How to download artifacts from another repository in GitHub Actions?

Use the github-token input with a token that has actions:read permissions on the target repo, and specify the repository and run-id inputs. This allows seamless cross-repo artifact retrieval, as shown in the cross-repository example.

download-artifact vs using the GitHub API directly?

download-artifact abstracts the API calls, handles authentication, and provides convenient inputs like pattern filtering and merge options. Direct API use offers more control but requires manual implementation and error handling.

How to preserve file permissions when downloading artifacts?

Upload files as a tar archive with archive: false in upload-artifact@v7+, then download them directly without extraction. The README provides a specific example using tar to maintain executable permissions.

Can I filter which artifacts to download by name pattern?

Yes, use the pattern input with glob patterns to download only matching artifacts. Combine with merge-multiple to control whether they are extracted into separate directories or merged into one.

Is download-artifact v8 supported on GitHub Enterprise Server?

No, for GHES you must use v3 or v3-node20. v4+ is not currently supported, so check the README for updates, but stick to older versions if on enterprise server.

How to handle hash mismatches when downloading artifacts?

Use the digest-mismatch input to set the behavior to ignore, info, warn, or error, with error as the default. This controls whether the action fails or logs a warning on integrity check failures.

download-artifact — GitHub Action for Artifacts

What is download-artifact?

actions/download-artifact is a GitHub Action that downloads artifacts generated during GitHub Actions workflow runs. It solves the problem of retrieving build outputs, test results, or other files stored as artifacts, enabling downstream steps or workflows to use them. The action supports downloading from the current run, other runs, or even different repositories with appropriate permissions.

Target Audience

Developers and DevOps engineers using GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines who need to pass files between jobs or workflows, or archive build outputs for later use.

Value Proposition

It provides a standardized, well-supported way to retrieve artifacts within GitHub's ecosystem, with features like pattern filtering, cross-repository access, and flexible output handling that integrate seamlessly with GitHub's artifact storage.

Overview

The @actions/download-artifact action enables GitHub Actions workflows to retrieve stored artifacts from workflow runs. It provides flexible options for downloading single or multiple artifacts, filtering by patterns, and accessing artifacts across different repositories and runs.

Key Features

Single Artifact Download — Download a specific artifact by name or unique ID to a specified directory.
Bulk Artifact Retrieval — Download all artifacts from a run, with options to merge them into a single directory or keep them separate.
Cross-Repository Access — Download artifacts from other repositories or workflow runs using a GitHub token with appropriate permissions.
Pattern Filtering — Use glob patterns to download only matching artifacts, useful in multi-architecture build scenarios.
Flexible Output Control — Choose whether to automatically decompress artifacts or maintain them as-is for manual handling.
File Permission Preservation — Supports workflows that require maintaining executable permissions via tar archives.

Philosophy

The action is designed to be a reliable, configurable tool for artifact retrieval within GitHub's ecosystem, prioritizing compatibility with the platform's artifact system and providing clear, predictable behavior for common use cases.

download-artifact

What is download-artifact?

Overview

Key Features

Philosophy

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Use Cases

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Pros & Cons

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Frequently Asked Questions