gh-obra-superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/skills/working-with-claude-code/references/github-actions.md

Claude Code GitHub Actions

Learn about integrating Claude Code into your development workflow with Claude Code GitHub Actions

Claude Code GitHub Actions brings AI-powered automation to your GitHub workflow. With a simple @claude mention in any PR or issue, Claude can analyze your code, create pull requests, implement features, and fix bugs - all while following your project's standards.

Claude Code GitHub Actions is built on top of the [Claude Code SDK](/en/docs/claude-code/sdk), which enables programmatic integration of Claude Code into your applications. You can use the SDK to build custom automation workflows beyond GitHub Actions.

Why use Claude Code GitHub Actions?

• Instant PR creation: Describe what you need, and Claude creates a complete PR with all necessary changes
• Automated code implementation: Turn issues into working code with a single command
• Follows your standards: Claude respects your CLAUDE.md guidelines and existing code patterns
• Simple setup: Get started in minutes with our installer and API key
• Secure by default: Your code stays on Github's runners

What can Claude do?

Claude Code provides a powerful GitHub Action that transforms how you work with code:

Claude Code Action

This GitHub Action allows you to run Claude Code within your GitHub Actions workflows. You can use this to build any custom workflow on top of Claude Code.

View repository →

Setup

Quick setup

The easiest way to set up this action is through Claude Code in the terminal. Just open claude and run /install-github-app.

This command will guide you through setting up the GitHub app and required secrets.

* You must be a repository admin to install the GitHub app and add secrets * The GitHub app will request read & write permissions for Contents, Issues, and Pull requests * This quickstart method is only available for direct Claude API users. If you're using AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI, please see the [Using with AWS Bedrock & Google Vertex AI](#using-with-aws-bedrock-%26-google-vertex-ai) section.

Manual setup

If the /install-github-app command fails or you prefer manual setup, please follow these manual setup instructions:

1. Install the Claude GitHub app to your repository: https://github.com/apps/claude

   The Claude GitHub app requires the following repository permissions:

   • Contents: Read & write (to modify repository files)
   • Issues: Read & write (to respond to issues)
   • Pull requests: Read & write (to create PRs and push changes)

   For more details on security and permissions, see the security documentation.

2. Add ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to your repository secrets (Learn how to use secrets in GitHub Actions)

3. Copy the workflow file from examples/claude.yml into your repository's .github/workflows/

After completing either the quickstart or manual setup, test the action by tagging `@claude` in an issue or PR comment!

Upgrading from Beta

Claude Code GitHub Actions v1.0 introduces breaking changes that require updating your workflow files in order to upgrade to v1.0 from the beta version.

If you're currently using the beta version of Claude Code GitHub Actions, we recommend that you update your workflows to use the GA version. The new version simplifies configuration while adding powerful new features like automatic mode detection.

Essential changes

All beta users must make these changes to their workflow files in order to upgrade:

1. Update the action version: Change @beta to @v1
2. Remove mode configuration: Delete mode: "tag" or mode: "agent" (now auto-detected)
3. Update prompt inputs: Replace direct_prompt with prompt
4. Move CLI options: Convert max_turns, model, custom_instructions, etc. to claude_args

Breaking Changes Reference

Old Beta Input	New v1.0 Input
mode	(Removed - auto-detected)
direct_prompt	prompt
override_prompt	prompt with GitHub variables
custom_instructions	claude_args: --system-prompt
max_turns	claude_args: --max-turns
model	claude_args: --model
allowed_tools	claude_args: --allowedTools
disallowed_tools	claude_args: --disallowedTools
claude_env	settings JSON format

Before and After Example

Beta version:

- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@beta
  with:
    mode: "tag"
    direct_prompt: "Review this PR for security issues"
    anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
    custom_instructions: "Follow our coding standards"
    max_turns: "10"
    model: "claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022"

GA version (v1.0):

- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
  with:
    prompt: "Review this PR for security issues"
    anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
    claude_args: |
      --system-prompt "Follow our coding standards"
      --max-turns 10
      --model claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929

The action now automatically detects whether to run in interactive mode (responds to `@claude` mentions) or automation mode (runs immediately with a prompt) based on your configuration.

