how-to-run-github-action-locally.md

How to Run GitHub Actions Locally Using act

This guide explains how to use nektos/act to run GitHub Actions locally on your machine for fast feedback and workflow testing.

🛠 Prerequisites

• Docker installed and running (compatible with Linux, macOS, or Windows)
• act installed: See the official documentation for installation instructions:
  👉 https://github.com/nektos/act#installation

⚙️ Basic Usage

To run your default workflow locally:

act

To run a specific event:

act pull_request

To run a specific job from your workflow file:

act -j job-name

To run a specific workflow:

act -W workflow-file-name

🧪 Dry Run Mode

To preview what act will do without actually running the jobs:

act --dryrun

🐛 Troubleshooting

• Cannot connect to the Docker daemon: ensure Docker is running and you are not overriding DOCKER_HOST.
• platform mismatch: use --container-architecture linux/amd64 when needed.

✅ Summary

Command	Description
act	Run all jobs locally
act -j <job>	Run a specific job
act -W <workflow>	Run a specific workflow
act pull_request	Simulate a PR event
act --dryrun	Preview actions without running