@htekdev/actions-debugger 1.0.127 → 1.0.128

package/errors/known-unsolved/known-unsolved-075.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+id: known-unsolved-075
+title: '`matrix` context unavailable in job-level `if:` condition when matrix is dynamically generated from upstream job outputs'
+category: known-unsolved
+severity: limitation
+tags:
+  - matrix
+  - dynamic-matrix
+  - if-condition
+  - job-level
+  - fromJSON
+  - needs-outputs
+patterns:
+  - regex: 'Unrecognized named-value.*matrix.*Located at position'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'matrix.*context.*not.*available.*if|if.*matrix.*unrecognized'
+    flags: 'i'
+error_messages:
+  - "Unrecognized named-value: 'matrix'. Located at position 26 within expression: contains(inputs.SCHEMAS, matrix.customer.schema)"
+  - "The workflow is not valid. ... Unrecognized named-value: 'matrix'."
+root_cause: |
+  When a job uses `strategy.matrix` with values derived from an upstream job's outputs
+  (e.g. `fromJson(needs.set-matrix.outputs.matrix)`), the `matrix` context is **not**
+  available in the job's own `if:` condition.
+
+  The root cause is evaluation ordering: GitHub Actions evaluates job-level `if:`
+  conditions **before** resolving the dynamic matrix values from upstream job outputs.
+  At the time `if:` is checked, the specific matrix combination (e.g. `matrix.schema`,
+  `matrix.os`) has not yet been bound.
+
+  This limitation does NOT affect:
+  - Step-level `if:` conditions inside the job (matrix IS available there)
+  - Static matrices defined inline with literal values (matrix IS available in job-level if)
+  - Downstream jobs reading this job's outputs (normal needs chain)
+
+  **Workaround does not exist at job level**: There is no supported way to filter
+  individual matrix combinations at the job `if:` level when the matrix is dynamic.
+  GitHub's matrix `include`/`exclude` keys do not support expressions.
+
+  The only workaround is to move the filtering logic inside a step using
+  `if: condition` at the step level, or to generate a pre-filtered matrix in the
+  upstream job so that no filtering is needed at the consumer job level.
+
+  Source: actions/runner#1985 (64 reactions, open since 2022)
+  Community discussion: https://github.community/t/matrix-cannot-be-used-in-jobs-level-if/17177
+fix: |
+  **Option 1 (recommended): Filter inside the upstream matrix-generation job**
+
+  Produce a matrix JSON that only includes the combinations you want to run. This is
+  the cleanest approach — no filtering needed in the consumer job.
+
+  **Option 2: Use step-level `if:` instead of job-level `if:`**
+
+  Move the filtering logic into the first step of the job. The job itself runs for
+  every matrix entry but exits cleanly. This wastes a job slot but works.
+
+  **Option 3: Use `continue-on-error: true` with an early-exit pattern**
+
+  Not recommended — harder to distinguish real failures from filtered runs.