Example use cases

Claude Code GitHub Actions can help you with a variety of tasks. The examples directory contains ready-to-use workflows for different scenarios.

Basic workflow

name: Claude Code
on:
  issue_comment:
    types: [created]
  pull_request_review_comment:
    types: [created]
jobs:
  claude:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          # Responds to @claude mentions in comments

Using slash commands

name: Code Review
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize]
jobs:
  review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          prompt: "/review"
          claude_args: "--max-turns 5"

Custom automation with prompts

name: Daily Report
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 9 * * *"
jobs:
  report:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
        with:
          anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          prompt: "Generate a summary of yesterday's commits and open issues"
          claude_args: "--model claude-opus-4-1-20250805"

Common use cases

In issue or PR comments:

@claude implement this feature based on the issue description
@claude how should I implement user authentication for this endpoint?
@claude fix the TypeError in the user dashboard component

Claude will automatically analyze the context and respond appropriately.

Best practices

CLAUDE.md configuration

Create a CLAUDE.md file in your repository root to define code style guidelines, review criteria, project-specific rules, and preferred patterns. This file guides Claude's understanding of your project standards.

Security considerations

Never commit API keys directly to your repository!

For comprehensive security guidance including permissions, authentication, and best practices, see the Claude Code Action security documentation.

Always use GitHub Secrets for API keys:

• Add your API key as a repository secret named ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
• Reference it in workflows: anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
• Limit action permissions to only what's necessary
• Review Claude's suggestions before merging

Always use GitHub Secrets (e.g., ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}) rather than hardcoding API keys directly in your workflow files.

Optimizing performance

Use issue templates to provide context, keep your CLAUDE.md concise and focused, and configure appropriate timeouts for your workflows.

CI costs

When using Claude Code GitHub Actions, be aware of the associated costs:

GitHub Actions costs:

• Claude Code runs on GitHub-hosted runners, which consume your GitHub Actions minutes
• See GitHub's billing documentation for detailed pricing and minute limits

API costs:

• Each Claude interaction consumes API tokens based on the length of prompts and responses
• Token usage varies by task complexity and codebase size
• See Claude's pricing page for current token rates

Cost optimization tips:

• Use specific @claude commands to reduce unnecessary API calls
• Configure appropriate --max-turns in claude_args to prevent excessive iterations
• Set workflow-level timeouts to avoid runaway jobs
• Consider using GitHub's concurrency controls to limit parallel runs

Configuration examples

The Claude Code Action v1 simplifies configuration with unified parameters:

- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
  with:
    anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
    prompt: "Your instructions here" # Optional
    claude_args: "--max-turns 5" # Optional CLI arguments

Key features:

• Unified prompt interface - Use prompt for all instructions
• Slash commands - Pre-built prompts like /review or /fix
• CLI passthrough - Any Claude Code CLI argument via claude_args
• Flexible triggers - Works with any GitHub event

Visit the examples directory for complete workflow files.

When responding to issue or PR comments, Claude automatically responds to @claude mentions. For other events, use the `prompt` parameter to provide instructions.

Using with AWS Bedrock & Google Vertex AI

For enterprise environments, you can use Claude Code GitHub Actions with your own cloud infrastructure. This approach gives you control over data residency and billing while maintaining the same functionality.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Claude Code GitHub Actions with cloud providers, you need:

For Google Cloud Vertex AI:

1. A Google Cloud Project with Vertex AI enabled
2. Workload Identity Federation configured for GitHub Actions
3. A service account with the required permissions
4. A GitHub App (recommended) or use the default GITHUB_TOKEN

For AWS Bedrock:

1. An AWS account with Amazon Bedrock enabled
2. GitHub OIDC Identity Provider configured in AWS
3. An IAM role with Bedrock permissions
4. A GitHub App (recommended) or use the default GITHUB_TOKEN

