Block Remote Publishing for Local Repos

Updated Jun 17, 2026 ·

Overview

This KB documents how to keep a local Git repository from being accidentally published to GitHub.

This is useful for a repo such as:

C:\Git\dotfiles

The goal is to keep the repo local while still allowing normal local Git features such as commits, diffs, branches, and hooks.

Problem

When a local Git repository has no origin remote, tools such as VS Code may show a Publish Branch action.

That action can create a new GitHub repository if it is clicked.

For a private local-only repo, that is not the desired behavior.

warning

A Git hook can block a normal git push, but it may not stop an editor or GitHub tool from creating a remote repository before the push happens.

Recommendation

Add a deliberately invalid origin remote.

This makes Git and editor tooling treat the repo as already having a remote, while normal push attempts fail.

Run this inside the local-only repo:

cd C:\Git\dotfiles
git remote add origin DISABLED_LOCAL_ONLY
git config remote.origin.pushurl DISABLED_LOCAL_ONLY

Check the result:

git remote -v

Expected shape:

origin  DISABLED_LOCAL_ONLY (fetch)
origin  DISABLED_LOCAL_ONLY (push)

Note: The remote name is still origin on purpose. Many tools use the missing origin remote as the signal to offer a publish flow.

Extra Push Block

Add a local pre-push hook as a second guard.

Create this file:

C:\Git\dotfiles\.git\hooks\pre-push

Use this content:

#!/bin/sh

echo "Push is disabled for this local-only dotfiles repo." >&2
exit 1

This blocks normal push commands:

git push

Expected result:

Push is disabled for this local-only dotfiles repo.

What Each Guard Does

Guard	Purpose
Fake origin remote	Hides or avoids the publish flow in editor tooling.
Fake pushurl	Makes the configured push destination invalid.
pre-push hook	Blocks normal Git push commands from this local clone.
No GitHub repo	Keeps the private local repo out of GitHub.

When to Use This

Use this setup when:

• The repo should stay local-only.
• The repo needs local Git history.
• The repo should not create a GitHub repository by accident.
• The repo uses Git hooks for local automation.

Do not use this setup when:

• The repo should be pushed to GitHub later.
• The repo needs to collaborate with another machine through a remote.
• The invalid origin would confuse an existing automation script.

Undo

If the repo should be published later, remove the fake remote and the hook.

cd C:\Git\dotfiles
git remote remove origin
Remove-Item .git\hooks\pre-push

Then add the real remote:

git remote add origin https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>.git

Validation

After setting this up, check these items:

• git remote -v shows origin with DISABLED_LOCAL_ONLY.
• VS Code no longer treats the repo as missing a remote.
• git push fails instead of publishing anything.
• The local repo can still commit changes.
• The local repo can still run local Git hooks.
• No GitHub repository is created for the local-only repo.