github-ci

GitHub CI

Write and maintain GitHub Actions CI workflows with confidence. This skill covers workflow design, runner configuration, testing patterns, and security best practices for continuous integration pipelines on GitHub.

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Intent Router

Load reference files for depth on specific topics:

Topic	File	Load when...
Workflow Basics	resources/workflow-basics.md	Learning workflow YAML structure, triggers, jobs, and built-in actions
Runners & Caching	resources/runners-and-caching.md	Configuring runners, setting up caching, or optimizing build performance
Testing Patterns	resources/testing-patterns.md	Implementing test runs, reporting results, or integrating coverage tools
Security & Secrets	resources/security-and-secrets.md	Managing secrets, permissions, and third-party action safety

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Quick Start

Basic GitHub Actions Workflow

1. Create workflow file — Save as .github/workflows/ci.yml in repository root
2. Define triggers — Use on: to specify when workflow runs (push, pull_request, schedule)
3. Configure job — Define jobs with name, runner type, and steps
4. Add checkout — Use actions/checkout@v4 to access repository code
5. Run commands — Add steps with run: or use community actions

Minimal Workflow

name: CI

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

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: echo "Running CI pipeline"

Workflow Anatomy

workflow
├── name: Display name
├── on: Trigger events (push, pull_request, schedule, workflow_dispatch)
├── env: Workflow-level environment variables
└── jobs:
    └── <job-name>:
        ├── runs-on: Runner type (ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest)
        ├── env: Job-level environment variables
        ├── strategy: Matrix, fail-fast, max-parallel settings
        └── steps:
            ├── uses: Pre-built action
            └── run: Shell command or script

File Location

All workflows must be in .github/workflows/ directory with .yml or .yaml extension. Use kebab-case for filenames: build-and-test.yml, deploy-production.yml.

Quick Validation

Validate YAML syntax before pushing:

docker run --rm -v "$(pwd):/data" pipelinecomponents/yamllint yamllint /data/.github/workflows/