For best control and security when using 3P providers like Vertex AI or Bedrock, we recommend creating your own GitHub App:

1. Go to [https://github.com/settings/apps/new](https://github.com/settings/apps/new)
2. Fill in the basic information:
   * **GitHub App name**: Choose a unique name (e.g., "YourOrg Claude Assistant")
   * **Homepage URL**: Your organization's website or the repository URL
3. Configure the app settings:
   * **Webhooks**: Uncheck "Active" (not needed for this integration)
4. Set the required permissions:
   * **Repository permissions**:
     * Contents: Read & Write
     * Issues: Read & Write
     * Pull requests: Read & Write
5. Click "Create GitHub App"
6. After creation, click "Generate a private key" and save the downloaded `.pem` file
7. Note your App ID from the app settings page
8. Install the app to your repository:
   * From your app's settings page, click "Install App" in the left sidebar
   * Select your account or organization
   * Choose "Only select repositories" and select the specific repository
   * Click "Install"
9. Add the private key as a secret to your repository:
   * Go to your repository's Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
   * Create a new secret named `APP_PRIVATE_KEY` with the contents of the `.pem` file
10. Add the App ID as a secret:

* Create a new secret named `APP_ID` with your GitHub App's ID

<Note>
  This app will be used with the [actions/create-github-app-token](https://github.com/actions/create-github-app-token) action to generate authentication tokens in your workflows.
</Note>

**Alternative for Claude API or if you don't want to setup your own Github app**: Use the official Anthropic app:

1. Install from: [https://github.com/apps/claude](https://github.com/apps/claude)
2. No additional configuration needed for authentication

Choose your cloud provider and set up secure authentication:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="AWS Bedrock">
    **Configure AWS to allow GitHub Actions to authenticate securely without storing credentials.**

    > **Security Note**: Use repository-specific configurations and grant only the minimum required permissions.

    **Required Setup**:

    1. **Enable Amazon Bedrock**:
       * Request access to Claude models in Amazon Bedrock
       * For cross-region models, request access in all required regions

    2. **Set up GitHub OIDC Identity Provider**:
       * Provider URL: `https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com`
       * Audience: `sts.amazonaws.com`

    3. **Create IAM Role for GitHub Actions**:
       * Trusted entity type: Web identity
       * Identity provider: `token.actions.githubusercontent.com`
       * Permissions: `AmazonBedrockFullAccess` policy
       * Configure trust policy for your specific repository

    **Required Values**:

    After setup, you'll need:

    * **AWS\_ROLE\_TO\_ASSUME**: The ARN of the IAM role you created

    <Tip>
      OIDC is more secure than using static AWS access keys because credentials are temporary and automatically rotated.
    </Tip>

    See [AWS documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_providers_create_oidc.html) for detailed OIDC setup instructions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Google Vertex AI">
    **Configure Google Cloud to allow GitHub Actions to authenticate securely without storing credentials.**

    > **Security Note**: Use repository-specific configurations and grant only the minimum required permissions.

    **Required Setup**:

    1. **Enable APIs** in your Google Cloud project:
       * IAM Credentials API
       * Security Token Service (STS) API
       * Vertex AI API

    2. **Create Workload Identity Federation resources**:
       * Create a Workload Identity Pool
       * Add a GitHub OIDC provider with:
         * Issuer: `https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com`
         * Attribute mappings for repository and owner
         * **Security recommendation**: Use repository-specific attribute conditions

    3. **Create a Service Account**:
       * Grant only `Vertex AI User` role
       * **Security recommendation**: Create a dedicated service account per repository

    4. **Configure IAM bindings**:
       * Allow the Workload Identity Pool to impersonate the service account
       * **Security recommendation**: Use repository-specific principal sets

    **Required Values**:

    After setup, you'll need:

    * **GCP\_WORKLOAD\_IDENTITY\_PROVIDER**: The full provider resource name
    * **GCP\_SERVICE\_ACCOUNT**: The service account email address

