GitHub Actions

Automate software workflows directly in your GitHub repository with GitHub Actions.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Setting up CI/CD pipelines for GitHub repositories
• Automating build, test, and deployment workflows
• Creating reusable workflow components
• Configuring self-hosted runners
• Managing workflow secrets and variables
• Debugging failed workflow runs

Prerequisites

• GitHub repository with write access
• Understanding of YAML syntax
• For self-hosted runners: server with Docker (optional)

Workflow File Structure

Workflows are defined in .github/workflows/ directory:

name: CI Pipeline

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          cache: 'npm'
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm test

Common Triggers

Push and Pull Request

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths:
      - 'src/**'
      - 'package.json'
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

Scheduled Runs

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * *'  # Daily at 2 AM UTC

Manual Dispatch

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: 'Deployment environment'
        required: true
        default: 'staging'
        type: choice
        options:
          - staging
          - production

Job Configuration

Matrix Builds

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [18, 20, 22]
        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
      - run: npm test

Job Dependencies