Use private actions in any workflow
A GitHub Action that loads and executes private GitHub Actions from other private repositories.
What is Use private actions in any workflow?
Private Action Loader is a GitHub Action that allows developers to execute private GitHub Actions from other private repositories. It solves the problem where private actions cannot be directly referenced across different private repos, enabling teams to reuse proprietary workflows while maintaining security. The action acts as a proxy, forwarding all inputs to the private action and returning all outputs.
Development teams and organizations using GitHub Actions who need to share proprietary workflows across multiple private repositories while keeping their actions private.
It provides a simple, secure way to reuse private GitHub Actions without making them public, eliminating the need to duplicate code across repositories. The transparent proxy design ensures private actions work exactly as they would if called directly.
Overview
Allows private GitHub Actions to be easily reused
Use Cases
Best For
- Sharing proprietary CI/CD workflows across private repositories
- Maintaining a library of private GitHub Actions for internal use
- Organizations with strict security requirements keeping actions private
- Teams needing to reference specific commits or branches of private actions
- Reusing complex automation scripts across multiple private projects
- Executing nested actions located in subdirectories of private repos
Not Ideal For
- Teams using Docker or composite GitHub Actions, as it only supports JavaScript actions
- Projects where all workflows are centralized in a single repository to avoid cross-repo dependencies
- Organizations on GitHub Enterprise with built-in private action sharing features
- Developers who prefer minimal setup and want to avoid managing personal access tokens
Pros & Cons
Pros
Enables execution of private GitHub Actions from other private repositories, solving the limitation where private actions cannot be directly referenced. The README confirms it allows teams to maintain proprietary workflows while promoting code reuse.
Acts as a minimalist proxy, forwarding all inputs to the private action and returning all outputs without modification. This makes private actions behave as if publicly accessible, as stated in the Philosophy section.
Supports specifying exact commits via SHA, tags, or branch names in the repo reference, allowing for precise and reproducible workflows. Examples in the README demonstrate usage with SHA, branch, and tag.
Can execute actions located in subdirectories within the target repository using the 'pal-action-directory' input, providing flexibility for organized codebases. The README includes an example with a nested action directory.
Cons
Only supports JavaScript-based GitHub Actions, not Docker or composite actions, as explicitly stated in the Limitations section of the README. This restricts its utility for teams using diverse action types.
Requires a personal access token with repo scope stored as a secret, adding security configuration complexity and potential points of failure. The README emphasizes this as a required input, increasing setup burden.
The project is maintained by a single individual, as noted in the Ownership section, which could lead to abandonment or slow updates, posing risks for long-term dependency in critical workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
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