🚀 GitHub Actions Runner for VS Code

Run and monitor GitHub Actions workflows directly from VS Code — no browser needed.

Dispatch workflows with dynamic inputs, monitor runs in real-time, save presets, and view logs/artifacts without leaving your editor.

🎬 See It in Action

Watch the extension in action: Dispatch workflows, fill dynamic inputs, monitor runs in real-time — all without leaving VS Code.

💡 Why Use GitHub Actions Runner?

⚡ Stay in Your Flow

Stop switching between VS Code and GitHub's web UI. Dispatch workflows, monitor runs, and view logs without breaking your development flow.

🎯 Smart & Dynamic

• Auto-generated forms from your workflow YAML — no manual configuration
• Intelligent input recovery — rerun workflows with prefilled inputs from previous runs
• Branch auto-detection — automatically uses your current Git branch
• File path detection — browse and select files with VS Code's native picker

💾 Reusable Presets

Save workflow configurations as named presets (e.g., "Staging Deploy", "Production Release") and dispatch them with one click. Export/import presets to share with your team.

⭐ Favorites & Quick Access

Mark frequently used workflows as favorites for instant access. Pin workflows to filter runs and find what matters most.

📊 Real-Time Monitoring

• Live status updates with color-coded indicators
• Filter by workflow, branch, PR, or marked workflows
• View logs directly in VS Code editor
• Download artifacts with one click
• Rerun failed jobs or entire workflows

🔐 Secure & Flexible

• GitHub OAuth or Personal Access Token (PAT) authentication
• Secure token storage using VS Code SecretStorage
• Works with any GitHub repository

🚀 Quick Start

1️⃣ Install the Extension

Install from the VS Code Marketplace or search for "GitHub Actions Runner" in VS Code.

2️⃣ Authenticate with GitHub

1. Click the GitHub Actions Runner icon in the sidebar
2. Click "Sign in with GitHub" or "Use Personal Access Token"
3. If using PAT, create one with workflow scope at github.com/settings/tokens

3️⃣ Dispatch Your First Workflow

1. Open a repository with GitHub Actions workflows
2. Select a workflow from the dropdown (only workflow_dispatch workflows are shown)
3. Fill in any required inputs
4. Select a branch (defaults to your current branch)
5. Click "Dispatch Workflow" 🚀

4️⃣ Monitor Workflow Runs

1. Click "Open Workflow Runs" to view all runs
2. Filter by workflow, branch, PR, or marked workflows
3. Click "View Logs" to see job logs in VS Code
4. Click "Download Artifacts" to download build artifacts
5. Click "Rerun" to rerun workflows with smart input recovery

5️⃣ Save Presets for Quick Access

1. Fill in workflow inputs
2. Click the 💾 quick save icon or "Save preset"
3. Give it a name (e.g., "Production Deploy")
4. Load it anytime from the preset dropdown

Pro Tip: Use Export/Import to share presets with your team!

📸 Screenshots

Workflow Dispatch

Select workflows, fill inputs, and dispatch with one click

Workflow Runs

Monitor runs in real-time with powerful filters

Preset Management

Save and load workflow configurations as reusable presets

Favorites

Quick access to frequently used workflows

Marked Workflows

Pin workflows for easy filtering and quick access

Logs View

View workflow logs directly in VS Code editor

✨ Features

🔧 Workflow Runs Panel

🔍 Advanced Filtering & Auto-Refresh

👁️ Watched Runs

• Watch Important Runs — Mark any run as "watched" to track it regardless of filters
• Persistent Tracking — Watched runs persist across sessions (up to 20 per repository)
• Dedicated Filter — Toggle "Watched Runs Only" to see all your tracked runs

💾 Presets & Templates

• Save Presets — Save workflow configurations with custom names (e.g., "Staging Deploy")
• Quick Load — Select presets from dropdown to populate inputs instantly
• Export/Import — Share presets with your team via JSON export
• Workflow History — Track your dispatched workflows and rerun with one click

⭐ Favorites System

• Mark Favorites — Star frequently used workflows for instant access
• Pre-filled Inputs — Automatically populate workflow inputs from favorites
• Workspace/Global Scope — Choose between workspace-specific or global storage
• Visual Cards — Browse favorites with workflow name, repository, and branch info

📁 File Path Detection

• Auto-Detection — Detects file path parameters based on configurable keywords
• Native File Picker — Browse and select files using VS Code's file picker
• Smart Paths — Uses workspace-relative paths when possible
• Size Warnings — Warnings for large files (configurable threshold)

🔐 Authentication

• OAuth Support — Use VS Code's built-in GitHub authentication (recommended)
• PAT Support — Personal Access Token with workflow scope
• Secure Storage — Tokens stored in VS Code SecretStorage (encrypted)
• User Display — Shows authenticated GitHub username with profile icon

🔔 Notifications

• Desktop Notifications — Get notified when workflows complete
• Configurable Alerts — Choose when to receive notifications (success/failure)
• Non-Intrusive — Stay informed without switching contexts

⚙️ Configuration

Access settings via File > Preferences > Settings and search for "GitHub Actions Runner". You can also open settings directly from the Sidebar using the ⚙️ Settings button in the Repository Configuration section.

