diff --git a/.asf.yaml b/.asf.yaml
index 0a7d80dcb..2ac11146a 100644
--- a/.asf.yaml
+++ b/.asf.yaml
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ github:
     squash: true
     merge: false
     rebase: true
-  del_branch_on_merge: true
+  protected_branches:
+    master: {}
+  pull_requests:
+    del_branch_on_merge: true
   features:
     issues: true
 notifications: