diff --git a/services/pull/update.go b/services/pull/update.go
index 462bbec55afa4..34b2210c009cc 100644
--- a/services/pull/update.go
+++ b/services/pull/update.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func Update(ctx context.Context, pr *issues_model.PullRequest, doer *user_model.
 
 // IsUserAllowedToUpdate check if user is allowed to update PR with given permissions and branch protections
 // update PR means send new commits to PR head branch from base branch
-func IsUserAllowedToUpdate(ctx context.Context, pull *issues_model.PullRequest, user *user_model.User) (mergeAllowed, rebaseAllowed bool, err error) {
+func IsUserAllowedToUpdate(ctx context.Context, pull *issues_model.PullRequest, user *user_model.User) (pushAllowed, rebaseAllowed bool, err error) {
 	if pull.Flow == issues_model.PullRequestFlowAGit {
 		return false, false, nil
 	}
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ func IsUserAllowedToUpdate(ctx context.Context, pull *issues_model.PullRequest,
 		}
 		return false, false, err
 	}
+	pushAllowed = headRepoPerm.CanWrite(unit.TypeCode)
 
 	if err := pull.LoadBaseRepo(ctx); err != nil {
 		return false, false, err
@@ -143,20 +144,16 @@ func IsUserAllowedToUpdate(ctx context.Context, pull *issues_model.PullRequest,
 		if pb != nil {
 			pb.Repo = pull.HeadRepo
 			rebaseAllowed = rebaseAllowed && pb.CanUserForcePush(ctx, user)
+			pushAllowed = pb.CanUserPush(ctx, user)
 		}
 	}
 
-	// 3. check whether user has write access to head branch
+	// 3. check whether user has write access to base branch
 	baseRepoPerm, err := access_model.GetUserRepoPermission(ctx, pull.BaseRepo, user)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, false, err
 	}
 
-	mergeAllowed, err = isUserAllowedToMergeInRepoBranch(ctx, pull.HeadRepoID, pull.HeadBranch, headRepoPerm, user)
-	if err != nil {
-		return false, false, err
-	}
-
 	// 4. if the pull creator allows maintainer to edit, it means the write permissions of the head branch has been
 	// granted to the user with write permission of the base repository
 	if pull.AllowMaintainerEdit {
@@ -165,13 +162,13 @@ func IsUserAllowedToUpdate(ctx context.Context, pull *issues_model.PullRequest,
 			return false, false, err
 		}
 
-		mergeAllowed = mergeAllowed || mergeAllowedMaintainer
+		pushAllowed = pushAllowed || mergeAllowedMaintainer
 	}
 
-	// if merge is not allowed, rebase is also not allowed
-	rebaseAllowed = rebaseAllowed && mergeAllowed
+	// if push is not allowed, rebase is also not allowed
+	rebaseAllowed = rebaseAllowed && pushAllowed
 
-	return mergeAllowed, rebaseAllowed, nil
+	return pushAllowed, rebaseAllowed, nil
 }
 
 func syncCommitDivergence(ctx context.Context, pr *issues_model.PullRequest) error {
diff --git a/services/pull/update_test.go b/services/pull/update_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..9f36cbd279664
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/pull/update_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Copyright 2026 The Gitea Authors. All rights reserved.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+package pull
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"code.gitea.io/gitea/models/db"
+	git_model "code.gitea.io/gitea/models/git"
+	issues_model "code.gitea.io/gitea/models/issues"
+	"code.gitea.io/gitea/models/unittest"
+	user_model "code.gitea.io/gitea/models/user"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestIsUserAllowedToUpdateRespectsProtectedBranch(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.NoError(t, unittest.PrepareTestDatabase())
+
+	pr := unittest.AssertExistsAndLoadBean(t, &issues_model.PullRequest{ID: 2})
+	assert.NoError(t, pr.LoadHeadRepo(t.Context()))
+
+	user := unittest.AssertExistsAndLoadBean(t, &user_model.User{ID: 2})
+
+	protectedBranch := &git_model.ProtectedBranch{
+		RepoID:       pr.HeadRepoID,
+		RuleName:     pr.HeadBranch,
+		CanPush:      false,
+		CanForcePush: false,
+	}
+	_, err := db.GetEngine(t.Context()).Insert(protectedBranch)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	pushAllowed, rebaseAllowed, err := IsUserAllowedToUpdate(t.Context(), pr, user)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, pushAllowed)
+	assert.False(t, rebaseAllowed)
+}