Accessing contextual information about workflow runs - GitHub Docs (original) (raw)

You can access context information in workflows and actions.

About contexts

Contexts are a way to access information about workflow runs, variables, runner environments, jobs, and steps. Each context is an object that contains properties, which can be strings or other objects.

Contexts, objects, and properties will vary significantly under different workflow run conditions. For example, the matrix context is only populated for jobs in a matrix.

You can access contexts using the expression syntax. For more information, see Evaluate expressions in workflows and actions.

${{ <context> }}

Warning

When creating workflows and actions, you should always consider whether your code might execute untrusted input from possible attackers. Certain contexts should be treated as untrusted input, as an attacker could insert their own malicious content. For more information, see Security hardening for GitHub Actions.

As part of an expression, you can access context information using one of two syntaxes.

• Index syntax: github['sha']
• Property dereference syntax: github.sha

In order to use property dereference syntax, the property name must start with a letter or _ and contain only alphanumeric characters, -, or _.

If you attempt to dereference a nonexistent property, it will evaluate to an empty string.

Determining when to use contexts

GitHub Actions includes a collection of variables called contexts and a similar collection of variables called default variables. These variables are intended for use at different points in the workflow:

• Default environment variables: These environment variables exist only on the runner that is executing your job. For more information, see Store information in variables.
• Contexts: You can use most contexts at any point in your workflow, including when default variables would be unavailable. For example, you can use contexts with expressions to perform initial processing before the job is routed to a runner for execution; this allows you to use a context with the conditional if keyword to determine whether a step should run. Once the job is running, you can also retrieve context variables from the runner that is executing the job, such as runner.os. For details of where you can use various contexts within a workflow, see Context availability.

The following example demonstrates how these different types of variables can be used together in a job:

YAML

name: CI
on: push
jobs:
  prod-check:
    if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "Deploying to production server on branch $GITHUB_REF"

In this example, the if statement checks the github.ref context to determine the current branch name; if the name is refs/heads/main, then the subsequent steps are executed. The if check is processed by GitHub Actions, and the job is only sent to the runner if the result is true. Once the job is sent to the runner, the step is executed and refers to the $GITHUB_REF variable from the runner.

Context availability

Different contexts are available throughout a workflow run. For example, the secrets context may only be used at certain places within a job.

In addition, some functions may only be used in certain places. For example, the hashFiles function is not available everywhere.

The following table lists the restrictions on where each context and special function can be used within a workflow. The listed contexts are only available for the given workflow key, and may not be used anywhere else. Unless listed below, a function can be used anywhere.

Example: printing context information to the log

You can print the contents of contexts to the log for debugging. The toJSON function is required to pretty-print JSON objects to the log.

Warning

When using the whole github context, be mindful that it includes sensitive information such as github.token. GitHub masks secrets when they are printed to the console, but you should be cautious when exporting or printing the context.

YAML

name: Context testing
on: push

jobs:
  dump_contexts_to_log:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Dump GitHub context
        env:
          GITHUB_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(github) }}
        run: echo "$GITHUB_CONTEXT"
      - name: Dump job context
        env:
          JOB_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(job) }}
        run: echo "$JOB_CONTEXT"
      - name: Dump steps context
        env:
          STEPS_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(steps) }}
        run: echo "$STEPS_CONTEXT"
      - name: Dump runner context
        env:
          RUNNER_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(runner) }}
        run: echo "$RUNNER_CONTEXT"
      - name: Dump strategy context
        env:
          STRATEGY_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(strategy) }}
        run: echo "$STRATEGY_CONTEXT"
      - name: Dump matrix context
        env:
          MATRIX_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(matrix) }}
        run: echo "$MATRIX_CONTEXT"

github context

The github context contains information about the workflow run and the event that triggered the run. You can also read most of the github context data in environment variables. For more information about environment variables, see Store information in variables.

Warning

When using the whole github context, be mindful that it includes sensitive information such as github.token. GitHub masks secrets when they are printed to the console, but you should be cautious when exporting or printing the context. When creating workflows and actions, you should always consider whether your code might execute untrusted input from possible attackers. Certain contexts should be treated as untrusted input, as an attacker could insert their own malicious content. For more information, see Security hardening for GitHub Actions.

