---
name: Actions Failure Analyzer
slug: actions-failure-analyzer
category: DevOps
description: "Actions Failure Analyzer investigates a failed GitHub Actions workflow run and identifies the specific root cause. It checks the job's recent history for flakiness, traces the breaking commit, and searches for open PRs that may already fix the issue."
github: "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips/tree/main/skills/gha"
language: HTML
stars: 9620
forks: 764
install: "npx degit https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips/tree/main/skills/gha ~/.claude/skills/gha"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/gha
source_path: skills/gha/SKILL.md
collection_size: 9
category_size: 798
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/ykdojo/claude-code-tips"
added: 2026-08-15T06:50:36.916Z
last_synced: 2026-08-15T06:50:36.916Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/actions-failure-analyzer"
---

# Actions Failure Analyzer

Actions Failure Analyzer investigates a failed GitHub Actions workflow run and identifies the specific root cause. It checks the job's recent history for flakiness, traces the breaking commit, and searches for open PRs that may already fix the issue.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips/tree/main/skills/gha ~/.claude/skills/gha
```

## README

Investigate this GitHub Actions URL: $ARGUMENTS

Use the gh CLI to analyze this workflow run. Your investigation should:

1. **Get basic info & identify actual failure**:
   - What workflow/job failed, when, and on which commit?
   - CRITICAL: Read the full logs carefully to find what SPECIFICALLY caused the exit code 1
   - Distinguish between warnings/non-fatal errors vs actual failures
   - Look for patterns like "failing:", "fatal:", or script logic that determines when to exit 1
   - If you see both "non-fatal" and "fatal" errors, focus on what actually caused the failure

2. **Check flakiness**: Check the past 10-20 runs of THE EXACT SAME failing job:
   - IMPORTANT: If a workflow has multiple jobs, you must check history for the SPECIFIC JOB that failed, not just the workflow
   - Use `gh run list --workflow=<workflow-name>` to get run IDs, then `gh run view <run-id> --json jobs` to check the specific job's status
   - Is this a one-time failure or recurring pattern for THIS SPECIFIC JOB?
   - What's the success rate for THIS JOB recently?
   - When did THIS JOB last pass?

3. **Identify breaking commit** (if there's a pattern of failures for the specific job):
   - Find the first run where THIS SPECIFIC JOB failed and the last run where it passed
   - Identify the commit that introduced the failure
   - Verify by checking: does THIS JOB fail in ALL runs after that commit? Does it pass in ALL runs before?
   - If verified, report the breaking commit with high confidence

4. **Root cause**: Based on logs, history, and any breaking commit, what's the likely cause?
   - Focus on what ACTUALLY caused the failure (not just any errors you see)
   - Verify your hypothesis against the logs and failure logic

5. **Check for existing fix PRs**: Search for open PRs that might already address this issue:
   - Use `gh pr list --state open --search "<keywords>"` with relevant error messages or file names
   - Check if any open PR modifies the failing file/workflow
   - If a fix PR exists, note it in your report and skip the recommendation section

Write a final report with:
- Summary of failure (what specifically triggered the exit code 1)
- Flakiness assessment (one-time vs recurring, success rate)
- Breaking commit (if identified and verified)
- Root cause analysis (based on the ACTUAL failure trigger)
- Existing fix PR (if found - include PR number and link)
- Recommendation (skip if fix PR already exists)