GitHub Actions FAQ Collection (Part 1)

Question 1: What If the Workflow Doesn’t Trigger?

This is the confusion beginners run into most often with GitHub Actions — you clearly pushed your code, yet the Workflow never ran.

Troubleshooting checklist:

1. Is the file path correct? It must be under the .github/workflows/ directory, and the file extension must be .yml or .yaml
2. Are you on the right branch? The Workflow file must exist on the branch where the triggering event happens. For example, if you push on the feature branch but the Workflow file only exists on the main branch, it won’t trigger
3. Is the event configured correctly? Check the conditions under on:

A common mistake:

# Wrong: only writes on, with no specific event
on: push

# Correct
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

Also, if your repository is a Fork, Workflows are not enabled automatically by default; you have to enable them manually by clicking on the Actions page.

Question 2: How Do I Share Data Between Different Jobs?

GitHub Actions uses artifacts to pass data between Jobs:

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "hello" > output.txt
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: build-output
          path: output.txt

  test:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: build-output
      - run: cat output.txt

Key points:

• upload-artifact uploads build outputs
• download-artifact downloads build outputs
• needs: build ensures test runs after build

Question 3: How Do I Cache Dependencies to Speed Up Builds?

Use actions/cache:

- name: Cache node_modules
  uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: ~/.npm
    key: $-node-$
    restore-keys: |
      $-node-

- name: Install dependencies
  run: npm ci

The design of key is the key: hashFiles ensures the cache is automatically invalidated when the dependency file changes.

Question 4: How Do I Use Secrets?

Sensitive information is managed through GitHub Secrets:

Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

Usage:

- name: Deploy
  env:
    SSH_KEY: $
    API_TOKEN: $
  run: ./deploy.sh

Note: Secrets are automatically masked in logs, but don’t print them in scripts with echo $SECRET.

Question 5: How Much Free Quota Do Workflows Get?

Afterword

GitHub Actions is easy to get started with, but once you go deeper you’ll find its capabilities far exceed your expectations. From simple CI to complex multi-cloud deployments, scheduled jobs and automated operations, it can handle it all.

Hitting pitfalls is part of learning, and writing things down is the ladder of growth. I hope these answers to common questions help you avoid a few detours.

A small step forward every day is a new height!