📅 Action Required: Update GitHub Actions to use Node.js 24

[tbrandenburg]

🔄 GitHub Actions Maintenance

Severity: Medium (will become critical by June 2026)
Source: GitHub Actions workflow run #23094946934

Problem Description

Multiple GitHub Actions are using deprecated Node.js 20 runtime and need to be updated to Node.js 24 before the forced migration deadline.

Affected Actions

• actions/checkout@v4
• actions/setup-node@v4
• actions/setup-python@v5

Deprecation Warning

Node.js 20 actions are deprecated. The following actions are running on Node.js 20 and may not work as expected: actions/checkout@v4, actions/setup-node@v4, actions/setup-python@v5. Actions will be forced to run with Node.js 24 by default starting June 2nd, 2026.

Timeline

• Current: Warnings in workflow runs
• June 2, 2026: Actions will be forced to run with Node.js 24
• Action needed: Update before the deadline to avoid potential disruption

Migration Options

Option 1: Update Actions (Recommended)

Check for newer versions that support Node.js 24:

• actions/checkout@v5 or later
• actions/setup-node@v5 or later
• actions/setup-python@v6 or later

Option 2: Opt-in Early (Temporary)

Add environment variable to workflows:

env:
  FORCE_JAVASCRIPT_ACTIONS_TO_NODE24: true

Option 3: Temporary Opt-out (Not recommended)

Use only if newer action versions are incompatible:

env:
  ACTIONS_ALLOW_USE_UNSECURE_NODE_VERSION: true

Recommended Actions

1. Audit current actions: Check all workflow files for affected actions
2. Test updates: Update to newer versions in a test branch
3. Verify compatibility: Ensure all workflows still function correctly
4. Update documentation: Update any references to specific action versions
5. Monitor: Watch for any new deprecation warnings

Additional Resources

• GitHub Blog: Deprecation of Node.js 20 on GitHub Actions runners
• GitHub Actions: Node.js runtime migration guide

Priority

Medium - Should be addressed within the next few months to avoid forced migration issues.

[github-actions]

Investigation: 📅 Action Required: Update GitHub Actions to use Node.js 24

Issue: #294 (#294)
Type: CHORE
Investigated: 2026-03-14T00:00:00Z

Assessment

Metric	Value	Reasoning
Priority	MEDIUM	Not urgent yet, but must be addressed before June 2026 deadline to avoid forced migration issues
Complexity	LOW	Simple version bumps in 6 workflow YAML files, no code logic changes
Confidence	HIGH	Clear issue with documented solution, all affected files identified

---

Problem Statement

Multiple GitHub Actions are using deprecated Node.js 20 runtime and need to be updated to Node.js 24 before the forced migration deadline of June 2nd, 2026. The affected actions are:

• actions/checkout@v4 → should be updated to v5
• actions/setup-node@v4 → should be updated to v5
• actions/setup-python@v5 → should be updated to v6

---

Analysis

Root Cause / Change Rationale

WHY: GitHub Actions are showing deprecation warnings for Node.js 20 runtime
↓ BECAUSE: Actions are running on Node.js 20 which is being deprecated
↓ BECAUSE: The workflow files specify older action versions that default to Node.js 20
↓ ROOT CAUSE: Outdated action versions (v4, v5) in workflow YAML files

Evidence Chain

• Symptom: Deprecation warning in workflow runs: Node.js 20 actions are deprecated... Actions will be forced to run with Node.js 24 by default starting June 2nd, 2026.
• Source: GitHub Actions workflow run #23094946934
• Evidence: All workflow files use older action versions

Affected Files

File	Lines	Action	Description
.github/workflows/docker.yml	16, 55	UPDATE	Change actions/checkout@v4 to @v5
.github/workflows/nodejs-frontend-preview.yml	29, 65, 110	UPDATE	Update checkout, setup-node, setup-python
.github/workflows/core-opencode-run.yml	70	UPDATE	Change actions/checkout@v4 to @v5
.github/workflows/tests.yml	15, 18, 24, 46, 49, 69, 73, 79	UPDATE	Update all three action types
.github/workflows/ghar-daily-routine.yml	30	UPDATE	Change actions/checkout@v4 to @v5
.github/workflows/ghar-issue-opened.yml	Uses reusable workflow	N/A	No direct change needed (uses core-opencode-run)

Integration Points

• actions/checkout@v5 - No breaking changes expected, widely used
• actions/setup-node@v5 - Supports Node.js 24, same API
• actions/setup-python@v6 - Supports Node.js 24, same API

Git History

• Pattern: These workflows have been using v4/v5 actions since initial creation
• Implication: This is a routine maintenance task, no regression risk from the change itself

---

Implementation Plan

Step 1: Update docker.yml

File: .github/workflows/docker.yml
Lines: 16, 55
Action: UPDATE

Current code:

# Line 16
uses: actions/checkout@v4

# Line 55
uses: actions/checkout@v4

Required change:

