@htekdev/actions-debugger

65+ real GitHub Actions errors, queryable by agents. CLI + MCP server + Copilot skills + error database.

Stop debugging the same CI failures over and over. This repo packages 65+ real-world GitHub Actions error scenarios — with regex-matchable patterns, root causes, and copy-paste fixes — into formats that both humans and AI agents can consume.

What's Inside

errors/              → Structured YAML error database (65+ entries)
src/                 → CLI + MCP server (TypeScript)
.github/skills/      → Copilot CLI skills for CI debugging
.github/agents/      → Copilot agent definition

Quick Start

CLI (Zero Install)

# Look up an error
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger lookup "Permission to org/repo.git denied"

# Search by keyword
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger search "OIDC" --category permissions-auth

# Diagnose a workflow file
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger diagnose .github/workflows/ci.yml

# Get fix suggestions
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger suggest-fix "artifact upload fails intermittently"

# List all categories
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger categories

Output Formats

# Text (default for TTY)
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger lookup "error message"

# JSON (default when piped, or explicit)
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger lookup "error message" --format json

# Markdown
npx @htekdev/actions-debugger lookup "error message" --format md

Exit Codes

| Code | Meaning | |------|---------| | 0 | Success / matches found | | 1 | No matches found | | 2 | Invalid input / parse error | | 3 | Database load error |

As an MCP Server (Claude Desktop, Copilot CLI, Cursor, etc.)

npx @htekdev/actions-debugger

Add to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "actions-debugger": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@htekdev/actions-debugger"]
    }
  }
}

Client config locations:

• Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) / %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)
• Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json (project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global)
• VS Code (Copilot Chat): .vscode/mcp.json
• Copilot CLI: .github/mcp.json (repo-level)
• Windsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

As a Copilot CLI Skill (No MCP Required)

Copy .github/skills/actions-debugging-cli/SKILL.md to your repo's .github/skills/ directory. Any agent with shell access can use the CLI — no MCP config needed.

> **Skill reference:** For CI debugging, use the `actions-debugging-cli` skill.

Programmatic (npm Package)

import { loadErrorDatabase, lookupError, diagnoseWorkflow } from "@htekdev/actions-debugger";

const db = await loadErrorDatabase();

// Lookup by error message
const matches = lookupError(db, "Permission to org/repo.git denied");
console.log(matches[0].fix);

// Analyze a workflow
const issues = diagnoseWorkflow(db, workflowYamlString);

MCP Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | lookup_error | Match an error message against 65+ known issues | | diagnose_workflow | Static analysis of workflow YAML for common mistakes | | suggest_fix | Contextual fix suggestions from error context | | search_errors | Full-text search by keyword, category, severity | | list_categories | Browse error categories with counts |

Error Categories

| Category | Description | |----------|-------------| | yaml-syntax | YAML validation, key typos, expression errors | | silent-failures | No error shown, but wrong behavior | | runner-environment | Runner issues, disk space, Docker, PATH | | permissions-auth | GITHUB_TOKEN, OIDC, secrets, 403s | | caching-artifacts | Cache misses, artifact v4 changes, corruption | | triggers | Workflow not running, cron issues, dispatch | | concurrency-timing | Job cancellation, matrix, timeouts | | known-unsolved | Platform limitations with no fix |

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for how to add new error entries. It's easy:

1. Create a YAML file in the appropriate errors/{category}/ directory
2. Follow the schema in errors/_schema.json
3. Open a PR — CI validates your entry automatically

Source

All error scenarios sourced from: The Definitive GitHub Actions Debugging Guide

License

MIT — Hector Flores (htekdev)