Timeout Issues

Timeout Limits by Execution Mode

Common Causes (V8 Isolation Mode)

• Complex API calls with multiple sequential requests
• Retry loops that wait for external conditions
• Large data processing (iterating over thousands of items)
• Unhandled promise rejections causing the script to hang
• Shell commands that produce large output or run long-running processes

Tips to Avoid Timeouts

1. 1

   Keep scripts focused

   Each job should have one responsibility. If you need multiple API calls, split them into separate jobs.

2. 2

   Avoid pagination loops over large datasets

   Iterating over thousands of issues, comments, or commits can easily exceed the timeout. Filter your queries to only fetch what you need.

3. 3

   Use core.setFailed() early

   If you detect an error condition in a Node.js action, fail the job immediately with core.setFailed() rather than letting the script continue until timeout.

4. 4

   Split complex workflows into multiple jobs

   Use the "needs:" keyword to chain multiple focused jobs together instead of running everything in a single job.

5. 5

   Use continue-on-error for non-critical steps

   Add continue-on-error: true to a step to prevent a timeout from failing the entire job. The step will be marked as failed but the job will continue to the next step.

6. 6

   Use container mode for long-running tasks

   If your workflow requires heavy computation or long-running processes, use container mode (runs-on: worker-run/instance-type=lite or basic) which is better suited for resource-intensive tasks.