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pelikhan merged 3 commits into from
Feb 7, 2026
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Document Actions permission restrictions detected by init command #14253

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Copilot Feb 7, 2026
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docs: Add FAQ entry explaining Actions restrictions that block workflows
Copilot Feb 7, 2026
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docs: Explain Actions permission errors detected by init command
Copilot Feb 7, 2026
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15 changes: 15 additions & 0 deletions docs/src/content/docs/reference/faq.md
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Expand Up @@ -182,6 +182,21 @@ Check workflow logs in GitHub Actions or use `gh aw logs`, audit the run with `g

Yes! Use [TrialOps](/gh-aw/patterns/trialops/) to test workflows in isolated trial repositories. This lets you validate behavior and iterate on prompts without creating real issues, PRs, or comments in your actual repository.

### The init command reports Actions restrictions. What does this mean?

When running `gh aw init`, you may encounter errors about repository Actions configuration. Agentic workflows compile to standard GitHub Actions YAML that depends on infrastructure actions like `actions/checkout`. If your repository blocks these, workflows won't execute.

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Copilot AI Feb 7, 2026

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The text says users may encounter "errors" when running gh aw init, but the Actions completely turned off case in checkActionsEnabledShared() only prints a warning and continues (no error returned). Consider rephrasing to "warnings or errors" and clarifying which scenarios are blocking vs informational.

This issue also appears in the following locations of the same file:

  • line 191
  • line 193

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
The CLI validates three permission layers:

**Actions completely turned off:** Your repo has Actions disabled entirely. Workflows upload successfully but never trigger. Fix: Repository Settings → Actions → General → toggle Actions on. Reference: [Managing Actions settings](https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/enabling-features-for-your-repository/managing-github-actions-settings-for-a-repository).

**Local-only restriction:** You've configured "Allow [owner] actions only", which blocks external actions including GitHub's own. Agentic workflows need `actions/checkout`, `actions/setup-node`, etc. Fix: Settings → Actions → General → switch to "Allow all actions" or "Allow select actions" with GitHub-created ones enabled. Reference: [Managing Actions permissions](https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/enabling-features-for-your-repository/managing-github-actions-settings-for-a-repository#managing-github-actions-permissions-for-your-repository).

**Selective allowlist without GitHub:** You're using action allowlists but didn't check "Allow actions created by GitHub". Fix: Settings → Actions → General → Actions permissions → enable the GitHub checkbox. Reference: [Allowing specific actions](https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/enabling-features-for-your-repository/managing-github-actions-settings-for-a-repository#allowing-select-actions-and-reusable-workflows-to-run).

> [!CAUTION]
> Organization-owned repositories inherit org-level Actions policies that override repository settings. If settings appear grayed out, request changes from org admins.

## Advanced Topics

### Can workflows trigger other workflows?
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