VSTS - prevent push to master but allow PR merge
I do not have reputation points to comment in a answer, so I will post a new one here.
When you set your master branch policy to Require a minimum number of reviewers
, the master branch automatically will be protected. You will not be able to push any commits. In order to make any changes, you will need to create a new branch, and create a pull request to merge the modifications.
Branch policies already do exactly what you're saying. When a branch policy is in place, PRs are required.
Make sure your developers don't have the "Exempt From Policy Enforcement" permission.