# Change both occurrences to:
uses: actions/checkout@v5

Why: Update to latest checkout action version that supports Node.js 24

---

Step 2: Update nodejs-frontend-preview.yml

File: .github/workflows/nodejs-frontend-preview.yml
Lines: 29, 65, 110
Action: UPDATE

Current code:

# Line 29
uses: actions/checkout@v4

# Line 65-67
uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
  node-version: '20'

# Line 110-112
uses: actions/setup-python@v5
with:
  python-version: '3.12'

Required change:

# Line 29
uses: actions/checkout@v5

# Line 65-67
uses: actions/setup-node@v5
with:
  node-version: '24'

# Line 110-112
uses: actions/setup-python@v6
with:
  python-version: '3.12'

Why: Update all three action types to versions supporting Node.js 24, and bump Node version to 24

---

Step 3: Update core-opencode-run.yml

File: .github/workflows/core-opencode-run.yml
Lines: 70
Action: UPDATE

Current code:

# Line 70
uses: actions/checkout@v4

Required change:

uses: actions/checkout@v5

Why: Update to latest checkout action version

---

Step 4: Update tests.yml

File: .github/workflows/tests.yml
Lines: 15, 18-20, 24-26, 46, 49-51, 69, 73-75, 79-81
Action: UPDATE

Current code:

# Quality Assurance job (lines 15, 18-20, 24-26)
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: 20
- uses: actions/setup-python@v5
  with:
    python-version: '3.12'

# Test Coverage job (lines 46, 49-51)
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-python@v5
  with:
    python-version: '3.12'

# System Tests job (lines 69, 73-75, 79-81)
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: 20
- uses: actions/setup-python@v5
  with:
    python-version: '3.12'

Required change:

# Change all checkout@v4 to checkout@v5
# Change all setup-node@v4 to setup-node@v5 with node-version: 24
# Change all setup-python@v5 to setup-python@v6

Why: Update all three action types across all jobs to versions supporting Node.js 24

---

Step 5: Update ghar-daily-routine.yml

File: .github/workflows/ghar-daily-routine.yml
Lines: 30
Action: UPDATE

Current code:

# Line 30
uses: actions/checkout@v4

Required change:

uses: actions/checkout@v5

Why: Update to latest checkout action version

---

Step 6: Verify no other workflow files need updates

File: .github/workflows/ghar-issue-opened.yml
Action: VERIFY

This workflow uses the reusable core-opencode-run.yml workflow, so it will automatically inherit the update once core-opencode-run.yml is updated.

---

Patterns to Follow

From existing workflow files:

# Standard action version patterns in this codebase:
uses: actions/checkout@v5      # Once updated
uses: actions/setup-node@v5    # Once updated
uses: actions/setup-python@v6 # Once updated
uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3

---

Edge Cases & Risks

Risk/Edge Case	Mitigation
Breaking changes in action updates	Check release notes - v5 versions are stable with minimal breaking changes
Node.js 24 compatibility	The newer action versions explicitly support Node.js 24
Python setup still works	setup-python@v6 maintains same Python version specification API

---

Validation

Automated Checks

# Validate YAML syntax
yamllint .github/workflows/

# Verify all actions are at expected versions
grep -r "actions/checkout@v" .github/workflows/
grep -r "actions/setup-node@v" .github/workflows/
grep -r "actions/setup-python@v" .github/workflows/

Manual Verification

1. Run a test workflow dispatch to verify workflows still function
2. Check that the deprecation warnings no longer appear in workflow runs

---

Scope Boundaries

IN SCOPE:

• Updating GitHub Actions versions in all workflow YAML files
• Updating Node.js version from 20 to 24 in setup-node actions

OUT OF SCOPE (do not touch):

• Python version (keep at 3.12)
• Any application code changes
• Docker configuration files

---

Metadata

• Investigated by: GHAR
• Timestamp: 2026-03-14T00:00:00Z
• Artifact: .ghar/issues/issue-294.md

[github-actions]

🕰️ This issue has been inactive for over 3 days.

@tbrandenburg - Could you provide an update on this issue?

If this issue is resolved or no longer relevant, please consider closing it.

[tbrandenburg]

/ghar-issue-fix 294

[github-actions]

🤖 OpenCode Execution Complete

Command: /ghar-issue-fix
Run ID: 23652494326
Status: ⚠️ No output generated

📎 Check the full logs: View run details

[github-actions]

🕰️ This issue has been inactive for over 3 days.

@tbrandenburg - Could you provide an update on this issue?

If this issue is resolved or no longer relevant, please consider closing it.

[github-actions]

🕰️ This issue has been inactive for over 3 days.

@tbrandenburg - Could you provide an update on this issue?

If this issue is resolved or no longer relevant, please consider closing it.

[github-actions]

🕰️ This issue has been inactive for over 3 days.

@tbrandenburg - Could you provide an update on this issue?

If this issue is resolved or no longer relevant, please consider closing it.

[github-actions]

🕰️ This issue has been inactive for over 3 days.

@tbrandenburg - Could you provide an update on this issue?

If this issue is resolved or no longer relevant, please consider closing it.