Actions Expiry Lint
A GitHub Actions workflow is the one file in a repository that rots without being edited.
The YAML does not change; the platform underneath it does. A runner image is removed, an
action's backing service is switched off, a Node line leaves maintenance — and the file that
passed last year now fails on the first line of the job.
This extension reads .github/workflows/*.yml and reports every line that has an expiry
date attached to it, together with the date itself and the line that replaces it.
The thirteen checks
| Check |
What it catches |
runner-retired |
runs-on names a runner image GitHub has already removed |
runner-retiring |
runs-on names an image whose removal date is still ahead |
runner-floating |
a -latest label, which GitHub repoints without touching your file |
action-shutdown |
an action major version whose backing service was switched off |
action-runtime-old |
an action major version built on a Node runtime the runners no longer ship |
action-archived |
an action repository that is archived and read-only |
action-unpinned |
uses: following a moving branch instead of a tag or a commit SHA |
node-eol |
node-version past its end-of-life date |
node-eol-soon |
node-version reaching end-of-life inside the 270-day notice window |
node-odd-release |
node-version on an odd-numbered line, which never becomes LTS |
cmd-set-output |
the ::set-output:: workflow command, disabled by the runner |
cmd-save-state |
the ::save-state:: workflow command, disabled by the runner |
cmd-set-env |
the ::set-env:: and ::add-path:: commands, disabled in November 2020 |
The as-of date
Every check is a date plus a replacement. The engine compares those dates against an
as-of day, which defaults to today. Move the date and the same file reports different
findings — that is the point of the tool, not a side effect of it.
The same ten-line workflow, unchanged:
as of 2024-06-01 4 findings, 1 error (ubuntu-20.04 retires in 318 days)
as of 2026-09-11 5 findings, 4 errors (ubuntu-20.04 was removed 514 days ago)
Free and paid
Free: Actions Expiry: Check This File runs all thirteen checks on the workflow open in
the editor, with full messages and full dates and no key. The same engine runs in the
browser at https://getreadystack.com/tools/actions-expiry-lint, with nothing uploaded.
Paid ($29 once, one key per person or team seat, 7-day full refund):
Actions Expiry: Sweep The Workspace walks every workflow in the repository in one
command and writes a dated actions-expiry-report.md you keep and attach to the change
ticket. Yardstick: contract DevOps work is commonly quoted at $75-$150 an hour, so one
licence is under half an hour of it.
The rule set
All dates live in one file, rules.json, marked with a revision date. Findings are
advisory and quote GitHub's published retirement and Node's published release schedule;
they are not legal or contractual advice. Rule set revision 2026.09, revised
2026-09-11.
