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If you have code in a GitHub repository, you might want to connect it to an Upsun project. This means you can keep your GitHub workflows and treat the GitHub repository as the source of truth for your code. Your Upsun project becomes a mirror of your GitHub repository. This means you shouldn’t push code directly to Upsun. Any changes you push directly get overwritten by the integration when changes happen in the GitHub repository. When you set up an integration with GitHub, it automates the following processes for you:
  • Creating a new environment when a branch is created or a pull request is opened.
  • Rebuilding the environment when new code is pushed to GitHub.
  • Deleting the environment when a pull request is merged.

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Before you begin

To manage source integrations, you need to be a project admin. You also need a GitHub repository with working code.

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1. Generate a token

To integrate your Upsun project with an existing GitHub repository, you need to generate a new token. You can generate a classic personal access token, or a fine-grained personal access token for even greater control over the permissions you grant. For the integration to work, your GitHub user needs to have permission to push code to the repository. When you set up or update an integration, it also needs permission to manage its webhooks. This means your user needs to be a repository admin to create the integration. You can remove this permission after setup. Make sure you give your token a description. If you’re generating a classic personal access token, ensure the token has the appropriate scopes based on what you want to do:
ScopePurpose
admin:repo_hookTo create webhooks for events in repositories. Always needed.
public_repoTo integrate with public repositories.
repoTo integrate with your private repositories.
repo and read:orgTo integrate with private repositories in organizations you belong to.
If you’re generating a fine-grained personal access token, ensure the token has the right repository permissions for the integration to work:
PermissionAccess level
Commit statusesRead and write
ContentsRead and write
MetadataRead-only
Pull requestRead and write
WebhooksRead and write
After you’ve set the needed scopes or permissions, generate and copy your token.

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2. Enable the integration

To enable the integration, use either the CLI or the Console.
Run the following command:
upsun integration:add \
  --project <PROJECT_ID> \
  --type github \
  --repository <OWNER/REPOSITORY>" /> \
  --token <GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN> \
  --base-url <GITHUB_URL>
  • PROJECT_ID is the ID of your Upsun project.
  • OWNER/REPOSITORY is the name of your repository in GitHub.
  • GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN is the token you generated.
  • GITHUB_URL is the base URL for your GitHub server if you self-host. If you use the public https://github.com, omit the --base-url flag when running the command.
For example, if your repository is located at https://github.com/platformsh/platformsh-docs, the command is similar to the following:
upsun integration:add \
  --project abcdefgh1234567 \
  --type github \
  --repository platformsh/platformsh-docs \
  --token abc123
In both the CLI and Console, you can choose from the following options:
CLI flagDefaultDescription
fetch-branchestrueWhether to mirror and update branches on Upsun and create inactive environments from them. When enabled, merging on an Upsun environment isn’t possible. That is, merging environments must be done on the source repository rather than on the Upsun project. See note below for details related to this flag and synchronizing code from a parent environment.
prune-branchestrueWhether to delete branches from Upsun that don’t exist in the GitHub repository. When enabled, branching (creating environments) must be done on the source repository rather than on the Upsun project. Branches created on Upsun that are not on the source repository will not persist and will be quickly pruned. Automatically disabled when fetching branches is disabled.
build-pull-requeststrueWhether to track all pull requests and create active environments from them, which builds the pull request.
build-draft-pull-requeststrueWhether to also track and build draft pull requests. Automatically disabled when pull requests aren’t built.
pull-requests-clone-parent-datatrueWhether to clone data from the parent environment when creating a pull request environment.
build-pull-requests-post-mergefalseWhether to build what would be the result of merging each pull request. Turning it on forces rebuilds any time something is merged to the target branch.
resources-initfalseTo specify a resource initialization strategy for new containers. Once set, the strategy applies to all the deployments you launch through your source integration. See more information on available resource initialization strategies.
To keep your repository clean and avoid performance issues, make sure you enable both the fetch-branches and prune-branches options.

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3. Validate the integration

Verify that your integration is functioning properly using the CLI: 
upsun integration:validate

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Add the webhook manually

If the integration was added with the correct permissions, the necessary webhook is added automatically. If you see a message that the webhook wasn’t added, add one manually. To configure a webhook on a GitHub repository, you need to have Admin user permissions.
  1. Get the webhook URL by running this command: upsun integration:get --property hook_url.
  2. Copy the returned URL.
  3. In your GitHub repository, click Settings > Webhooks > Add webhook.
  4. In the Payload URL field, paste the URL you copied.
  5. For the content type, select application/json.
  6. Select Send me everything.
  7. Click Add webhook.
You can now start pushing code, creating new branches, and opening pull requests directly in your GitHub repository. Your Upsun environments are automatically created and updated.

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Environment parent and status

When a branch is created in GitHub, an environment is created in Upsun with the default branch as its parent. It starts as an inactive environment with no data or services. When a pull request is opened in GitHub, an environment is created in Upsun with the pull request’s target branch as its parent. It starts as an active environment with a copy of its parent’s data.

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Source of truth

When you add an integration, your GitHub repository is considered to be the source of truth for the project. Your Upsun project is only a mirror of that repository and you can only push commits to GitHub. To clone your code, follow these steps:
Run the following command:
upsun get PROJECT_ID
When you do this, you’re cloning from your integrated GitHub repository, if you have the appropriate access to do so.

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Sync, fetch, and prune

An integration from your source repository to Upsun establishes that:
  • your source repository is the source of truth, where Git operations occur
  • Upsun is a mirror of that repository, provisioning infrastructure according to configuration, and orchestrating environments according to the branch structure of the your source repository repository
Actions that take place on Upsun don’t affect commits on your source repository. Because of this, the your source repository integration enables both fetch-branches (track branches on your source repository) and prune-branches (delete branches that don’t exist on your source repository) by default. You can change these settings but it is recommended to keep them. When enabled by default, you are limited by design as to what actions can be performed within the context of an Upsun project with a your source repository integration:
ActionObservationRecommendation
Branch from parentRunning environment:branch with the CLI, or selecting Branch in Console produces a new child environment, but it’s deleted shortly after automatically.Contribute to the your source repository repository itself by creating a branch and pull request. When the PR has been opened, a new environment will be provisioned for it.
Merge in parentRunning environment:merge with the CLI fails locally, and the Merge option in Console is not clickable.Review and merge pull requests and/or branches on the your source repository repository.
Merge into child (sync code)Running environment:synchronize with the CLI fails locally, and the Sync option in Console won’t allow you to include code in that sync.Perform the merge locally from a matching branch on your source repository. For example, clone the most recent parent (git pull origin parent-branch), switch to the pull request branch (git checkout ga-staging), and then merge the parent into the current branch (git merge main).

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Pull request URLs

When a pull request is deployed, the integration reports the primary URL for the deployed environment. So you get a link to the deployed environment right in the pull request. If you have multiple routes, ensure the correct one is reported by specifying the primary route.
Last modified on March 13, 2026