https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action
📢 Publish your JavaScript/TypeScript-based GitHub Actions
https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action
actions github javascript node-action
Last synced: 22 days ago
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📢 Publish your JavaScript/TypeScript-based GitHub Actions
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action
- Owner: joshjohanning
- License: mit
- Created: 2023-12-03T20:11:35.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-15T21:24:41.000Z (2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-15T21:26:26.110Z (2 months ago)
- Topics: actions, github, javascript, node-action
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage:
- Size: 6.81 MB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 5
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Publish GitHub Action
[](https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action/releases)
[](https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/supply-chain-security/understanding-your-software-supply-chain/immutable-releases)
[](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/publish-github-action-with-ncc)
[](https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action/actions/workflows/publish.yml)
This action creates a release branch for your GitHub Actions which will be automatically tagged and released. The release version can be defined in `package.json`.
Based on the [tgymnich/publish-github-action](https://github.com/tgymnich/publish-github-action) action, but I wanted further customization and control over the release process (i.e.: adding `ncc` output and not committing `node_modules` directory).
## What's new
Please refer to the [release page](https://github.com/joshjohanning/publish-github-action/releases) for the latest release notes.
## Features
- 🔐 **Verified Commits** - Uses GitHub API to create verified commits (when `commit_node_modules` is `false`)
- 🏷️ **Annotated Tags** - Creates annotated tags via Git CLI with atomic updates (no downtime)
- 🌐 **Multi-instance Support** - API URL defaults to the environment you are running in; works with GitHub.com, GitHub Enterprise Server, and GHE.com
- 📦 **Flexible Build** - Automatically installs production dependencies and supports custom build commands
- 🗂️ **Selective Commits** - Choose which files to include (dist, node_modules, or both)
## Inputs
| Input | Description | Required | Default |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ----------------------- |
| `github_token` | Token for the GitHub API | Yes | - |
| `github_api_url` | GitHub API URL (e.g., `https://api.github.com` for GitHub.com or `https://ghes.domain.com/api/v3` for GHES) | No | `${{ github.api_url }}` |
| `npm_package_command` | Command to build the action | No | `npm run package` |
| `commit_node_modules` | Whether to commit `node_modules` folder. **Note:** When set to `true`, commits will NOT be verified due to API limitations with large file counts | No | `false` |
| `commit_dist_folder` | Whether to commit `dist` folder | No | `true` |
| `publish_minor_version` | Whether to publish minor version tag (e.g., `v1.2`) | No | `false` |
| `publish_release_branch` | Whether to publish release branch (e.g., `releases/v1.2.3`) | No | `false` |
| `create_release_as_draft` | Whether to create release as draft to allow review of the release before publishing; useful with [immutable releases](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/how-tos/create-and-publish-actions/using-immutable-releases-and-tags-to-manage-your-actions-releases) where changes cannot be made after publishing | No | `false` |
| `draft_release_pr_reminder` | Post a reminder comment on the merged PR when creating a draft release | No | `false` |
| `comment_on_linked_issues` | Comment on closed issues linked to PRs in the release notes to notify followers of the release (uses GraphQL `closingIssuesReferences`; idempotent — updates existing comment on rerun). Comments are posted for both published and draft releases; the comment is updated if the version changes on a subsequent run. | No | `false` |
### Commit Signing Behavior
- ✅ **Verified commits** (signed by GitHub) when `commit_node_modules: false` - Uses GitHub API for commits; tags are created locally via Git CLI
- ❌ **Unverified commits** when `commit_node_modules: true` - Uses Git CLI due to API limitations with large file counts
### Build and File Management
The action automatically handles clean builds and file management:
- **Dist folder cleaning**: When `commit_dist_folder: true` and `npm_package_command` is specified, the `dist/` folder is cleaned before building to ensure no stale files persist
- **Automatic file deletion**: The action removes `.github/` files from release commits and properly handles renamed/deleted files in the `dist/` folder
## Permissions
The action requires specific permissions depending on features used:
| Permission | Required | Purpose |
| ---------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `contents: write` | Yes | Push tags and create releases |
| `pull-requests: write` | No | Post reminder comment on merged PR (`draft_release_pr_reminder: true`) |
| `issues: write` | No | Comment on linked issues (`comment_on_linked_issues: true`) |
Example with all permissions:
```yml
permissions:
contents: write
pull-requests: write # only needed if using draft_release_pr_reminder
issues: write # only needed if using comment_on_linked_issues
```
## Example Workflow
> [!NOTE]
> The `install ncc` step is only needed if `@vercel/ncc` is not in your `package.json` devDependencies. If you already have it as a dev dependency, you can skip this step.
```yml
name: 'Publish GitHub Action'
on:
push:
branches:
- main
jobs:
publish:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v6
- name: install ncc
run: npm i -g @vercel/ncc
- uses: joshjohanning/publish-github-action@v3
with:
github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
npm_package_command: npm run package
commit_node_modules: false
commit_dist_folder: true
publish_minor_version: false
publish_release_branch: false
create_release_as_draft: false
draft_release_pr_reminder: true
```