Example contents of the github context

The following example context is from a workflow run triggered by the push event. The event object in this example has been truncated because it is identical to the contents of the push webhook payload.

Note

This context is an example only. The contents of a context depends on the workflow that you are running. Contexts, objects, and properties will vary significantly under different workflow run conditions.

{
  "token": "***",
  "job": "dump_contexts_to_log",
  "ref": "refs/heads/my_branch",
  "sha": "c27d339ee6075c1f744c5d4b200f7901aad2c369",
  "repository": "octocat/hello-world",
  "repository_owner": "octocat",
  "repositoryUrl": "git://github.com/octocat/hello-world.git",
  "run_id": "1536140711",
  "run_number": "314",
  "retention_days": "90",
  "run_attempt": "1",
  "actor": "octocat",
  "workflow": "Context testing",
  "head_ref": "",
  "base_ref": "",
  "event_name": "push",
  "event": {
    ...
  },
  "server_url": "https://github.com",
  "api_url": "https://api.github.com",
  "graphql_url": "https://api.github.com/graphql",
  "ref_name": "my_branch",
  "ref_protected": false,
  "ref_type": "branch",
  "secret_source": "Actions",
  "workspace": "/home/runner/work/hello-world/hello-world",
  "action": "github_step",
  "event_path": "/home/runner/work/_temp/_github_workflow/event.json",
  "action_repository": "",
  "action_ref": "",
  "path": "/home/runner/work/_temp/_runner_file_commands/add_path_b037e7b5-1c88-48e2-bf78-eaaab5e02602",
  "env": "/home/runner/work/_temp/_runner_file_commands/set_env_b037e7b5-1c88-48e2-bf78-eaaab5e02602"
}

Example usage of the github context

This example workflow uses the github.event_name context to run a job only if the workflow run was triggered by the pull_request event.

YAML

name: Run CI
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  normal_ci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Run normal CI
        run: echo "Running normal CI"

  pull_request_ci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
    steps:
      - name: Run PR CI
        run: echo "Running PR only CI"

env context

The env context contains variables that have been set in a workflow, job, or step. It does not contain variables inherited by the runner process. For more information about setting variables in your workflow, see Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions.

You can retrieve the values of variables stored in env context and use these values in your workflow file. You can use the env context in any key in a workflow step except for the id and uses keys. For more information on the step syntax, see Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions.

If you want to use the value of a variable inside a runner, use the runner operating system's normal method for reading environment variables.

Example contents of the env context

The contents of the env context is a mapping of variable names to their values. The context's contents can change depending on where it is used in the workflow run. In this example, the env context contains two variables.

{
  "first_name": "Mona",
  "super_duper_var": "totally_awesome"
}

Example usage of the env context

This example workflow shows variables being set in the env context at the workflow, job, and step levels. The ${{ env.VARIABLE-NAME }} syntax is then used to retrieve variable values within individual steps in the workflow.

When more than one environment variable is defined with the same name, GitHub uses the most specific variable. For example, an environment variable defined in a step will override job and workflow environment variables with the same name, while the step executes. An environment variable defined for a job will override a workflow variable with the same name, while the job executes.

YAML

name: Hi Mascot
on: push
env:
  mascot: Mona
  super_duper_var: totally_awesome

jobs:
  windows_job:
    runs-on: windows-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo 'Hi ${{ env.mascot }}'  # Hi Mona
      - run: echo 'Hi ${{ env.mascot }}'  # Hi Octocat
        env:
          mascot: Octocat
  linux_job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      mascot: Tux
    steps:
      - run: echo 'Hi ${{ env.mascot }}'  # Hi Tux

vars context

Note

Configuration variables for GitHub Actions are in public preview and subject to change.

The vars context contains custom configuration variables set at the organization, repository, and environment levels. For more information about defining configuration variables for use in multiple workflows, see Store information in variables.