    <Tip>
      Workload Identity Federation eliminates the need for downloadable service account keys, improving security.
    </Tip>

    For detailed setup instructions, consult the [Google Cloud Workload Identity Federation documentation](https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/workload-identity-federation).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Add the following secrets to your repository (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions):

#### For Claude API (Direct):

1. **For API Authentication**:
   * `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`: Your Claude API key from [console.anthropic.com](https://console.anthropic.com)

2. **For GitHub App (if using your own app)**:
   * `APP_ID`: Your GitHub App's ID
   * `APP_PRIVATE_KEY`: The private key (.pem) content

#### For Google Cloud Vertex AI

1. **For GCP Authentication**:
   * `GCP_WORKLOAD_IDENTITY_PROVIDER`
   * `GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT`

2. **For GitHub App (if using your own app)**:
   * `APP_ID`: Your GitHub App's ID
   * `APP_PRIVATE_KEY`: The private key (.pem) content

#### For AWS Bedrock

1. **For AWS Authentication**:
   * `AWS_ROLE_TO_ASSUME`

2. **For GitHub App (if using your own app)**:
   * `APP_ID`: Your GitHub App's ID
   * `APP_PRIVATE_KEY`: The private key (.pem) content

Create GitHub Actions workflow files that integrate with your cloud provider. The examples below show complete configurations for both AWS Bedrock and Google Vertex AI:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="AWS Bedrock workflow">
    **Prerequisites:**

    * AWS Bedrock access enabled with Claude model permissions
    * GitHub configured as an OIDC identity provider in AWS
    * IAM role with Bedrock permissions that trusts GitHub Actions

    **Required GitHub secrets:**

    | Secret Name          | Description                                       |
    | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
    | `AWS_ROLE_TO_ASSUME` | ARN of the IAM role for Bedrock access            |
    | `APP_ID`             | Your GitHub App ID (from app settings)            |
    | `APP_PRIVATE_KEY`    | The private key you generated for your GitHub App |

    ```yaml  theme={null}
    name: Claude PR Action

    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
      issues: write
      id-token: write

    on:
      issue_comment:
        types: [created]
      pull_request_review_comment:
        types: [created]
      issues:
        types: [opened, assigned]

    jobs:
      claude-pr:
        if: |
          (github.event_name == 'issue_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
          (github.event_name == 'pull_request_review_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
          (github.event_name == 'issues' && contains(github.event.issue.body, '@claude'))
        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
        env:
          AWS_REGION: us-west-2
        steps:
          - name: Checkout repository
            uses: actions/checkout@v4

          - name: Generate GitHub App token
            id: app-token
            uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v2
            with:
              app-id: ${{ secrets.APP_ID }}
              private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}

          - name: Configure AWS Credentials (OIDC)
            uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
            with:
              role-to-assume: ${{ secrets.AWS_ROLE_TO_ASSUME }}
              aws-region: us-west-2

          - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
            with:
              github_token: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
              use_bedrock: "true"
              claude_args: '--model us.anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929-v1:0 --max-turns 10'
    ```

    <Tip>
      The model ID format for Bedrock includes the region prefix (e.g., `us.anthropic.claude...`) and version suffix.
    </Tip>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Google Vertex AI workflow">
    **Prerequisites:**

    * Vertex AI API enabled in your GCP project
    * Workload Identity Federation configured for GitHub
    * Service account with Vertex AI permissions

    **Required GitHub secrets:**

    | Secret Name                      | Description                                       |
    | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
    | `GCP_WORKLOAD_IDENTITY_PROVIDER` | Workload identity provider resource name          |
    | `GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT`            | Service account email with Vertex AI access       |
    | `APP_ID`                         | Your GitHub App ID (from app settings)            |
    | `APP_PRIVATE_KEY`                | The private key you generated for your GitHub App |

