Actionlint

actionlint

actionlint is a static analysis tool for GitHub Actions workflow files. Always run it after generating or modifying workflows and resolve every finding before completing.

Install

Linux (pinned, checksum-verified)

ACTIONLINT_VERSION="1.7.11"
curl -fsSLO "https://github.com/rhysd/actionlint/releases/download/v${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}/actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.tar.gz"
curl -fsSLO "https://github.com/rhysd/actionlint/releases/download/v${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}/actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_checksums.txt"
sha256sum --check --ignore-missing "actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_checksums.txt"
# Optional: gh attestation verify --repo rhysd/actionlint "actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.tar.gz"
tar xzf "actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.tar.gz" -C /tmp actionlint
sudo install -m 755 /tmp/actionlint /usr/local/bin/actionlint
rm "actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.tar.gz" "actionlint_${ACTIONLINT_VERSION}_checksums.txt"

macOS

brew install actionlint

Verify install

actionlint --version

Run

# Lint all workflows
actionlint .github/workflows/*.yml

# Lint a specific file
actionlint .github/workflows/ci.yml

# Capture output for the migration report
actionlint .github/workflows/*.yml 2>&1 | tee /tmp/actionlint-output.txt

Zero output = no errors. Any output must be resolved.

Output format

path/to/workflow.yml:LINE:COL: ERROR MESSAGE [rule-name]
   |
NN | <offending line>
   |       ^~~~

Each finding shows the file, line/column, a human-readable message, the rule name in [brackets], and a code snippet pointing at the problem.

Common errors and fixes

pin-actions — action not pinned to a commit SHA

workflow.yml:10:9: action "actions/checkout@v4" is not pinned to a commit SHA [pin-actions]

Fix: resolve the SHA for the version tag and pin to it. Use mcp_github_get_tag to get the SHA, then:

# Before
- uses: actions/checkout@v4

# After — SHA for v4.1.7, from mcp_github_get_tag on actions/checkout
# actions/checkout v4.1.7
- uses: actions/checkout@692973e3d937129bcbf40652eb9f2f61becf3332

shellcheck — shell script issues in run: steps

workflow.yml:12:9: shellcheck reported issue in this script: SC2086: ...

Fix: quote variables, use ${{ }} for expressions, follow the shellcheck suggestion inline.

action — unknown or malformed uses: reference

workflow.yml:8:9: can't parse action "owner/repo" [action]

Fix: ensure uses: owner/repo@SHA with a valid pinned SHA. Verify the action exists on GitHub Marketplace.

expression — invalid ${{ }} syntax

workflow.yml:20:14: unexpected end of expression [expression]

Fix: check bracket balance, quoting, and that context/property names are spelled correctly (e.g. github.event.pull_request.head.sha).

events — invalid trigger or event filter

workflow.yml:3:5: unknown event "pull-request" [events]

Fix: use the exact GitHub event name (pull_request, not pull-request). Check the events docs.

permissions — invalid permission scope or value

workflow.yml:6:5: unknown permission scope "pull-requests" [permissions]

Fix: permission keys are hyphenated (pull-requests, id-token); values must be read, write, or none.

job-needs — needs: references a job that doesn't exist

workflow.yml:30:12: job "build" is not defined [job-needs]

Fix: ensure the job ID in needs: exactly matches a defined job key.

credentials — username/password used without both fields

workflow.yml:18:9: "password" is required if "username" is set in credentials [credentials]

Fix: provide both username and password in the credentials: block, or remove both.

deprecated — deprecated context or syntax

workflow.yml:25:14: "github.event.action" is not available for this event [deprecated]

Fix: follow the suggestion in the message to use the current equivalent.

Iterating to zero errors

1. Run actionlint, read every finding.
2. Fix the highest-severity / most upstream issues first (parse errors before logic errors).
3. Re-run after each batch of fixes.
4. Paste the final clean run output (or No issues found) into the migration report under Validation Results.

Troubleshooting