Example contents of the vars context

The contents of the vars context is a mapping of configuration variable names to their values.

{
  "mascot": "Mona"
}

Example usage of the vars context

This example workflow shows how configuration variables set at the repository, environment, or organization levels are automatically available using the vars context.

Note

Configuration variables at the environment level are automatically available after their environment is declared by the runner.

If a configuration variable has not been set, the return value of a context referencing the variable will be an empty string.

The following example shows using configuration variables with the vars context across a workflow. Each of the following configuration variables have been defined at the repository, organization, or environment levels.

YAML

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
env:
  # Setting an environment variable with the value of a configuration variable
  env_var: ${{ vars.ENV_CONTEXT_VAR }}

jobs:
  display-variables:
    name: ${{ vars.JOB_NAME }}
    # You can use configuration variables with the `vars` context for dynamic jobs
    if: ${{ vars.USE_VARIABLES == 'true' }}
    runs-on: ${{ vars.RUNNER }}
    environment: ${{ vars.ENVIRONMENT_STAGE }}
    steps:
    - name: Use variables
      run: |
        echo "repository variable : $REPOSITORY_VAR"
        echo "organization variable : $ORGANIZATION_VAR"
        echo "overridden variable : $OVERRIDE_VAR"
        echo "variable from shell environment : $env_var"
      env:
        REPOSITORY_VAR: ${{ vars.REPOSITORY_VAR }}
        ORGANIZATION_VAR: ${{ vars.ORGANIZATION_VAR }}
        OVERRIDE_VAR: ${{ vars.OVERRIDE_VAR }}
        
    - name: ${{ vars.HELLO_WORLD_STEP }}
      if: ${{ vars.HELLO_WORLD_ENABLED == 'true' }}
      uses: actions/hello-world-javascript-action@main
      with:
        who-to-greet: ${{ vars.GREET_NAME }}

job context

The job context contains information about the currently running job.

Example contents of the job context

This example job context uses a PostgreSQL service container with mapped ports. If there are no containers or service containers used in a job, the job context only contains the status property.

{
  "status": "success",
  "container": {
    "network": "github_network_53269bd575974817b43f4733536b200c"
  },
  "services": {
    "postgres": {
      "id": "60972d9aa486605e66b0dad4abb638dc3d9116f566579e418166eedb8abb9105",
      "ports": {
        "5432": "49153"
      },
      "network": "github_network_53269bd575974817b43f4733536b200c"
    }
  }
}

Example usage of the job context

This example workflow configures a PostgreSQL service container, and automatically maps port 5432 in the service container to a randomly chosen available port on the host. The job context is used to access the number of the port that was assigned on the host.

YAML

name: PostgreSQL Service Example
on: push
jobs:
  postgres-job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      postgres:
        image: postgres
        env:
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
        options: --health-cmd pg_isready --health-interval 10s --health-timeout 5s --health-retries 5
        ports:
          # Maps TCP port 5432 in the service container to a randomly chosen available port on the host.
          - 5432

    steps:
      - run: pg_isready -h localhost -p ${{ job.services.postgres.ports[5432] }}
      - run: echo "Run tests against Postgres"

jobs context

The jobs context is only available in reusable workflows, and can only be used to set outputs for a reusable workflow. For more information, see Reusing workflows.

Example contents of the jobs context

This example jobs context contains the result and outputs of a job from a reusable workflow run.

{
  "example_job": {
    "result": "success",
    "outputs": {
      "output1": "hello",
      "output2": "world"
    }
  }
}

Example usage of the jobs context

This example reusable workflow uses the jobs context to set outputs for the reusable workflow. Note how the outputs flow up from the steps, to the job, then to the workflow_call trigger. For more information, see Reusing workflows.

