Troubleshooting GitHub Actions: Resolving Permission Issues When Committing Changes to Your Repository

If you’re developing an automated scraper using GitHub Actions and encounter errors during the commit phase, you’re not alone. Many developers, especially those new to web development, face challenges with permissions and access rights when trying to update files via CI/CD workflows. Below, we’ll explore common causes and practical solutions to help you get your automation running smoothly.

Understanding the Issue
The core problem often manifests during the step where GitHub Actions attempts to commit and push changes back to your repository. Despite configuring tokens or credentials, you might see error messages like:

Permission to [repository] denied to github-actions[bot]

This indicates that the workflow lacks sufficient permissions to make changes, even if you’ve set up a token.

Typical Causes and Fixes

1. Verify Your GitHub Token Permissions
   Ensure that the Personal Access Token (PAT) or GitHub Token (GITHUB_TOKEN) used in your workflow has the necessary scope. For repository write access, the token must have permissions like repo.
   Solution: Use the default GITHUB_TOKEN provided by GitHub Actions, or create a custom PAT with the correct scopes, and add it as a secret in your repository settings.

2. Correctly Authenticate in Your Workflow
   Your workflow should authenticate using the token before attempting to commit. For example:

yaml
- name: Configure Git
run: |
git config --global user.name "GitHub Actions"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
- name: Commit changes
run: |
git add .
git commit -m "Update data from scraper"
env:
GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

1. Check Repository Settings and Branch Protection Rules
   If your branch has restrictions or protections, your bot’s push might be blocked. Review branch protection rules, and temporarily disable or adjust them during automation runs.

2. Ensure the Correct Remote URL and Authentication Method
   Your remote URL should be set using HTTPS, especially if authentication relies on tokens:

bash
git remote set-url origin https://x-access-token:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}@github.com/username/repo.git

or adjust your workflow accordingly.

Implementing Your Scraper with Smooth CI/CD Workflow

Given your setup:

• You develop a web scraper to pull data from an external calendar