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 ~10× and Windows ~2× 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: 1.0No job timeout · Build Sphinx docs and deploy to GitHub Pages
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: 15Copy every fix as one block (5 snippets, annotated per workflow)
# No job timeout — applies to: tests, Build Sphinx docs and deploy to GitHub Pages
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: 1.0Each snippet is representative — merge into the named workflow files rather than pasting wholesale.
Want this on every push?
This scorecard is a one-time snapshot. Install the free GitHub App to track this repo continuously: new regressions caught as they land, trends over time, on your public and private repos. Team adds the offending commit on the PR + Slack alerts.
Install & monitor this repo →Not ready to install? Get this report by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Live CI-health badge → 
[](https://gitspider.com/scan/neuroinformatics-unit/datashuttle)