YAML

name: Reusable workflow

on:
  workflow_call:
    # Map the workflow outputs to job outputs
    outputs:
      firstword:
        description: "The first output string"
        value: ${{ jobs.example_job.outputs.output1 }}
      secondword:
        description: "The second output string"
        value: ${{ jobs.example_job.outputs.output2 }}

jobs:
  example_job:
    name: Generate output
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    # Map the job outputs to step outputs
    outputs:
      output1: ${{ steps.step1.outputs.firstword }}
      output2: ${{ steps.step2.outputs.secondword }}
    steps:
      - id: step1
        run: echo "firstword=hello" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
      - id: step2
        run: echo "secondword=world" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

steps context

The steps context contains information about the steps in the current job that have an id specified and have already run.

Example contents of the steps context

This example steps context shows two previous steps that had an id specified. The first step had the id named checkout, the second generate_number. The generate_number step had an output named random_number.

{
  "checkout": {
    "outputs": {},
    "outcome": "success",
    "conclusion": "success"
  },
  "generate_number": {
    "outputs": {
      "random_number": "1"
    },
    "outcome": "success",
    "conclusion": "success"
  }
}

Example usage of the steps context

This example workflow generates a random number as an output in one step, and a later step uses the steps context to read the value of that output.

YAML

name: Generate random failure
on: push
jobs:
  randomly-failing-job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Generate 0 or 1
        id: generate_number
        run: echo "random_number=$(($RANDOM % 2))" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
      - name: Pass or fail
        run: |
          if [[ ${{ steps.generate_number.outputs.random_number }} == 0 ]]; then exit 0; else exit 1; fi

runner context

The runner context contains information about the runner that is executing the current job.

Example contents of the runner context

The following example context is from a Linux GitHub-hosted runner.

{
  "os": "Linux",
  "arch": "X64",
  "name": "GitHub Actions 2",
  "tool_cache": "/opt/hostedtoolcache",
  "temp": "/home/runner/work/_temp"
}

Example usage of the runner context

This example workflow uses the runner context to set the path to the temporary directory to write logs, and if the workflow fails, it uploads those logs as artifact.

YAML

name: Build
on: push

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Build with logs
        run: |
          mkdir ${{ runner.temp }}/build_logs
          echo "Logs from building" > ${{ runner.temp }}/build_logs/build.logs
          exit 1
      - name: Upload logs on fail
        if: ${{ failure() }}
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: Build failure logs
          path: ${{ runner.temp }}/build_logs

secrets context

The secrets context contains the names and values of secrets that are available to a workflow run. The secrets context is not available for composite actions due to security reasons. If you want to pass a secret to a composite action, you need to do it explicitly as an input. For more information about secrets, see Using secrets in GitHub Actions.

GITHUB_TOKEN is a secret that is automatically created for every workflow run, and is always included in the secrets context. For more information, see Automatic token authentication.

Warning

If a secret is used in a workflow job, GitHub automatically redacts secrets printed to the log. You should avoid printing secrets to the log intentionally.

Example contents of the secrets context

The following example contents of the secrets context shows the automatic GITHUB_TOKEN, as well as two other secrets available to the workflow run.

{
  "github_token": "***",
  "NPM_TOKEN": "***",
  "SUPERSECRET": "***"
}

Example usage of the secrets context

This example workflow uses the GitHub CLI, which requires the GITHUB_TOKEN as the value for the GH_TOKEN input parameter:

YAML

name: Open new issue
on: workflow_dispatch

jobs:
  open-issue:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      issues: write
    steps:
      - run: |
          gh issue --repo ${{ github.repository }} \
            create --title "Issue title" --body "Issue body"
        env:
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

strategy context

For workflows with a matrix, the strategy context contains information about the matrix execution strategy for the current job.

Example contents of the strategy context

The following example contents of the strategy context is from a matrix with four jobs, and is taken from the final job. Note the difference between the zero-based job-index number, and job-total which is not zero-based.

{
  "fail-fast": true,
  "job-index": 3,
  "job-total": 4,
  "max-parallel": 4
}

Example usage of the strategy context

This example workflow uses the strategy.job-index property to set a unique name for a log file for each job in a matrix.