+fix_code:
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Broken — matrix context in job-level if with dynamic matrix"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        set-matrix:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          outputs:
+            matrix: ${{ steps.gen.outputs.matrix }}
+          steps:
+            - id: gen
+              run: |
+                echo 'matrix={"customer":[{"schema":"prod"},{"schema":"staging"}]}' >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+        deploy:
+          needs: set-matrix
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          strategy:
+            matrix: ${{ fromJson(needs.set-matrix.outputs.matrix) }}
+          # ❌ FAILS: "Unrecognized named-value: 'matrix'"
+          if: contains(inputs.SCHEMAS, matrix.customer.schema)
+          steps:
+            - run: echo "Deploying ${{ matrix.customer.schema }}"
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed Option 1 — pre-filter in the matrix-generation job"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        set-matrix:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          outputs:
+            matrix: ${{ steps.gen.outputs.matrix }}
+          steps:
+            - id: gen
+              # ✅ Generate only the matrix entries that should run
+              run: |
+                # Filter based on inputs.SCHEMAS inside the script
+                SCHEMAS="${{ inputs.SCHEMAS }}"
+                MATRIX=$(jq -n --arg schemas "$SCHEMAS" \
+                  '[{"schema":"prod"},{"schema":"staging"}] |
+                   map(select(.schema | IN($schemas | split(","))))' \
+                  | jq -c '{customer:.}')
+                echo "matrix=$MATRIX" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+        deploy:
+          needs: set-matrix
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          strategy:
+            matrix: ${{ fromJson(needs.set-matrix.outputs.matrix) }}
+          # ✅ No job-level if needed — matrix is already filtered
+          steps:
+            - run: echo "Deploying ${{ matrix.customer.schema }}"
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed Option 2 — move filtering to step-level if"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        deploy:
+          needs: set-matrix
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          strategy:
+            matrix: ${{ fromJson(needs.set-matrix.outputs.matrix) }}
+          # ✅ No job-level if — allow all matrix entries through
+          steps:
+            # Early exit for matrix entries that don't match
+            - name: Check if this schema should deploy
+              # ✅ matrix context IS available in step-level if conditions
+              if: "!contains(inputs.SCHEMAS, matrix.customer.schema)"
+              run: |
+                echo "Skipping schema ${{ matrix.customer.schema }}"
+                exit 0
+
+            - name: Deploy
+              if: contains(inputs.SCHEMAS, matrix.customer.schema)
+              run: echo "Deploying ${{ matrix.customer.schema }}"
+
+prevention:
+  - "When you need per-combination filtering, pre-filter the matrix JSON in the generation step rather than relying on job-level `if:` with matrix context."
+  - "Use step-level `if:` conditions (not job-level) when you must reference `matrix.*` context for filtering — step-level conditions evaluate after matrix expansion."
+  - "Check GitHub docs for 'Context availability' to confirm which contexts are available at each level before authoring complex conditional logic."
+docs:
+  - url: 'https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/1985'
+    label: 'actions/runner#1985 — Unrecognized named-value: matrix in job if conditional (64 reactions)'
+  - url: 'https://github.community/t/matrix-cannot-be-used-in-jobs-level-if/17177'
+    label: 'GitHub Community: matrix cannot be used in jobs level if'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/using-a-matrix-for-your-jobs'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: Using a matrix for your jobs'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/contexts#context-availability'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: Context availability table'

package/errors/runner-environment/runner-environment-237.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+id: runner-environment-237
+title: 'Container job `$HOME` is hardcoded to `/github/home` — Docker images built with `/root` home break silently'
+category: runner-environment
+severity: error
+tags:
+  - container
+  - HOME
+  - docker
+  - self-hosted
+  - environment-variable
+  - tool-cache
+patterns:
+  - regex: '\$HOME.*github/home'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'Could not find.*\$HOME.*plugin|command not found.*HOME.*github'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'no such file.*github/home|Permission denied.*github/home'
+    flags: 'i'
+error_messages:
+  - "The reason `bluebase plugins` doesn't work is because it depends on `$HOME` pointing to `/root` but now GitHub Actions has changed it to `/github/home`."
+  - "Error: Could not find plugin at /github/home/.cache/@bluebase"
+  - "rust: command not found"
+  - "cargo: command not found"
+  - "go: command not found"
+root_cause: |
+  When using `jobs.<name>.container`, the GitHub Actions runner mounts a host volume at
+  `/github/home` and unconditionally overrides the `HOME` environment variable to point there,
+  regardless of:
+  - The Docker image's configured user or home directory
+  - Any `env: HOME:` value set in the container spec
+  - The container image's `ENV HOME` instruction
+
+  This is hard-coded in ContainerOperationProvider.cs:
+    `-v "/runner/work/_temp/_github_home":"/github/home"`
+    `HOME=/github/home`
+
+  The volume mount overwrites whatever was at `/github/home` inside the container, and
+  the forced HOME env var points to that empty/host-controlled directory.
+
+  **Impact on pre-installed tools**: Any CLI tool or plugin manager that stores
+  state relative to `$HOME` during the Docker image build (e.g. `npm global`, Rust's
+  `cargo`, Go binaries in `~/go/bin`, Homebrew cellar, Python user installs at
+  `~/.local`) will no longer find its data because HOME now points to `/github/home`
+  instead of `/root` or the image user's home.
