diff --git a/api/controllers/v2/github.ts b/api/controllers/v2/github.ts
index 0f92f7eea..61035ae2b 100644
--- a/api/controllers/v2/github.ts
+++ b/api/controllers/v2/github.ts
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ async function createPayload({
     }
     action = 'push';
     jobType = 'githubPush';
-    branchName = githubEvent.ref.split('/')[2];
-    url = githubEvent.repository.clone_url;
+    branchName = githubEvent.ref?.split('/')[2];
+    url = githubEvent.repository?.clone_url;
     newHead = githubEvent.after;
-    repoOwner = githubEvent.repository.owner.login;
+    repoOwner = githubEvent.repository?.owner.login;
   }
 
   const branchInfo = await repoBranchesRepository.getRepoBranchAliases(repoName, branchName, repoInfo.project);
@@ -174,18 +174,18 @@ export const triggerSmokeTestAutomatedBuild = async (event: APIGatewayEvent): Pr
         ' completed successfully but only Deploy Staging ECS workflow completion will trigger smoke test site deployments',
     };
 
-  // if the build was not building master, no need for smoke test sites
-  if (body.workflow_run.head_branch != 'main' || body.repository.fork) {
-    console.log('Build was not on master branch in main repo, sites will not deploy as no smoke tests are needed');
-    return {
-      statusCode: 202,
-      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' },
-      body:
-        'Build on branch ' +
-        body.workflow_run.head_branch +
-        ' will not trigger site deployments as it was not on master branch in upstream repo',
-    };
-  }
+  // // if the build was not building master, no need for smoke test sites
+  // if (body.workflow_run.head_branch != 'main' || body.repository.fork) {
+  //   console.log('Build was not on master branch in main repo, sites will not deploy as no smoke tests are needed');
+  //   return {
+  //     statusCode: 202,
+  //     headers: { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' },
+  //     body:
+  //       'Build on branch ' +
+  //       body.workflow_run.head_branch +
+  //       ' will not trigger site deployments as it was not on master branch in upstream repo',
+  //   };
+  // }
 
   //automated test builds will always deploy in dotcomstg
   const env = 'dotcomstg';