GitHub Actions Version Check

Ensures GitHub Actions in workflow files use up-to-date versions.

Prerequisites

Install aver (GitHub Actions version checker):

go install github.com/llimllib/aver/cmd/aver@latest

Or if aver is already in PATH, skip this step.

Workflow

When Creating or Modifying Workflow Files

1. •

   Before adding any action, check what the latest version is:

   bash

   # Search GitHub for the action's latest release
   # Example: for actions/checkout, check https://github.com/actions/checkout/releases
   

2. •

   Always use the latest major version when adding new actions:

   • •Good: actions/checkout@v4
   • •Avoid: actions/checkout@v3 (unless v3 is actually latest)
3. •

   After making changes, validate with aver:

   bash

   aver
   

4. •

   If outdated actions are found, update them to the latest versions shown.

Checking Existing Workflows

Run aver in the project root:

# Human-readable output
aver

# JSON output for scripting
aver --json

# Ignore SHA-pinned actions
aver --ignore-sha

# Only report major version updates
aver --ignore-minor

Understanding Output

File                        Action            Current  Latest
--------------------------  ----------------  -------  ------
.github/workflows/ci.yml    actions/checkout  v3       v4

This means actions/checkout@v3 should be updated to actions/checkout@v4.

Exit Codes

Best Practices

1. •Pin to major versions (@v4) not full semver (@v4.1.2) unless you need reproducibility
2. •Run aver before committing workflow changes
3. •For SHA-pinned actions, aver shows commits behind - update periodically
4. •Set GITHUB_TOKEN for higher API rate limits:
   bash

   export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxx
   

Common Actions and Their Repos