diff --git a/.github/workflows/render-preview.yml b/.github/workflows/render-preview.yml
index 6b05df14..bd89778e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/render-preview.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/render-preview.yml
@@ -29,7 +29,18 @@ jobs:
           git config --local user.email "itcrtrainingnetwork@gmail.com"
           git config --local user.name "jhudsl-robot"
 
-          git checkout -b "preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
+          branch_name='preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}'
+          exists=$(git ls-remote https://${{ secrets.GH_PAT }}@github.com/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY $branch_name | wc -l | xargs)
+          if [[ $exists -gt 0 ]];then
+            echo branch does exist
+            git checkout $branch_name
+            git merge -s recursive --strategy-option=theirs origin/${{ github.head_ref }}
+          else
+            echo branch doesnt exist
+            git checkout -b $branch_name
+            git push --set-upstream origin $branch_name
+          fi
+
           rm -r docs/*
 
       # Run bookdown rendering
@@ -58,17 +69,21 @@ jobs:
       - name: Commit rendered bookdown files to preview branch
         id: commit
         run: |
-          changes=$(git diff --name-only -- docs)
-
-          if -z $changes
-          then
-            echo ::set-output name=changes::$(echo 'no_changes')
-          else
+          branch_name='preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}'
+          git diff --name-only origin/main -- docs >/dev/null && changes=true || changes=false
+          echo $changes
+          if $changes == true; then
             echo ::set-output name=changes::$(echo 'changes')
-            git add . --force
-            git commit -m 'Render bookdown preview'
-            git push --force origin "preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
+            git diff --name-only origin/$branch_name -- docs/ >/dev/null && changes=true || changes=false
+            echo $changes
+            if $changes == true; then
+              git add . --force
+              git commit -m 'Render bookdown preview'
+              git pull --set-upstream origin $branch_name --allow-unrelated-histories
+              git push
+            fi
           fi
+        shell: bash
 
       - name: Find Comment
         uses: peter-evans/find-comment@v1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/starting-course.yml b/.github/workflows/starting-course.yml
index e5b33ab8..e688ec22 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/starting-course.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/starting-course.yml
@@ -51,17 +51,34 @@ jobs:
 
       # Commit modified files
       - name: Commit deleted files
+        id: commit_it
         run: |
           git config --local user.email "action@github.com"
           git config --local user.name "GitHub Action"
           git add .
           git commit -m "Template cleanup"
+          pushed_it=true
+          git push || pushed_it=false
+          echo ::set-output name=pushed_it::$pushed_it
 
-      # Push changes
-      - name: Push changes
-        uses: ad-m/github-push-action@master
+      # If main is already protected, then file a PR
+      - name: Create PR with deleted files
+        if: steps.commit_it.outputs.pushed_it == 'false'
+        uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v3
+        id: pr
         with:
-          branch: main
+          commit-message: Delete unnecessary files
+          signoff: false
+          branch: auto_copy_rendered_files
+          delete-branch: true
+          title: 'Automatic course set up'
+          body: |
+            ### Description:
+             This PR was initiated by the github actions. It helps set up this repository to be ready to write your course.
+             It deletes some remnant files you don't need for your course but were used when this was a template.
+          labels: |
+            automated
+          reviewers: $GITHUB_ACTOR
 
 ##### Filing issues!
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/style-and-sp-check.yml b/.github/workflows/style-and-sp-check.yml
index 3611c75a..f455b6d5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/style-and-sp-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/style-and-sp-check.yml
@@ -17,45 +17,57 @@ jobs:
     container:
       image: jhudsl/course_template
 
-    # Steps represent a sequence of tasks that will be executed as part of the job
     steps:
       - name: Checkout files
         uses: actions/checkout@v2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          
-      - name: login as jhudsl-robot
+
+      - name: Configure git
         run: |
           git config --local user.email "itcrtrainingnetwork@gmail.com"
           git config --local user.name "jhudsl-robot"
 
+          branch_name='preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}'
+          exists=$(git ls-remote https://${{ secrets.GH_PAT }}@github.com/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY $branch_name | wc -l | xargs)
+          if [[ $exists -gt 0 ]];then
+            echo branch does exist
+            git checkout $branch_name
+            git merge -s recursive --strategy-option=theirs origin/${{ github.head_ref }}
+          else
+            echo branch doesnt exist
+            git checkout -b $branch_name
+            git push --set-upstream origin $branch_name
+          fi
+
       - name: Run spell check
         id: spell_check_run
         run: |
           results=$(Rscript "scripts/spell-check.R")
           echo "::set-output name=sp_chk_results::$results"
           cat resources/spell_check_results.tsv
+
       - name: Archive spelling errors
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
         with:
           name: spell-check-results
           path: resources/spell_check_results.tsv
 
-      - name: Spell check errors
+      - name: Commit spell check errors
         run: |
-          # Get on the preview branch if it exists. If it doesn't create it.
           branch_name='preview-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}'
-          git rev-parse --quiet --verify $branch_name >/dev/null && exists=true || exists=false
-          if $exists == true
-          then
-            git checkout $branch_name
-            git pull --set-upstream origin $branch_name --allow-unrelated-histories
-          else
-            git checkout -b $branch_name
+          git diff --name-only origin/main -- resources/spell_check_results.tsv >/dev/null && changes=true || changes=false
+          echo $changes
+          if $changes == true; then
+            git diff --name-only origin/$branch_name -- resources/spell_check_results.tsv >/dev/null && changes=true || changes=false
+            echo $changes
+            if $changes == true; then
+              git add --force resources/spell_check_results.tsv
+              git diff-index --quiet HEAD || git commit -m 'Add spell check file'
+              git pull --set-upstream origin $branch_name --allow-unrelated-histories
+              git push --force origin $branch_name
+            fi
           fi
-          git add --force resources/spell_check_results.tsv
-          git commit -m 'Add spell check file'
-          git push --force --set-upstream origin $branch_name
 
       - name: Build components of the spell check comment
         id: build-components