# Laurigates Claude Plugins Github Actions Cache Optimization > GitHub Actions Cache Optimization - Skill: `tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-github-actions-cache-optimization` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-github-actions-cache-optimization` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-github-actions-cache-optimization/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-github-actions-cache-optimization --- # GitHub Actions Cache Optimization Analyze cache usage, identify bloat, and optimize cache strategies for GitHub Actions. ## When to Use This Skill | Use this skill when... | Use X instead when... | |------------------------|----------------------| | Analyzing cache size and count | Investigating workflow run failures → gh-workflow-monitoring | | Identifying stale or bloated caches | Analyzing billing/minutes → github-actions-finops | | Optimizing cache key strategies | Setting up new cache actions → github-actions-workflows | | Cleaning up old caches | General workflow efficiency → github-actions-finops | ## Cache Limits | Limit | Value | |-------|-------| | Max cache size | 10 GB per repository | | Max single entry | 10 GB | | Retention | 7 days without access | | Eviction | LRU when limit exceeded | ## Org-Level Cache Usage ```bash # Total cache usage across org gh api /orgs/$GITHUB_ORG/actions/cache/usage \ --jq '{total_active_caches_count, total_active_caches_size_in_bytes}' # Formatted output gh api /orgs/$GITHUB_ORG/actions/cache/usage \ --jq '"\(.total_active_caches_count) caches, \(.total_active_caches_size_in_bytes / 1024 / 1024 | floor)MB total"' ``` ## Per-Repo Cache Usage ### Cache Summary ```bash # Basic cache stats for repo gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/cache/usage" \ --jq '{active_caches_count, active_caches_size_in_bytes}' # Formatted gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/cache/usage" \ --jq '"\(.active_caches_count) caches, \(.active_caches_size_in_bytes / 1024 / 1024 | floor)MB"' ``` ### Cache List and Breakdown ```bash # List all caches gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq '.actions_caches[] | "\(.key): \(.size_in_bytes / 1024 / 1024 | floor)MB, last used: \(.last_accessed_at)"' # Group by key prefix (first 3 segments) gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq '.actions_caches | group_by(.key | split("-") | .[0:3] | join("-")) | map({prefix: .[0].key | split("-") | .[0:3] | join("-"), count: length, size_mb: (map(.size_in_bytes) | add / 1024 / 1024 | floor)}) | sort_by(-.size_mb)' # Caches by branch gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq '.actions_caches | group_by(.ref) | map({branch: .[0].ref, count: length, size_mb: (map(.size_in_bytes) | add / 1024 / 1024 | floor)}) | sort_by(-.size_mb)' ``` ### Stale Cache Detection ```bash # Caches not accessed in 7+ days (candidates for cleanup) gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq --arg cutoff "$(date -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \ '.actions_caches[] | select(.last_accessed_at < $cutoff) | "\(.key): \(.size_in_bytes / 1024 / 1024 | floor)MB, last: \(.last_accessed_at)"' # macOS date variant gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq --arg cutoff "$(date -v-7d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \ '.actions_caches[] | select(.last_accessed_at < $cutoff) | ...' ``` ## Cache Cleanup ### Delete Specific Cache ```bash # Delete cache by ID gh api -X DELETE "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches/$CACHE_ID" # Delete cache by key (exact match) gh api -X DELETE "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?key=$CACHE_KEY" ``` ### Bulk Cleanup ```bash # Delete all caches for a specific branch gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100&ref=refs/heads/$BRANCH" \ --jq '.actions_caches[].id' | while read id; do gh api -X DELETE "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches/$id" done # Delete caches matching key prefix gh api "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq '.actions_caches[] | select(.key | startswith("PREFIX-")) | .id' | while read id; do gh api -X DELETE "/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/caches/$id" done ``` ## Cache Bloat Indicators | Indicator | Threshold | Issue | |-----------|-----------|-------| | Total size | >5 GB | Approaching 10GB limit | | Cache count | >50 | Too many keys/branches | | Stale caches | >20% older than 7d | Inefficient key strategy | | Single cache | >2 GB | Consider splitting | | Branch caches | Many closed PR branches | Missing cleanup workflow | ## Cache Key Strategies ### Good Key Patterns ```yaml # OS + lockfile hash (recommended) key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }} # With restore keys for partial matches restore-keys: | ${{ runner.os }}-node- # Include tool version key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-${{ matrix.node-version }}-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }} ``` ### Problematic Patterns | Pattern | Issue | Fix | |---------|-------|-----| | `${{ github.sha }}` in key | Never reused | Use lockfile hash | | `${{ github.run_id }}` | Never reused | Remove from key | | No `restore-keys` | Cache misses | Add fallback keys | | Branch in key | PR cache bloat | Use base branch fallback | ## Cache Cleanup Workflow Add to repository for automatic cleanup: ```yaml name: Cache Cleanup on: pull_request: types: [closed] schedule: - cron: '0 0 * * 0' # Weekly jobs: cleanup: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Cleanup PR caches if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' run: | gh api "/repos/${{ github.repository }}/actions/caches?ref=refs/heads/${{ github.head_ref }}" \ --jq '.actions_caches[].id' | while read id; do gh api -X DELETE "/repos/${{ github.repository }}/actions/caches/$id" || true done env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} - name: Cleanup stale caches if: github.event_name == 'schedule' run: | # Delete caches not accessed in 14 days cutoff=$(date -d '14 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) gh api "/repos/${{ github.repository }}/actions/caches?per_page=100" \ --jq --arg cutoff "$cutoff" \ '.actions_caches[] | select(.last_accessed_at < $cutoff) | .id' | while read id; do gh api -X DELETE "/repos/${{ github.repository }}/actions/caches/$id" || true done env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} ``` ## Multi-Repo Cache Comparison ```bash # Compare cache usage across repos for repo in repo1 repo2 repo3; do echo "=== $repo ===" gh api "/repos/$GITHUB_ORG/$repo/actions/cache/usage" \ --jq '"\(.active_caches_count) caches, \(.active_caches_size_in_bytes / 1024 / 1024 | floor)MB"' done # Full org scan gh repo list $GITHUB_ORG --json nameWithOwner --limit 100 --jq '.[].nameWithOwner' | while read repo; do size=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/actions/cache/usage" --jq '.active_caches_size_in_bytes // 0' 2>/dev/null) if [ "$size" -gt 0 ]; then echo "$repo: $((size / 1024 / 1024))MB" fi done | sort -t: -k2 -n -r | head -20 ``` ## Agentic Optimizations | Context | Command | |---------|---------| | Org total | `gh api /orgs/$ORG/actions/cache/usage --jq '.total_active_caches_size_in_bytes / 1024 / 1024 \| floor'` | | Repo summary | `gh api "/repos/$O/$R/actions/cache/usage" --jq '"\(.active_caches_count) caches, \(.active_caches_size_in_bytes / 1048576 \| floor)MB"'` | | List caches | `gh api "/repos/$O/$R/actions/caches?per_page=30" --jq '.actions_caches[] \| "\(.key): \(.size_in_bytes / 1048576 \| floor)MB"'` | | By prefix | `gh api "..." --jq '.actions_caches \| group_by(.key \| split("-") \| .[0]) \| map({prefix: .[0].key \| split("-") \| .[0], count: length})'` | | Delete cache | `gh api -X DELETE "/repos/$O/$R/actions/caches/$ID"` | ## Quick Reference | API Endpoint | Method | Purpose | |--------------|--------|---------| | `/orgs/{org}/actions/cache/usage` | GET | Org-wide cache stats | | `/repos/{owner}/{repo}/actions/cache/usage` | GET | Repo cache stats | | `/repos/{owner}/{repo}/actions/caches` | GET | List all caches | | `/repos/{owner}/{repo}/actions/caches/{id}` | DELETE | Delete specific cache | | `/repos/{owner}/{repo}/actions/caches?key={key}` | DELETE | Delete by key | ## See Also - **github-actions-finops** - Billing and workflow efficiency analysis - **gh-workflow-monitoring** - Watching workflow runs --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/laurigates) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.