Question 1

How do I set up github-tag-action to run on pull request merges?

Accepted Answer

Use the pull_request event with type closed and branch filter, then add a condition for merged == true. In the checkout step, set ref to the merge commit SHA and fetch-depth to '0' to ensure full commit history for accurate bump detection, as shown in example 2 of the README.

Question 2

Can github-tag-action handle beta or prerelease versions?

Accepted Answer

Yes, set the PRERELEASE environment variable to true and optionally customize PRERELEASE_SUFFIX. On non-release branches, it automatically generates prerelease tags with suffixes, allowing for development version tracking.

Question 3

github-tag-action vs semantic-release: which should I use?

Accepted Answer

github-tag-action is simpler and tightly integrated with GitHub Actions, using commit message tags for bumps. semantic-release is more feature-rich, supports conventional commits, and can publish to npm, but requires more configuration and external plugins.

Question 4

How can I skip a version bump with github-tag-action?

Accepted Answer

Include #none in the commit message or set DEFAULT_BUMP to 'none'. This prevents any automatic bump, giving you manual control over when tags are applied, as explained in the bumping section.

Question 5

What outputs does github-tag-action provide for use in other steps?

Accepted Answer

It outputs new_tag, old_tag, tag, and part, which can be referenced in subsequent workflow steps for actions like creating GitHub releases or building artifacts with version-specific labels.

Question 6

Is github-tag-action compatible with GitHub Enterprise Server?

Accepted Answer

Likely yes, as it uses standard GitHub APIs, but you may need to ensure the GITHUB_TOKEN has appropriate write permissions and the action is configured for your enterprise environment, including custom default branches.

Automatically Bump and Tag on Merge

What is Automatically Bump and Tag on Merge?

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