+
+  Source: actions/runner#863 (124 reactions, open since 2021)
+fix: |
+  **Option 1 (recommended): Prefix affected commands with `HOME=/root`**
+
+  Temporarily reset HOME to the original image home for each step that relies on
+  pre-installed tools. Do NOT set HOME permanently in the workflow — the runner
+  depends on `/github/home` for internal state.
+
+  **Option 2: Rebuild Docker image with `/github/home` as the home directory**
+
+  Set `ENV HOME /github/home` in the Dockerfile before installing tools.
+  Note: if `/github/home` is empty at build time (it is), tools install there, and
+  the volume mount at runtime will still OVERWRITE the directory. This does not work.
+
+  **Option 3: Copy tool state in a setup step**
+
+  Add an entrypoint or a workflow step that copies `/root/.config`, `/root/.cache`,
+  `/root/go`, etc. to `/github/home` before the steps that need them run.
+
+  **Option 4: Avoid container jobs for images with pre-installed tools**
+
+  Use a Docker action (`uses: docker://image`) instead of `jobs.<name>.container`
+  — Docker actions do not override HOME.
+fix_code:
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Broken — pre-installed cargo/rust not found in container job"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        build:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          container:
+            image: my-rust-tools:latest  # Built with cargo installed at /root/.cargo
+          steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - name: Build
+              run: cargo build --release  # ❌ FAILS: cargo not found — HOME=/github/home
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — reset HOME per-step for pre-built tool invocations"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        build:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          container:
+            image: my-rust-tools:latest
+          steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - name: Build
+              run: HOME=/root cargo build --release  # ✅ HOME temporarily reset to where cargo is
+
+            # Or use env: at the step level:
+            - name: Run tests
+              env:
+                HOME: /root
+              run: cargo test
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — rebuild Docker image with tools installed at github/home path"
+    code: |
+      # Dockerfile — install tools where GHA will point HOME
+      FROM ubuntu:22.04
+
+      # Install Rust to /github/home/.cargo (matches runtime HOME)
+      RUN mkdir -p /github/home
+      ENV HOME=/github/home
+      RUN curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh -s -- -y
+
+      # In workflow, no HOME override needed:
+      # cargo is at /github/home/.cargo/bin — BUT runtime mount overwrites!
+      # This approach ONLY works if you add the PATH explicitly:
+      ENV PATH="/github/home/.cargo/bin:${PATH}"
+
+      # Better: install to /usr/local/bin which is not affected by HOME mount
+      RUN curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain stable
+      RUN cp -r /github/home/.cargo/bin/* /usr/local/bin/
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Alternative — use Docker action instead of container job (HOME not overridden)"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        build:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - name: Build in custom container
+              uses: docker://my-rust-tools:latest  # ✅ HOME not overridden by runner
+              with:
+                args: cargo build --release
+
+prevention:
+  - "When building Docker images for use in `jobs.<name>.container`, install binaries to `/usr/local/bin` or another PATH location not dependent on `$HOME`."
+  - "Test container images locally by running `docker run -e HOME=/github/home <image> <command>` to reproduce the GHA HOME override before using them in workflows."
+  - "Prefer Docker actions (`uses: docker://image`) over container jobs if your image relies on a specific HOME directory — Docker actions do not override HOME."
+  - "Read actions/runner#863 before publishing a Docker image intended for use as a GHA container job."
+docs:
+  - url: 'https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/863'
+    label: 'actions/runner#863 — HOME is overridden for containers (124 reactions, open since 2021)'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/running-jobs-in-a-container'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: Running jobs in a container'
+  - url: 'https://stackoverflow.com/questions/58516181/missing-installed-dependencies-when-docker-image-is-used'
+    label: 'Stack Overflow: Missing installed dependencies when Docker image is used (Score: 3)'

package/errors/runner-environment/runner-environment-238.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+id: runner-environment-238
+title: 'Self-hosted runner with Docker container steps creates root-owned files in workspace — `git clean` fails on next run'
+category: runner-environment
+severity: error
+tags:
+  - self-hosted
+  - docker
+  - container
+  - workspace
+  - permissions
+  - checkout
+  - root-owned
+patterns:
+  - regex: 'warning: could not open directory.*Permission denied'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'failed to remove.*Directory not empty|rm.*cannot remove.*Permission denied'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'Unable to clean or reset the repository.*recreated'
+    flags: 'i'
+error_messages:
+  - "warning: could not open directory 'foo/': Permission denied"
+  - "warning: failed to remove foo/: Directory not empty"
+  - "##[warning]Unable to clean or reset the repository. The repository will be recreated instead."
