GitHub Actions workflow standards. Use when configuring CI/CD workflows, checking workflow compliance, or when the user mentions GitHub Actions, container builds, or CI/CD automation.
Scanned 2/12/2026
Install via CLI
openskills install laurigates/claude-plugins---
model: haiku
created: 2025-12-16
modified: 2026-02-06
reviewed: 2025-12-16
name: ci-workflows
description: |
GitHub Actions workflow standards. Use when configuring CI/CD workflows, checking
workflow compliance, or when the user mentions GitHub Actions, container builds,
or CI/CD automation.
allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob
---
# CI Workflow Standards
## Version: 2025.1
Standard GitHub Actions workflows for CI/CD automation.
## Required Workflows
### 1. Container Build Workflow
**File**: `.github/workflows/container-build.yml`
Multi-platform container build with GHCR publishing:
```yaml
name: Build Container
on:
push:
branches: [main]
pull_request:
branches: [main]
release:
types: [published]
env:
REGISTRY: ghcr.io
IMAGE_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
permissions:
contents: read
packages: write
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Set up Docker Buildx
uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
- name: Log in to Container Registry
if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
uses: docker/login-action@v3
with:
registry: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
username: ${{ github.actor }}
password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
- name: Extract metadata
id: meta
uses: docker/metadata-action@v5
with:
images: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}
tags: |
type=ref,event=branch
type=ref,event=pr
type=semver,pattern={{version}}
type=semver,pattern={{major}}.{{minor}}
- name: Build and push
uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
with:
context: .
platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
push: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' }}
tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
labels: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.labels }}
cache-from: type=gha
cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
build-args: |
SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN=${{ secrets.SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN }}
```
**Key features:**
- Multi-platform builds (amd64, arm64)
- GitHub Container Registry (GHCR)
- Semantic version tagging
- Build caching with GitHub Actions cache
- Sentry integration for source maps
### 2. Release Please Workflow
**File**: `.github/workflows/release-please.yml`
See `release-please-standards` skill for details.
### 3. ArgoCD Auto-merge Workflow (Optional)
**File**: `.github/workflows/argocd-automerge.yml`
Auto-merge PRs from ArgoCD Image Updater branches:
```yaml
name: Auto-merge ArgoCD Image Updater branches
on:
push:
branches:
- 'image-updater-**'
permissions:
contents: write
pull-requests: write
jobs:
create-and-merge:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Create Pull Request
id: create-pr
env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
run: |
PR_URL=$(gh pr create \
--base main \
--head "${{ github.ref_name }}" \
--title "chore(deps): update container image" \
--body "Automated image update by argocd-image-updater.
Branch: \`${{ github.ref_name }}\`" \
2>&1) || true
if echo "$PR_URL" | grep -q "already exists"; then
PR_URL=$(gh pr view "${{ github.ref_name }}" --json url -q .url)
fi
echo "pr_url=$PR_URL" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
- name: Approve PR
env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.AUTO_MERGE_PAT || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
run: gh pr review --approve "${{ github.ref_name }}"
continue-on-error: true
- name: Enable auto-merge
env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
run: gh pr merge --auto --squash "${{ github.ref_name }}"
```
**Key features:**
- Triggers on `image-updater-**` branches from ArgoCD Image Updater
- Creates PR automatically if not exists
- Self-approval with optional PAT (for bypassing GitHub restrictions)
- Squash merge with auto-merge enabled
**Prerequisites:**
- Enable auto-merge in repository settings
- Optional: `AUTO_MERGE_PAT` secret for self-approval
### 4. Test Workflow (Recommended)
**File**: `.github/workflows/test.yml`
```yaml
name: Tests
on:
push:
branches: [main]
pull_request:
branches: [main]
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Setup Node.js
uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: '22'
cache: 'npm'
- name: Install dependencies
run: npm ci
- name: Run linter
run: npm run lint
- name: Run type check
run: npm run typecheck
- name: Run tests
run: npm run test:coverage
- name: Upload coverage
uses: codecov/codecov-action@v4
with:
files: ./coverage/lcov.info
```
## Workflow Standards
### Action Versions
| Action | Version | Purpose |
|--------|---------|---------|
| actions/checkout | v4 | Repository checkout |
| docker/setup-buildx-action | v3 | Multi-platform builds |
| docker/login-action | v3 | Registry authentication |
| docker/metadata-action | v5 | Image tagging |
| docker/build-push-action | v6 | Container build/push |
| actions/setup-node | v4 | Node.js setup |
| googleapis/release-please-action | v4 | Release automation |
### Permissions
Minimal permissions required:
```yaml
permissions:
contents: read # Default for most jobs
packages: write # For container push to GHCR
pull-requests: write # For release-please PR creation
```
### Triggers
Standard trigger patterns:
```yaml
# Build on push and PR to main
on:
push:
branches: [main]
pull_request:
branches: [main]
# Also build on release
on:
release:
types: [published]
```
### Build Caching
Use GitHub Actions cache for Docker layers:
```yaml
cache-from: type=gha
cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
```
### Multi-Platform Builds
Build for both amd64 and arm64:
```yaml
platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
```
## Compliance Requirements
### Required Workflows
| Workflow | Purpose | Required |
|----------|---------|----------|
| container-build | Container builds | Yes (if Dockerfile) |
| release-please | Automated releases | Yes |
| test | Testing and linting | Recommended |
| argocd-automerge | Auto-merge image updates | Optional (if using ArgoCD Image Updater) |
### Required Elements
| Element | Requirement |
|---------|-------------|
| checkout action | v4 |
| build-push action | v6 |
| Multi-platform | amd64 + arm64 |
| Caching | GHA cache enabled |
| Permissions | Explicit and minimal |
## Status Levels
| Status | Condition |
|--------|-----------|
| PASS | All required workflows present with compliant config |
| WARN | Workflows present but using older action versions |
| FAIL | Missing required workflows |
| SKIP | Not applicable (no Dockerfile = no container-build) |
## Secrets Required
| Secret | Purpose | Required |
|--------|---------|----------|
| GITHUB_TOKEN | Container registry auth | Auto-provided |
| SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN | Source map upload | If using Sentry |
| MY_RELEASE_PLEASE_TOKEN | Release PR creation | For release-please |
## Troubleshooting
### Build Failing
- Check Dockerfile syntax
- Verify build args are passed correctly
- Check cache invalidation issues
### Multi-Platform Issues
- Ensure Dockerfile is platform-agnostic
- Use official multi-arch base images
- Avoid architecture-specific binaries
### Cache Not Working
- Verify `cache-from` and `cache-to` are set
- Check GitHub Actions cache limits (10GB)
- Consider registry-based caching for large images
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