docs/content/actions/reference/authentication-in-a-workflow.md

title, intro, product, redirect_from, versions, shortTitle

title	intro	product	redirect_from	versions	shortTitle
Authentication in a workflow	{% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} provides a token that you can use to authenticate on behalf of {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}.	{% data reusables.gated-features.actions %}	/github/automating-your-workflow-with-github-actions/authenticating-with-the-github_token /actions/automating-your-workflow-with-github-actions/authenticating-with-the-github_token /actions/configuring-and-managing-workflows/authenticating-with-the-github_token	fpt ghes ghae * >=2.22 *	Authentication in a workflow

{% data reusables.actions.enterprise-beta %} {% data reusables.actions.enterprise-github-hosted-runners %} {% data reusables.actions.ae-beta %}

About the GITHUB_TOKEN secret

{% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} automatically creates a GITHUB_TOKEN secret to use in your workflow. You can use the GITHUB_TOKEN to authenticate in a workflow run.

When you enable {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}, {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} installs a {% data variables.product.prodname_github_app %} on your repository. The GITHUB_TOKEN secret is a {% data variables.product.prodname_github_app %} installation access token. You can use the installation access token to authenticate on behalf of the {% data variables.product.prodname_github_app %} installed on your repository. The token's permissions are limited to the repository that contains your workflow. For more information, see "Permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN."

Before each job begins, {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} fetches an installation access token for the job. The token expires when the job is finished.

The token is also available in the github.token context. For more information, see "Context and expression syntax for {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}."

Using the GITHUB_TOKEN in a workflow

You can use the GITHUB_TOKEN by using the standard syntax for referencing secrets: {%raw%}${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}. Examples of using the GITHUB_TOKEN include passing the token as an input to an action, or using it to make an authenticated {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} API request.

{% ifversion fpt or ghes > 3.1 or ghae-next %} {% note %}

Important: An action can access the GITHUB_TOKEN through the github.token context even if the workflow does not explicitly pass the GITHUB_TOKEN to the action. As a good security practice, you should always make sure that actions only have the minimum access they require by limiting the permissions granted to the GITHUB_TOKEN. For more information, see "Permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN."

{% endnote %} {% endif %}

{% data reusables.github-actions.actions-do-not-trigger-workflows %}

Example 1: passing the GITHUB_TOKEN as an input

This example workflow uses the labeler action, which requires the GITHUB_TOKEN as the value for the repo-token input parameter:

name: Pull request labeler

on: [ pull_request_target ]

{% ifversion fpt or ghes > 3.1 or ghae-next %}permissions:
  contents: read
  pull-requests: write

{% endif %}
jobs:
  triage:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/labeler@v2
        with:
          repo-token: {% raw %}${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}

Example 2: calling the REST API

You can use the GITHUB_TOKEN to make authenticated API calls. This example workflow creates an issue using the {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} REST API:

name: Create issue on commit

on: [ push ]

jobs:
  create_commit:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest {% ifversion fpt or ghes > 3.1 or ghae-next %}
    permissions:
      issues: write {% endif %}
    steps:
      - name: Create issue using REST API
        run: |
          curl --request POST \
          --url {% data variables.product.api_url_code %}/repos/${% raw %}{{ github.repository }}{% endraw %}/issues \
          --header 'authorization: Bearer ${% raw %}{{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}' \
          --header 'content-type: application/json' \
          --data '{
            "title": "Automated issue for commit: ${% raw %}{{ github.sha }}{% endraw %}",
            "body": "This issue was automatically created by the GitHub Action workflow **${% raw %}{{ github.workflow }}{% endraw %}**. \n\n The commit hash was: _${% raw %}{{ github.sha }}{% endraw %}_."
            }' \
          --fail

Permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN

For information about the API endpoints {% data variables.product.prodname_github_apps %} can access with each permission, see "{% data variables.product.prodname_github_app %} Permissions."

{% ifversion fpt or ghes > 3.1 or ghae-next %} The following table shows the permissions granted to the GITHUB_TOKEN by default. People with admin permissions to an {% ifversion not ghes %}enterprise, organization, or repository,{% else %}organization or repository{% endif %} can set the default permissions to be either permissive or restricted. For information on how to set the default permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN for your {% ifversion not ghes %}enterprise, organization, or repository,{% else %}organization or repository,{% endif %} see {% ifversion not ghes %}"Enforcing {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} policies in your enterprise account," {% endif %}"Disabling or limiting {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} for your organization," or "Disabling or limiting {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} for a repository."

Scope	Default access (permissive)	Default access (restricted)	Maximum access by forked repos
actions	read/write	none	read
checks	read/write	none	read
contents	read/write	read	read
deployments	read/write	none	read
issues	read/write	none	read
metadata	read	read	read
packages	read/write	none	read
pull requests	read/write	none	read
repository projects	read/write	none	read
security events	read/write	none	read
statuses	read/write	none	read
{% else %}
Scope	Access type	Access by forked repos
----------	-------------	--------------------------
actions	read/write	read
checks	read/write	read
contents	read/write	read
deployments	read/write	read
issues	read/write	read
metadata	read	read
packages	read/write	read
pull requests	read/write	read
repository projects	read/write	read
statuses	read/write	read
{% endif %}

{% data reusables.actions.workflow-runs-dependabot-note %}

{% ifversion fpt or ghes > 3.1 or ghae-next %}

Modifying the permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN

You can modify the permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN in individual workflow files. If the default permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN are restrictive, you may have to elevate the permissions to allow some actions and commands to run successfully. If the default permissions are permissive, you can edit the workflow file to remove some permissions from the GITHUB_TOKEN. As a good security practice, you should grant the GITHUB_TOKEN the least required access.

You can see the permissions that GITHUB_TOKEN had for a specific job in the "Set up job" section of the workflow run log. For more information, see "Using workflow run logs."

You can use the permissions key in your workflow file to modify permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN for an entire workflow or for individual jobs. This allows you to configure the minimum required permissions for a workflow or job. When the permissions key is used, all unspecified permissions are set to no access, with the exception of the metadata scope, which always gets read access.

{% data reusables.github-actions.forked-write-permission %}

The two workflow examples earlier in this article show the permissions key being used at the workflow level, and at the job level. In Example 1 the two permissions are specified for the entire workflow. In Example 2 write access is granted for one scope for a single job.

For full details of the permissions key, see "Workflow syntax for {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}."

How the permissions are calculated for a workflow job

The permissions for the GITHUB_TOKEN are initially set to the default setting for the enterprise, organization, or repository. If the default is set to the restricted permissions at any of these levels then this will apply to the relevant repositories. For example, if you choose the restricted default at the organization level then all repositories in that organization will use the restricted permissions as the default. The permissions are then adjusted based on any configuration within the workflow file, first at the workflow level and then at the job level. Finally, if the workflow was triggered by a pull request from a forked repository, and the Send write tokens to workflows from pull requests setting is not selected, the permissions are adjusted to change any write permissions to read only.

Granting additional permissions

{% endif %}

If you need a token that requires permissions that aren't available in the GITHUB_TOKEN, you can create a personal access token and set it as a secret in your repository:

1. Use or create a token with the appropriate permissions for that repository. For more information, see "Creating a personal access token."
2. Add the token as a secret in your workflow's repository, and refer to it using the {%raw%}${{ secrets.SECRET_NAME }}{% endraw %} syntax. For more information, see "Creating and using encrypted secrets."