+  - "##[error]Command failed: rm -rf \"/home/runner/_work/repo/repo/foo\""
+  - "rm: cannot remove '/home/runner/_work/repo/repo/foo': Permission denied"
+  - "error: failed to run 'git clean -ffdx': exit code 1"
+root_cause: |
+  When a GitHub Actions workflow on a **self-hosted runner** uses a Docker-based step
+  (either `container:` jobs or `uses: docker://` actions), files written to the
+  workspace during that step are owned by `root:root` — because most Docker containers
+  run as root by default.
+
+  The self-hosted runner process runs as a non-root user (e.g., `github-runner`, `ubuntu`).
+  On the **next workflow run**, `actions/checkout` attempts to clean the workspace by
+  running `git clean -ffdx`. Git's clean-up calls `stat()` on root-owned directories.
+  Because stat succeeds (files are visible) but `rm` is blocked (not root), `git clean`
+  reports the directory but cannot remove it. Git then falls back to `rm -rf` via the
+  runner, which also fails with `Permission denied`.
+
+  The checkout action logs a warning "Unable to clean or reset the repository. The
+  repository will be recreated instead." — then `rm -rf` of the entire workspace also
+  fails because root-owned directories are nested inside. The job fails permanently
+  until a human manually removes the root-owned files on the runner host.
+
+  **Why GitHub-hosted runners don't hit this**: GitHub-hosted runners are ephemeral —
+  the workspace is destroyed after every job, so there's no cross-run persistence of
+  root-owned files. Self-hosted runners persist the workspace by default.
+
+  Source: actions/runner#434 (131 reactions, open since 2020)
+fix: |
+  **Option 1 (recommended): Run the container as the same UID as the host runner user**
+
+  Pass `--user $(id -u):$(id -g)` to Docker options so files are written with the
+  runner's UID/GID. Most images support this without modification.
+
+  **Option 2: Add a cleanup step before checkout**
+
+  Add a step at the start of the workflow that removes workspace contents using sudo.
+  Requires configuring passwordless sudo for the runner user.
+
+  **Option 3: Configure the container to run as root but add a post-step chown**
+
+  After container steps, add a step that runs `sudo chown -R $USER:$USER .` to
+  reclaim ownership. Still requires sudo access.
+
+  **Option 4: Use ephemeral (one-shot) self-hosted runners**
+
+  Ephemeral runners create a fresh workspace per job. No cross-run file persistence
+  means root-owned files from Docker steps never accumulate.
+
+  **Option 5: Set `clean: false` on checkout and handle cleanup yourself**
+
+  Disable automatic workspace cleaning in checkout and add your own robust cleanup
+  step that can handle permission errors.
+fix_code:
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — run Docker container as host runner's UID"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        build:
+          runs-on: [self-hosted, linux]
+          container:
+            image: node:20
+            options: '--user 1001:1001'  # ✅ Match runner UID — no root-owned files
+
+          steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - run: npm ci && npm run build
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — run container as current user dynamically"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        build:
+          runs-on: [self-hosted, linux]
+          steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+            - name: Build in container (current user)
+              run: |
+                docker run --rm \
+                  --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" \
+                  -v "${{ github.workspace }}:/work" \
+                  -w /work \
+                  node:20 \
+                  npm ci && npm run build
+                # ✅ Files written inside container owned by host runner user
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — cleanup step before checkout to handle pre-existing root-owned files"
+    code: |
+      jobs:
+        build:
+          runs-on: [self-hosted, linux]
+          steps:
+            # ✅ Cleanup root-owned files before checkout
+            - name: Cleanup workspace
+              run: |
+                if [ -d "${{ github.workspace }}" ]; then
+                  sudo chown -R "$USER:$USER" "${{ github.workspace }}" || true
+                  sudo rm -rf "${{ github.workspace }}"
+                fi
+              # Requires: echo "runner ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/chown, /bin/rm" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/runner
+
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — register self-hosted runner as ephemeral (--ephemeral flag)"
+    code: |
+      # Register the runner with --ephemeral so each job gets a fresh workspace:
+      # ./config.sh --url https://github.com/org/repo --token TOKEN --ephemeral
+      #
+      # Or for ARC (Actions Runner Controller):
+      # spec:
+      #   ephemeral: true  # Each job pod is destroyed after completion
+
+prevention:
+  - "Always run Docker container steps with `--user $(id -u):$(id -g)` on self-hosted runners to match the host runner's UID/GID."