YAML

name: Test strategy
on: push

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        test-group: [1, 2]
        node: [14, 16]
    steps:
      - run: echo "Mock test logs" > test-job-${{ strategy.job-index }}.txt
      - name: Upload logs
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: Build log for job ${{ strategy.job-index }}
          path: test-job-${{ strategy.job-index }}.txt

matrix context

For workflows with a matrix, the matrix context contains the matrix properties defined in the workflow file that apply to the current job. For example, if you configure a matrix with the os and node keys, the matrix context object includes the os and node properties with the values that are being used for the current job.

There are no standard properties in the matrix context, only those which are defined in the workflow file.

Example contents of the matrix context

The following example contents of the matrix context is from a job in a matrix that has the os and node matrix properties defined in the workflow. The job is executing the matrix combination of an ubuntu-latest OS and Node.js version 16.

{
  "os": "ubuntu-latest",
  "node": 16
}

Example usage of the matrix context

This example workflow creates a matrix with os and node keys. It uses the matrix.os property to set the runner type for each job, and uses the matrix.node property to set the Node.js version for each job.

YAML

name: Test matrix
on: push

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
        node: [14, 16]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
      - name: Output node version
        run: node --version

needs context

The needs context contains outputs from all jobs that are defined as a direct dependency of the current job. Note that this doesn't include implicitly dependent jobs (for example, dependent jobs of a dependent job). For more information on defining job dependencies, see Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions.

Example contents of the needs context

The following example contents of the needs context shows information for two jobs that the current job depends on.

{
  "build": {
    "result": "success",
    "outputs": {
      "build_id": "123456"
    }
  },
  "deploy": {
    "result": "failure",
    "outputs": {}
  }
}

Example usage of the needs context

This example workflow has three jobs: a build job that does a build, a deploy job that requires the build job, and a debug job that requires both the build and deploy jobs and runs only if there is a failure in the workflow. The deploy job also uses the needs context to access an output from the build job.

YAML

name: Build and deploy
on: push

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      build_id: ${{ steps.build_step.outputs.build_id }}
    steps:
      - name: Build
        id: build_step
        run: echo "build_id=$RANDOM" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
  deploy:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "Deploying build ${{ needs.build.outputs.build_id }}"
  debug:
    needs: [build, deploy]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: ${{ failure() }}
    steps:
      - run: echo "Failed to build and deploy"

inputs context

The inputs context contains input properties passed to an action, to a reusable workflow, or to a manually triggered workflow. For reusable workflows, the input names and types are defined in the workflow_call event configuration of a reusable workflow, and the input values are passed from jobs.<job_id>.with in an external workflow that calls the reusable workflow. For manually triggered workflows, the inputs are defined in the workflow_dispatch event configuration of a workflow.

The properties in the inputs context are defined in the workflow file. They are only available in a reusable workflow or in a workflow triggered by the workflow_dispatch event

Example contents of the inputs context

The following example contents of the inputs context is from a workflow that has defined the build_id, deploy_target, and perform_deploy inputs.

{
  "build_id": 123456768,
  "deploy_target": "deployment_sys_1a",
  "perform_deploy": true
}

Example usage of the inputs context in a reusable workflow

This example reusable workflow uses the inputs context to get the values of the build_id, deploy_target, and perform_deploy inputs that were passed to the reusable workflow from the caller workflow.

YAML

name: Reusable deploy workflow
on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      build_id:
        required: true
        type: number
      deploy_target:
        required: true
        type: string
      perform_deploy:
        required: true
        type: boolean

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: ${{ inputs.perform_deploy }}
    steps:
      - name: Deploy build to target
        run: echo "Deploying build:${{ inputs.build_id }} to target:${{ inputs.deploy_target }}"

Example usage of the inputs context in a manually triggered workflow

This example workflow triggered by a workflow_dispatch event uses the inputs context to get the values of the build_id, deploy_target, and perform_deploy inputs that were passed to the workflow.

YAML

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      build_id:
        required: true
        type: string
      deploy_target:
        required: true
        type: string
      perform_deploy:
        required: true
        type: boolean

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: ${{ inputs.perform_deploy }}
    steps:
      - name: Deploy build to target
        run: echo "Deploying build:${{ inputs.build_id }} to target:${{ inputs.deploy_target }}"