved the mystery, feel free to Mark as Answer so the next person doesn't have to waste their time arguing about it.

[LLyaudet]

I hope I haven't been rude to you, I didn't say "useless" about the "star test" and hope you didn't feel that way. But I think you admit that the "start test" is quite awkward, although it works :).

[syedsafeer]

No worries! Even for a developer with 10 years of experience, GitHub’s vague errors can be a real headache. Glad this 'star test' provided a quick answer and finally helped you out!

[LLyaudet]

If you want to emphasize that day to day dev experience doesn't help to know all of the subtleties of GitHub UI and UX, you can even say 17 years of experience ;) XD. My first job involving programming after university was in 2009.

[syedsafeer]

Wow, 17 years! That definitely puts things into perspective. It just goes to show that no matter the experience level, GitHub’s UI can catch anyone off guard. Thanks for being such a good sport about it!