+  - "Use ephemeral self-hosted runners to eliminate cross-run workspace persistence entirely."
+  - "Add a workspace cleanup step at the start of workflows that use Docker container steps to proactively clear root-owned files."
+  - "After setting up a self-hosted runner, test with a workflow that uses a `container:` job and verify subsequent runs can clean up without errors."
+  - "When using ARC (Actions Runner Controller), enable `ephemeral: true` on the RunnerDeployment spec."
+docs:
+  - url: 'https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/434'
+    label: 'actions/runner#434 — Self-hosted runner with Docker step creates root-owned files (131 reactions)'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/hosting-your-own-runners/managing-self-hosted-runners/about-self-hosted-runners'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: About self-hosted runners'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/running-jobs-in-a-container'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: Running jobs in a container'
+  - url: 'https://stackoverflow.com/questions/76407664/files-owned-by-rootroot-when-using-actions-checkout-on-self-hosted-runner'
+    label: 'Stack Overflow: Files owned by root:root when using actions/checkout on self-hosted runner'

package/errors/silent-failures/silent-failures-119.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+id: silent-failures-119
+title: '`github.ref` and `GITHUB_REF` intermittently empty on `release` event — workflows that tag-check silently fail or exit 1'
+category: silent-failures
+severity: silent-failure
+tags:
+  - github.ref
+  - GITHUB_REF
+  - release
+  - release-event
+  - intermittent
+  - tag
+  - empty
+patterns:
+  - regex: 'github\.ref.*release|GITHUB_REF.*release.*empty'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'refs/tags.*empty.*release|release.*github_ref.*blank'
+    flags: 'i'
+  - regex: 'startsWith\(github\.ref.*refs/tags.*false.*release'
+    flags: 'i'
+error_messages:
+  - "if [[ \"\" == refs/tags/release/* ]] ; then"
+  - "::error ::Could not determine the version number using ref "
+  - "GITHUB_REF: ''"
+  - "github.ref evaluates to empty string on release event"
+root_cause: |
+  When a workflow is triggered by an `on: release` event (e.g. `published`, `created`,
+  `prereleased`), the `github.ref` context value and `GITHUB_REF` environment variable
+  are **intermittently empty** — sometimes populated correctly, sometimes empty string.
+
+  The bug is non-deterministic: re-running the same workflow sometimes succeeds (ref
+  populated) and sometimes fails (ref empty). It is more frequent when:
+  - The release is created immediately after tagging
+  - Multiple releases fire in quick succession
+  - The workflow is called as a reusable workflow with `github.ref` forwarded
+
+  **Root cause**: A race condition or internal state propagation issue in the GitHub
+  Actions platform where the `release` event payload is dispatched before the ref
+  metadata is fully resolved in all runtime components. The `github.event.release`
+  object IS populated correctly in the same runs that have an empty `github.ref`.
+
+  **Impact**: Workflows that use `github.ref` to extract tag names (e.g.
+  `startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')`, or `echo $GITHUB_REF | cut -c11-`) will
+  silently get an empty string, causing:
+  - Conditional steps to be skipped (release-only deployments don't run)
+  - Version parsing to produce empty strings (publishing incorrect artifacts)
+  - Shell scripts to `exit 1` on empty-ref checks
+
+  This issue was introduced/regressed in August 2023 (runner ~v2.307) and remains
+  intermittently reproducible as of April/August 2025.
