Where the minutes go (30d)
Waste detected
Biggest wins first, each with the exact config fix.
No job timeout · tests
No job sets `timeout-minutes`, so a hung step can run to GitHub's 6-hour default. Add `timeout-minutes` to each job.
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
timeout-minutes: 15Premium runners (macOS / Windows) · tests
macOS bills ~10x and Windows ~2x a Linux minute. The cost estimate above assumes Linux, so your real spend is higher. Move any job that doesn't need them to `ubuntu-latest`.
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest # ~10x cheaper than macos-latestScheduled at the top of the hour · tests
The schedule fires at minute :00, GitHub's peak window, where scheduled runs get delayed or skipped. Shift to any other minute for the same cadence with less contention.
on:
schedule:
- cron: '57 0 1,15 * *' # was '0 0 1,15 * *' — any non-:00 minute avoids the herdScheduled workflow runs in forks · tests
The schedule has no repository guard, so forks that enable Actions inherit the cron and burn their own minutes. Gate the job with `if: github.repository == 'owner/repo'`.
jobs:
nightly:
if: github.repository == 'owner/repo'
runs-on: ubuntu-latestSystem packages reinstalled every run · tests
System packages install from the network on every run with no cache. Cache them (cache-apt-pkgs-action) or check whether the runner image already has the tool.
- uses: awalsh128/cache-apt-pkgs-action@latest
with:
packages: <your packages>
version: 1.0Third-party actions pinned to a mutable ref · tests
1 third-party action pinned to a branch or other mutable ref, which can change under you (supply-chain risk, non-reproducible builds). Pin to a full commit SHA instead. (4 more on a major-version tag like @v4; consider full-SHA pinning there too.)
uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@<full-sha> # was @release/v1Copy every fix as one block (6 snippets, annotated per workflow)
# No job timeout (applies to: tests)
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
timeout-minutes: 15
# Premium runners (macOS / Windows) (applies to: tests)
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest # ~10x cheaper than macos-latest
# Scheduled at the top of the hour (applies to: tests)
on:
schedule:
- cron: '57 0 1,15 * *' # was '0 0 1,15 * *' — any non-:00 minute avoids the herd
# Scheduled workflow runs in forks (applies to: tests)
jobs:
nightly:
if: github.repository == 'owner/repo'
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
# System packages reinstalled every run (applies to: tests)
- uses: awalsh128/cache-apt-pkgs-action@latest
with:
packages: <your packages>
version: 1.0
# Third-party actions pinned to a mutable ref (applies to: tests)
uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@<full-sha> # was @release/v1Each snippet is representative. Merge into the named workflow files rather than pasting wholesale.
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