GitHub Actions Skill

Teach agents how to trigger, monitor, and manage GitHub Actions workflows for the LeanSpec project.

Core Principles

1. Use GitHub CLI (gh) - All workflow interactions use the gh CLI tool
2. Check Status Before Acting - Always verify current run status before triggering new ones
3. Monitor Until Completion - Background workflows need periodic status checks
4. Artifacts Are Ephemeral - Download important artifacts before they expire (default: 30 days)
5. Respect Rate Limits - Don't poll too frequently (minimum 30s between checks)

Available Workflows

Quick Reference

Check Workflow Status

bash
1# List recent workflow runs
2gh run list --limit 10
3
4# View specific workflow runs
5gh run list --workflow ci.yml --limit 5
6gh run list --workflow publish.yml --limit 5
7
8# Get details of a specific run
9gh run view <run-id>
10
11# Watch a run in progress
12gh run watch <run-id>

Trigger Workflows

bash
1# Trigger CI manually (usually automatic on push/PR)
2gh workflow run ci.yml
3
4# Trigger publish (dev version)
5gh workflow run publish.yml --field dev=true
6
7# Trigger publish (dry run - validates without publishing)
8gh workflow run publish.yml --field dev=true --field dry_run=true
9
10# Trigger desktop build
11gh workflow run desktop-build.yml

Debug Failed Runs

bash
1# View failed run logs
2gh run view <run-id> --log-failed
3
4# View full logs
5gh run view <run-id> --log
6
7# Re-run failed jobs only
8gh run rerun <run-id> --failed
9
10# Re-run entire workflow
11gh run rerun <run-id>

Manage Artifacts

bash
1# List artifacts from a run
2gh run view <run-id>
3
4# Download all artifacts from a run
5gh run download <run-id>
6
7# Download specific artifact
8gh run download <run-id> --name ui-dist
9gh run download <run-id> --name binaries-linux-x64

Decision Tree

Need to check if build passing?
└─> gh run list --workflow ci.yml --limit 1

Need to publish packages?
├─> Production: Create GitHub Release (recommended)
└─> Testing: gh workflow run publish.yml --field dev=true

Workflow failed?
├─> View logs: gh run view <id> --log-failed
├─> Transient: gh run rerun <id> --failed
└─> Real issue: Fix locally, push, let CI re-run

Need build artifacts?
└─> gh run download <run-id> --name <artifact-name>

Reference Documentation

• references/WORKFLOWS.md - Detailed workflow documentation (jobs, triggers, durations)
• references/COMMANDS.md - Complete gh command reference
• references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Common issues and solutions