+
+  Source: actions/runner#2788 (65 reactions, open since 2023)
+fix: |
+  **Always use `github.event.release.tag_name` for release tag extraction** instead of
+  parsing `github.ref`. The `github.event.release` object is consistently populated
+  even when `github.ref` is empty.
+
+  For step-level `if:` conditions that check whether a workflow was triggered by a
+  release event, use `github.event_name == 'release'` instead of
+  `startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')`.
+
+  If you need the full `refs/tags/v1.2.3` ref format, construct it from the event:
+  `refs/tags/${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}`
+fix_code:
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Broken — version extraction via github.ref (intermittently empty)"
+    code: |
+      on:
+        release:
+          types: [published]
+
+      jobs:
+        publish:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          steps:
+            - name: Extract version
+              run: |
+                # ❌ BROKEN: github.ref is intermittently empty on release events
+                VERSION="${{ github.ref }}"
+                if [[ "$VERSION" == refs/tags/v* ]]; then
+                  TAG="${VERSION#refs/tags/}"
+                else
+                  echo "::error ::Could not determine version from ref: $VERSION"
+                  exit 1
+                fi
+
+            # Also fragile:
+            - if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')   # ❌ sometimes false when ref is empty
+              run: echo "Publishing release"
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — use github.event.release.tag_name (always populated)"
+    code: |
+      on:
+        release:
+          types: [published]
+
+      jobs:
+        publish:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          steps:
+            - name: Extract version
+              run: |
+                # ✅ FIXED: event.release.tag_name is always populated correctly
+                TAG="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+                echo "Publishing version: $TAG"
+                echo "VERSION=$TAG" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+
+            # For if: conditions, use event_name check instead of ref check:
+            - if: github.event_name == 'release'   # ✅ Always correct
+              run: echo "Publishing release ${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+
+            # If you need the refs/tags/... format, construct it:
+            - name: Construct full ref
+              run: |
+                FULL_REF="refs/tags/${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+                echo "Full ref: $FULL_REF"
+
+  - language: yaml
+    label: "Fixed — defensive workaround using both sources"
+    code: |
+      on:
+        release:
+          types: [published]
+
+      jobs:
+        publish:
+          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+          steps:
+            - name: Determine tag with fallback
+              id: tag
+              run: |
+                # Primary: event object (always populated)
+                TAG="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
+
+                # Fallback: parse from github.ref if event is empty (unlikely)
+                if [ -z "$TAG" ] && [ -n "${{ github.ref }}" ]; then
+                  TAG="${{ github.ref }}"
+                  TAG="${TAG#refs/tags/}"
+                fi
+
+                if [ -z "$TAG" ]; then
+                  echo "::error ::Could not determine release tag from either source"
+                  exit 1
+                fi
+                echo "tag=$TAG" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+            - run: echo "Publishing ${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}"
+
+prevention:
+  - "Never parse release tags from `github.ref` — always use `github.event.release.tag_name` in release-triggered workflows."
+  - "Use `github.event_name == 'release'` in `if:` conditions rather than `startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')` to avoid empty-ref false negatives."
+  - "Add explicit error messages when tag extraction returns empty string so intermittent failures are visible rather than silent."
+  - "If a release workflow fails unexpectedly, check whether `github.ref` was empty by adding `run: echo \"ref=${{ github.ref }}\"; echo \"tag=${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}\"`."
+docs:
+  - url: 'https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/2788'
+    label: 'actions/runner#2788 — github.ref is empty for workflows triggered by release (65 reactions)'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/events-that-trigger-workflows#release'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: Events that trigger workflows — release'
+  - url: 'https://docs.github.com/en/actions/writing-workflows/choosing-what-your-workflow-does/contexts#github-context'
+    label: 'GitHub Docs: github context'
+  - url: 'https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/64528'
+    label: 'GitHub Community: github.ref empty on release event (discussion)'

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@htekdev/actions-debugger",
-  "version": "1.0.127",
+  "version": "1.0.128",
   "description": "65+ real GitHub Actions errors, queryable by agents. CLI + MCP server + Copilot skills + error database.",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "./dist/index.js",