GitHub Actions Builder

Overview

Author production-grade GitHub Actions workflows that are fast, deterministic, and secure by default.

Keywords: github actions, workflow, ci, cd, ci/cd, .github/workflows, jobs, steps, runs-on, matrix, build matrix, strategy, fail-fast, cache, actions/cache, setup-node, setup-python, setup-go, secrets, GITHUB_TOKEN, permissions, OIDC, environments, reusable workflow, workflow_call, composite action, concurrency, artifacts, upload-artifact, deploy, release, pinning SHA, dependabot.

This skill covers the full lifecycle: choosing triggers, structuring jobs, caching dependencies correctly, fanning out across a matrix, passing secrets safely, gating deployments with environments, and factoring shared logic into reusable or composite workflows. Always prefer the patterns and pinning rules in references/best-practices.md and validate output structure with scripts/validate_workflow.py.

Workflow

1. Clarify intent. Identify: project language/runtime, the events that should trigger CI (push, pull_request, tag, schedule, manual), and whether deployment is in scope. If the user only says "add CI", default to lint + test on push to the default branch and on pull_request.
2. Pick triggers (on:). Use pull_request for validation and push (filtered to the default branch) to avoid double-runs on PR branches. Add workflow_dispatch for manual runs and tags filters for release pipelines. See the trigger matrix in references/best-practices.md.
3. Set top-level defaults. Always add permissions: (least privilege, default contents: read) and concurrency: to cancel superseded runs. Pin a sensible timeout-minutes on every job.
4. Structure jobs. Split lint, test, and build/deploy into separate jobs so failures are isolated and parallel. Use needs: to express ordering. Gate deploy jobs on if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name == 'push'.
5. Add a matrix when relevant. Fan out across runtime versions and OSes with strategy.matrix. Set fail-fast: false for test matrices so one failure does not cancel the rest. Use include/exclude for targeted combinations. See examples/node-matrix-ci.md.
6. Cache dependencies correctly. Prefer the built-in cache of setup-* actions (cache: 'npm'|'pip'|'gradle'). When you need finer control, use actions/cache with a lockfile-hashed key and restore-keys fallback. Cache rules and key recipes live in references/caching-guide.md.
7. Handle secrets and auth safely. Reference secrets only via ${{ secrets.NAME }}, never echo them, scope them with environment:, and prefer OIDC over long-lived cloud credentials. Follow references/secrets-and-security.md.
8. Factor shared logic. If two or more workflows repeat steps, extract a reusable workflow (on: workflow_call) or a composite action. Templates are in templates/reusable-workflow.yml and templates/composite-action.yml.
9. Validate. Run python3 scripts/validate_workflow.py <file> to catch missing permissions, unpinned third-party actions, plaintext secrets, missing concurrency, and absent timeout-minutes before committing.

Decision Framework

Worked Example (minimal Node CI)

name: CI
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:

permissions:
  contents: read

concurrency:
  group: ci-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 15
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: 'npm'
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm test

For richer scenarios see examples/node-matrix-ci.md (multi-version + OS matrix with caching) and the templates directory.

Best Practices

• Pin third-party actions to a full commit SHA (e.g. actions/checkout@<sha>), not a moving tag. Official actions/* may use @v4 if the org policy allows; everything else gets a SHA. Add a comment with the version for readability.
• Least-privilege permissions. Declare permissions: at the top, default to contents: read, and grant write scopes only on the specific job that needs them.
• Always set concurrency and timeout-minutes. Prevents pile-ups of stale runs and hung jobs burning minutes.
• Use npm ci / pip install -r ... --require-hashes / lockfile installs, never unpinned npm install, for reproducible builds.
• fail-fast: false for test matrices, true (default) for build/release matrices where one failure invalidates the set.
• Cache by lockfile hash and include restore-keys so a near-miss still warms the cache.
• Group related steps into reusable workflows once duplicated; keep individual workflow files focused on one purpose.
• Use environment: for deploys to get protection rules, required reviewers, and scoped secrets.
• Prefer OIDC (id-token: write) over storing cloud access keys as secrets.

Common Pitfalls

• Double runs: triggering on both push and pull_request without filtering push to the default branch runs CI twice on PRs. Filter push branches.
• Unbounded permissions: the default GITHUB_TOKEN may be broad; not declaring permissions: is a supply-chain risk. Always set it.
• Broken cache keys: using a constant key never invalidates; hashing the wrong file (e.g. package.json instead of package-lock.json) misses changes. Hash the lockfile.
• Leaking secrets: run: echo ${{ secrets.X }} or passing secrets into untrusted PR contexts (pull_request_target) exposes them. Never echo; avoid pull_request_target with checkout of PR code.
• Floating tags on third-party actions: @v1 or @master can be hijacked. Pin to SHA.
• fail-fast cancelling a debug matrix: leaving it true hides which versions actually fail. Set false for tests.
• Missing actions/checkout: many workflows fail because the repo was never checked out before build steps.
• Secrets unavailable in reusable workflows: caller must pass them via secrets: (or secrets: inherit); they are not auto-forwarded.

Validate every workflow you produce with scripts/validate_workflow.py and consult the references before finalizing.