Github Actions is not startinig

[zalam003]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Question

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

Workflow Deployment

Discussion Details

On push, actions pipeline is not starting. I do not see anything that shows there is an issue. It have been over 2 hours and nothing is in the Actions tab

[OverclockedSenku]

Hi @zalam003,

It might be a configuration issue with your workflow triggers. If you don't see anything in the Actions tab, it usually means GitHub isn't recognizing the event to start a workflow.

Could you share your .yml file? It would help to see how your on: triggers are defined.

Also, double-check that your branch names match exactly. For example:

name: CI Workflow

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main  # Make sure this matches your default branch name
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: echo "Workflow triggered successfully!"

Also, check the workflow file is located at directory: .github/workflows/

[l3shzn]

If your workflow isn’t starting on push, the most common reasons are usually related to the workflow file itself rather than GitHub Actions being down. A few things to check:

• Make sure your workflow file is located in .github/workflows/ and has the correct .yml or .yaml extension.
• Confirm that the on: trigger is set correctly. For example:
  on:
  push:
  branches:
  - main
• Check that the branch name in your trigger matches the branch you are pushing to.
• Ensure the workflow file is committed to the repository’s default branch (usually main/master). If it only exists in another branch, Actions won’t run until it’s merged.
• If you just created the workflow, sometimes the first run only happens after a new commit is pushed to the branch that matches the trigger.

If all of these look correct, try pushing a small change to the branch again. That usually forces the workflow to start.

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[hardikkaurani]

Hi,

If nothing appears in the Actions tab after a push, the issue is usually related to workflow triggers, repository settings, or branch configuration rather than the runner itself.

Here are the main things I would check first:

1. Verify the workflow file location

Make sure the workflow file is inside:

.github/workflows/

GitHub only detects workflows from this exact directory.

Reference:
https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions

2. Check the trigger configuration

Confirm that your YAML file contains a valid trigger such as:

on:
push:

or

on:
push:
branches:
- main

If the workflow only listens to a specific branch and you are pushing to another branch, the workflow will not start.

3. Confirm Actions are enabled for the repository

Go to:

Settings → Actions → General

Then verify:
• Actions are enabled
• Workflow permissions are not restricted
• The repository policy allows GitHub Actions to run

Guide:
https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/enabling-features-for-your-repository/disabling-or-limiting-github-actions-for-a-repository

4. Validate the YAML syntax

Even a small indentation problem can prevent GitHub from recognizing the workflow correctly.

You can validate YAML formatting here:
https://www.yamllint.com/

5. Check whether the default branch changed

If the repository recently switched from master to main (or vice versa), your workflow may still be targeting the old branch name.

6. Try a minimal test workflow

Create a very small workflow to confirm Actions are functioning correctly:

name: Test Workflow

on:
push:

jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:
  - name: Test
    run: echo "GitHub Actions working"

If this workflow runs, then the issue is likely inside your original configuration.

If possible, share your workflow YAML file as well. That would make it easier to identify the exact issue.