github-actions-workflow_skill

Overview

This skill generates production-ready GitHub Actions workflow YAML files for CI/CD pipelines, covering testing, building, and deployments. It outputs valid .github/workflows/*.yml files using current GitHub Actions syntax and sensible defaults for Node.js, Python, Docker, releases, scheduled tasks, and reusable workflows.

How this skill works

Given a prompt like "create GitHub Actions workflow for Node.js with testing and Docker deploy", the skill emits a complete workflow YAML file with triggers, jobs, steps, environment variables, and artifact handling. It follows common patterns (matrix strategies, service containers, caching, conditional steps) and verifies basic validation items such as name/on triggers, unique job names, checkout usage, and secrets referenced via ${{ secrets.NAME }}.

When to use it

• You need a ready-to-run CI pipeline for Node.js, Python, or Docker images.
• You want a release workflow that creates GitHub Releases and publishes packages.
• You require scheduled maintenance tasks or daily dependency/security checks.
• You need reusable deploy workflows called from multiple pipelines.
• You want workflows with test matrices, service containers (Postgres/Redis), and caching configured.

Best practices

• Include checkout@v4 and explicit action versions to ensure reproducible runs.
• Use environment variables and secrets for credentials; never inline secrets.
• Add concurrency groups and cancel-in-progress to avoid redundant runs.
• Use matrix and exclude patterns to test multiple environments efficiently.
• Upload build artifacts between jobs and limit retention for storage control.

Example use cases

• Node.js CI with lint -> test (Postgres/Redis) -> build -> deploy to staging/main branches.
• Docker build-and-push workflow that builds multi-platform images and pushes to ghcr.io on tags.
• Python CI with poetry: test matrix across Python versions, linting, coverage upload to Codecov.
• Release workflow that generates changelog, creates GitHub release, and publishes to NPM or PyPI.
• Scheduled workflow that runs daily dependency checks and deletes old workflow runs.