    ```yaml  theme={null}
    name: Claude PR Action

    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write
      issues: write
      id-token: write

    on:
      issue_comment:
        types: [created]
      pull_request_review_comment:
        types: [created]
      issues:
        types: [opened, assigned]

    jobs:
      claude-pr:
        if: |
          (github.event_name == 'issue_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
          (github.event_name == 'pull_request_review_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
          (github.event_name == 'issues' && contains(github.event.issue.body, '@claude'))
        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
        steps:
          - name: Checkout repository
            uses: actions/checkout@v4

          - name: Generate GitHub App token
            id: app-token
            uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v2
            with:
              app-id: ${{ secrets.APP_ID }}
              private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}

          - name: Authenticate to Google Cloud
            id: auth
            uses: google-github-actions/auth@v2
            with:
              workload_identity_provider: ${{ secrets.GCP_WORKLOAD_IDENTITY_PROVIDER }}
              service_account: ${{ secrets.GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT }}

          - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
            with:
              github_token: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
              trigger_phrase: "@claude"
              use_vertex: "true"
              claude_args: '--model claude-sonnet-4@20250514 --max-turns 10'
            env:
              ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID: ${{ steps.auth.outputs.project_id }}
              CLOUD_ML_REGION: us-east5
              VERTEX_REGION_CLAUDE_3_7_SONNET: us-east5
    ```

    <Tip>
      The project ID is automatically retrieved from the Google Cloud authentication step, so you don't need to hardcode it.
    </Tip>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Troubleshooting

Claude not responding to @claude commands

Verify the GitHub App is installed correctly, check that workflows are enabled, ensure API key is set in repository secrets, and confirm the comment contains @claude (not /claude).

CI not running on Claude's commits

Ensure you're using the GitHub App or custom app (not Actions user), check workflow triggers include the necessary events, and verify app permissions include CI triggers.

Authentication errors

Confirm API key is valid and has sufficient permissions. For Bedrock/Vertex, check credentials configuration and ensure secrets are named correctly in workflows.

Advanced configuration

Action parameters

The Claude Code Action v1 uses a simplified configuration:

Parameter	Description	Required
prompt	Instructions for Claude (text or slash command)	No*
claude_args	CLI arguments passed to Claude Code	No
anthropic_api_key	Claude API key	Yes**
github_token	GitHub token for API access	No
trigger_phrase	Custom trigger phrase (default: "@claude")	No
use_bedrock	Use AWS Bedrock instead of Claude API	No
use_vertex	Use Google Vertex AI instead of Claude API	No

*Prompt is optional - when omitted for issue/PR comments, Claude responds to trigger phrase
**Required for direct Claude API, not for Bedrock/Vertex

Using claude_args

The claude_args parameter accepts any Claude Code CLI arguments:

claude_args: "--max-turns 5 --model claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 --mcp-config /path/to/config.json"

Common arguments:

• --max-turns: Maximum conversation turns (default: 10)
• --model: Model to use (e.g., claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929)
• --mcp-config: Path to MCP configuration
• --allowed-tools: Comma-separated list of allowed tools
• --debug: Enable debug output

Alternative integration methods

While the /install-github-app command is the recommended approach, you can also:

• Custom GitHub App: For organizations needing branded usernames or custom authentication flows. Create your own GitHub App with required permissions (contents, issues, pull requests) and use the actions/create-github-app-token action to generate tokens in your workflows.
• Manual GitHub Actions: Direct workflow configuration for maximum flexibility
• MCP Configuration: Dynamic loading of Model Context Protocol servers

See the Claude Code Action documentation for detailed guides on authentication, security, and advanced configuration.

Customizing Claude's behavior

You can configure Claude's behavior in two ways:

1. CLAUDE.md: Define coding standards, review criteria, and project-specific rules in a CLAUDE.md file at the root of your repository. Claude will follow these guidelines when creating PRs and responding to requests. Check out our Memory documentation for more details.
2. Custom prompts: Use the prompt parameter in the workflow file to provide workflow-specific instructions. This allows you to customize Claude's behavior for different workflows or tasks.

Claude will follow these guidelines when creating PRs and responding to requests.