Repository Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.repository.owner: Repository owner/organization (auto-detected)
• githubWorkflowRunner.repository.name: Repository name (auto-detected)
• githubWorkflowRunner.repository.manualOwner: Manual override for repository owner
• githubWorkflowRunner.repository.manualName: Manual override for repository name
• githubWorkflowRunner.defaultBranch: Default branch for dispatch

Note: Repository settings can be configured directly in the sidebar UI. Manual overrides take precedence over auto-detection.

Monitoring Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.monitoring.autoRefresh: Enable auto-refresh
• githubWorkflowRunner.monitoring.refreshInterval: Refresh interval (seconds)
• githubWorkflowRunner.monitoring.maxRuns: Max runs to display

UI Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.ui.confirmBeforeDispatch: Show confirmation dialog
• githubWorkflowRunner.ui.rememberLastWorkflow: Remember last workflow

Git Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.git.autoDetectBranch: Auto-detect current branch

Notification Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.notifications.enabled: Enable notifications
• githubWorkflowRunner.notifications.onSuccess: Notify on success
• githubWorkflowRunner.notifications.onFailure: Notify on failure

Authentication Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.authentication.method: Authentication method to use. Options:
  • auto (default): Try OAuth first, fall back to PAT
  • oauth: Use VS Code's built-in GitHub authentication (recommended)
  • pat: Use Personal Access Token only

Workflow Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.workflows.excludePatterns: Array of glob-like patterns to exclude workflows from the list (e.g., ["**/experimental-*", "**/legacy.yml"]). Default: []

Favorites Settings

• githubWorkflowRunner.favorites.scope: Storage scope for favorites, either workspace (per-workspace) or global (across all workspaces). Default: workspace
• githubWorkflowRunner.favoriteRepositories: Array of favorite repositories to show in the repository selector. Each item is an object { owner: string, name: string }.

Example:

{
  "githubWorkflowRunner.favoriteRepositories": [
    { "owner": "my-org", "name": "service-a" },
    { "owner": "my-org", "name": "service-b" }
  ]
}

File Path Detection

• githubWorkflowRunner.filePathDetection.enabled: Enable automatic file path parameter detection. Default: true
• githubWorkflowRunner.filePathDetection.keywords: Keywords used to detect file path-like inputs. Default: ["path", "file", "config", "script", "template", "yaml", "json"]
• githubWorkflowRunner.filePathDetection.preferRelativePaths: Prefer workspace-relative paths when possible. Default: true
• githubWorkflowRunner.filePathDetection.warnSizeThreshold: File size threshold (bytes) above which a warning is shown when loading file contents. Default: 1048576 (1MB)
• githubWorkflowRunner.filePathDetection.maxFileSize: Maximum file size (bytes) allowed when loading a file content into an input. Default: 10485760 (10MB)

Logs

• githubWorkflowRunner.logs.debug: Enable verbose debug logging for fetching job logs and artifacts. Default: false

🎮 Commands

🏗️ Architecture

Documentation

For detailed architecture documentation, see:

• 📘 Complete Architecture Guide - Comprehensive guide with embedded diagrams, code examples, and detailed explanations
• Workflow Runs Filtering System - Detailed implementation guide
• Architecture Diagrams - Standalone Mermaid diagrams

Supported Input Types

• string: Text input field
• choice: Dropdown select with options
• boolean: Checkbox
• number: Number input
• environment: Environment selector (if defined)

Workflow Requirements

Workflows must have a workflow_dispatch trigger with optional inputs:

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: 'Environment to deploy'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - dev
          - staging
          - production
      version:
        description: 'Version to deploy'
        required: true
        type: string
      dry_run:
        description: 'Perform dry run'
        required: false
        type: boolean
        default: false

🔧 Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

• Verify token has workflow scope
• Try signing out and back in

Workflow Not Found

• Ensure workflow has workflow_dispatch trigger
• Check workflow file is in .github/workflows/
• Verify YAML syntax is valid

Branch Not Detected

• Ensure you're in a Git repository
• Check Git extension is enabled in VS Code
• Verify repository has commits

Git Context Changed Warning

If you see a warning about "Git repository or branch has changed":

• This occurs when you switch branches or repositories while the extension is open
• Click the "Reload" button in the sidebar to refresh the extension state
• This safety feature prevents accidentally dispatching workflows to the wrong branch/repository

📝 License

Apache-2.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

💖 Sponsor

If you find this extension helpful, please consider sponsoring my work! Your support helps me:

• ⏰ Dedicate more time to development and maintenance
• 🐛 Fix bugs and improve stability faster
• ✨ Build new features requested by the community
• 📚 Create better documentation and tutorials

Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated! 🙏

📞 Support

For issues or questions, please open an issue on GitHub.