/github-actions

name: github-actions
description: Create, debug, and test GitHub Actions workflows and custom actions. Use when building CI/CD pipelines, automating workflows, or troubleshooting GitHub Actions.
triggers:
- github actions
- github workflow
- actions workflow
- gh actions
- .github/workflows

GitHub Actions Guide

Critical Rules

**Custom Action Deployment:**

• New custom actions MUST be merged to the main branch before they can be used
• After the initial merge, they should be tested from feature branches

**Debug Steps:** Add debug steps that print non-secret parameters when:

• Creating a new action, OR
• Troubleshooting a particularly tricky issue

(Not required for every workflow - use when needed)

Effectiveness Principles

Actions cost CI minutes. Be deliberate, not iterative:

1. **Monitor, don't poll** - use `gh run watch` / `gh pr checks --watch` to follow runs live 2. **Read logs, don't guess** - fetch the failed job's log before changing code 3. **Print actual values** - debug steps reveal the real `inputs`/`github` context, not your assumptions 4. **Test locally first** - `act` runs workflows on your machine and avoids burning CI minutes 5. **Plan the smallest reproduction** - one job, minimal matrix, narrow trigger before scaling up

See [README.md](README.md) for the full debugging workflow, `gh` commands, and YAML debug-step examples.

Key Gotchas

1. **Secrets unavailable in fork PRs** - `pull_request` has no secrets for forks; `pull_request_target` does but **never check out or execute fork PR code inside it** (RCE with write permissions) 2. **Pin action versions** - Use `@v4` or SHA, not `@main` (prevents breaking changes) 3. **Explicit permissions** - Set `permissions:` block for GITHUB_TOKEN operations 4. **Artifacts for job-to-job data** - Files don't persist between jobs without `upload-artifact`/`download-artifact`