merging is blocked: 1 of 1 required status checks failed

TL;DR

Open the failing check, fix the underlying failure the logs point to, and re-run the check - the merge block lifts on its own when the check goes green. Don't touch branch protection; the block is enforcement, the red check is the problem.

The error

merging is blocked: 1 of 1 required status checks failed

Steps to fix

1. In the PR's Checks tab, click the failing required check to open its logs.

   • Expected: the log shows the concrete failure - a test, lint, or build error.

2. Fix the code, test, or config issue the logs point to - not the branch protection rule.

   • Expected: you can describe the root cause in one sentence.

3. Re-run the failed check (the re-run button on the check run, or push a fix commit).

   • Expected: the check run starts fresh.

4. Wait for green.

   • Expected: the check passes and the merge block clears automatically.

Use this when

• The merge box says a required status check failed.
• Exactly one (or a few) required checks are red while the rest pass.
• The check failed for a real reason you can see in the logs.

Not for this skill when

• The check is stuck "expected" and never runs (the workflow may have been renamed - update the required-check name in branch protection).
• The blocker is required reviews rather than checks.
• You want the check to stop being required (that's a settings change, not a fix).

Variant phrasings

• merging is blocked required status checks failed
• PR blocked 1 of 1 required checks failing
• required check failed cannot merge github
• status check failure blocks merge

Why it happens

Required status checks are branch-protection rules that say "this CI job must be green before merge." The merge block is just the enforcement of that rule; the job failure is the thing to fix. Teams chase the merge box, but the merge box is only reporting what the check already decided.

Edge cases

• Flaky checks: re-run before investigating - a green re-run means the code was fine.
• Checks that never report on fork PRs because the workflow lacks token permissions: the PR sits at "expected" forever.
• A renamed workflow leaves the old check name required but unrunnable - update branch protection to the new name.
• Required checks on a PR whose head is behind the base may be stale; update the branch and let them re-run.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_pVUdqXoVGQrgr6FvlSqwDw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_pVUdqXoVGQrgr6FvlSqwDw

Thread query: merging is blocked: 1 of 1 required status checks failed

TL;DR: Open the failing check, fix the underlying failure the logs point to, and re-run the check - the merge block lifts on its own when the check goes green. Don't touch branch protection; the block is enforcement, the red check is the problem.