Agent skill · software engineering · thebushidocollective
act-local-testing
Use when testing GitHub Actions workflows locally with act. Covers act CLI usage, Docker configuration, debugging workflows, and troubleshooting common issues when running workflows on your local machine.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific commands and Docker configurations for local testing of GitHub Actions workflows that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires act installed locally. About 4k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-19. 187 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Act - Local Workflow Testing Use this skill when testing GitHub Actions workflows locally with act. This covers act CLI commands, Docker setup, debugging, and best practices for fast local iteration on CI/CD workflows. Installation macOS Linux Windows From Source Basic Usage Run All Workflows Run Specific Events Run Specific Workflows List Available Workflows Validation and Dry Runs Dry Run Graph Visualization Docker Configuration Default Runners Act uses Docker images to simulate GitHub's runners: Custom Platform Images Create .actrc file in project root: Or use command line: Reusing Docker Containers Secrets Management Using .secrets File Create .secrets in project root: Add to .gitignore: Run with secrets: Inline Secrets Environment-Specific Secrets Environment Variables Setting Variables Using .env File Create .env file: Run with env file: GitHub Context Variables Act automatically sets these: Debugging Verbose Output Step-by-Step Execution Inspect Containers Bind Mount Local Files Common Workflows Test Before Push Iterative Development Matrix Testing Troubleshooting Docker Issues Permission Issues Missing Tools Workflow Not Found Action Compatibility Some actions don't work with act: Best Practices DO ✅ Use act --dryrun before running full workflows ✅ Create .actrc for consistent configuration ✅ Use .secrets file and add it to .gitignore ✅ Use --reuse for faster iteration ✅ Test workflows locally before pushing ✅ Use appropriate image sizes for your needs ✅ Document act usage in README DON'T ❌ Commit .secrets or .env files ❌ Use latest Docker tags in production ❌ Skip validation with --dryrun ❌ Run act without understanding what it will do ❌ Ignore Docker disk space usage ❌ Assume all actions work perfectly with act Configuration Files .actrc .github/workflows/.actrc Project-specific overrides in workflows directory. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills thebushidocollective/act-local-testing