gh-actions-build-trigger

Original：🇺🇸 English
Translated

GH Actions workflow triggering/monitoring gotchas for any repo with multiple workflows (e.g. APK + AAB builds). Use when a push to main did not seem to trigger a workflow, when only .github/** changed (paths filters skip it, needs manual dispatch), when parallel runs need one cancelled, when a build failed and the job log must be pulled, or when checking run status/artifacts. For the end-to-end Expo APK/AAB build flow use gh-actions-expo-apk-build instead.

4installs
Sourcehoangsoft90/ai_skills
Added on

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add hoangsoft90/ai_skills gh-actions-build-trigger

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter
gh-actionsworkflow-monitoringworkflow-triggeringgithub-apici-cd

SKILL.md Content

View Translation Comparison →

GH Actions build trigger

When a repo has several workflows (e.g. an APK workflow and an AAB workflow), they do not behave the same. Know each one's auto-trigger and paths filter before pushing:
WorkflowAuto-trigger on pushPaths filter
build-apk.yml
(test APK)		✅ every push to 
main
often none
build-aab.yml
(store AAB)		✅ push to 
main
often only app source paths (app/, components/, db/, hooks/, lib/, plugins/, types/, assets/, app.json, package*.json, patches/) — NOT 
.github/**
Check the actual 
paths:
/ 
paths-ignore:
in each workflow file — don't assume.

Steps

1. Decide which workflow(s) the request needs

APK for sideloading/testing, AAB for Play Store. If the user asks for one, cancel the other — pushing to 
main
may trigger both (the no-filter workflow always runs). Never let a build the user did not ask for burn runner time.

2. Check whether a push will trigger the workflow

A push that touches only 
.github/**
 (workflow files, etc.) does NOT trigger a workflow whose paths filter omits 
.github/**
. Pushing a workflow-file-only commit will still trigger a workflow with no filter. For the filtered workflow in that case, use a manual dispatch (step 3) instead of expecting the push to fire it.

3. Trigger (manual dispatch when needed)

bash
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "dispatch: HTTP %{http_code}\n" -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN" -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/<owner>/<repo>/actions/workflows/<workflow-file>.yml/dispatches" \
  -d '{"ref":"main"}'
204
= accepted. After dispatch (or a push), runs can take several seconds to appear in the API — the first query right after a push may return an empty list. Sleep ~5–10s and re-query before concluding "nothing triggered" (a classic race).

4. Monitor the run

bash
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN" -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/<owner>/<repo>/actions/runs?per_page=5" \
  | node -e "const d=JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(0,'utf8')); for (const r of d.workflow_runs||[]) console.log(r.id, r.name, r.head_sha.slice(0,7), r.status, r.conclusion, r.event)"
conclusion: null
while running. If a run fails, pull the job log:
bash
JOB_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN" -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/<owner>/<repo>/actions/runs/$RUN_ID/jobs" \
  | node -e "console.log(JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(0,'utf8')).jobs[0].id)")
curl -sL -H "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/<owner>/<repo>/actions/jobs/$JOB_ID/logs" -o /tmp/job.log
Then grep the log for the failing step (e.g. 
grep -B2 -A12 "error"
or look for 
##[error]
/ 
Process completed with exit code 1
).

5. Cancel an unneeded parallel run

bash
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "cancel: HTTP %{http_code}\n" -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN" -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/<owner>/<repo>/actions/runs/$RUN_ID/cancel"
202
= accepted. Note: cancelling is async — the run may show as "cancelled" only after the runner notices.
Completion criterion: the correct workflow(s) for the request are running on the intended commit, unneeded parallel runs are cancelled, and you know the run ID + URL to report. If a build failed, you can name the failing step and the error.

Reference

  • Token: a 
    gh_token
    is provided per session; export it as 
    GH_TOKEN
    and never write it into files/commits.
  • Artifacts are uploaded by 
    actions/upload-artifact@v4
    ; the artifact name and path are declared in the workflow's upload step.
  • First build on a fresh runner takes ~15–25 min; cached ones are faster.