Troubleshooting GitHub Actions Permissions: How to Solve Access Denied Errors During Automated Commits

Implementing automation workflows with GitHub Actions can significantly streamline your development process, especially for tasks like scraping data, updating files, and deploying content. However, new developers often encounter permission-related obstacles that hinder automation, such as persistent errors during the commit phase. This article explores common issues related to GitHub Actions’ access permissions and offers clear guidance to resolve them.

The Scenario

Imagine you’ve built a scraper that fetches information from an external calendar source, stores that data in a JSON file, and then displays it on your website. You’ve set this up to run via GitHub Actions, which automates the entire process: scraping, updating the JSON, and pushing changes back to the repository.

While the workflow runs successfully up to the point of attempting to commit updated files, it repeatedly fails at the commit stage, returning an error similar to:

remote: Permission to (repository) denied to github-actions[bot].
fatal: unable to access '(repository URL)': The requested URL returned error: 403

This indicates that, despite configuring your token, your GitHub Actions workflow does not have the necessary permissions to push changes.

Understanding the Root Cause

The core issue here typically relates to the permissions associated with the token used by GitHub Actions. GitHub offers a default token, GITHUB_TOKEN, which can be used within workflows to authenticate operations such as commits and pushes.

However, if the token’s permissions are insufficient or misconfigured, push operations will be denied. Furthermore, repository permissions, branch protections, or specific workflows might restrict automated changes.

Best Practices to Resolve GitHub Actions Permission Errors

1. Use the Provided GITHUB_TOKEN Correctly

• Ensure your workflow uses secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN or the default ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} in your actions.
• Verify that the token is included in your git commands as the authentication method.

2. Confirm Repository Settings and Branch Protections

• Check branch protection rules to ensure they permit force pushes or pushes from workflows.
• If branch protections are strict (e.g., requiring reviews), consider adjusting these settings if automation is intended to push directly.

3. Explicitly Configure Git User and Authentication

• Set proper user and email for Git operations within your workflow:

“`yaml
– name: Set Git user
run