GitHub Actions VS Code Snippets

A curated collection of Visual Studio Code snippets that speed up writing GitHub Actions and workflow YAML files. These snippets provide ready-made templates, property options, and placeholders so you can create valid, consistent CI/CD configurations quickly.

Contents

• ./.vscode/github-actions.code-snippets — VS Code snippet definitions.

Quick start

1. Copy (or symlink) ./.vscode/github-actions.code-snippets into your project's .vscode/ folder.

2. Reload VS Code (Command Palette → "Developer: Reload Window").

3. Open a .yml or .yaml file and start typing a snippet prefix (for example gha-) or press Ctrl+Space to view completions.

   Notes

   • Snippets are scoped for YAML. Ensure the current file language in VS Code is set to YAML if suggestions don't appear.
   • Recommended extensions (see .vscode/extensions.json): ms-vscode.vscode-github-actions, redhat.vscode-yaml.

Common snippets (overview)

Use the snippet prefix in a YAML file to insert each template and tab through placeholders.

• gha-workflow — Workflow boilerplate with push/pull_request triggers and a simple build job.
• gha-workflow-job — Job skeleton with runs-on and common steps.
• gha-workflow-job-step-run — run step with optional if, env, shell, and working-directory placeholders.
• gha-workflow-job-step-uses — uses step for running an action.
• gha-composite-action — Composite Action template (inputs, outputs, steps).
• gha-composite-action-step-run — run step for composite actions.
• gha-composite-action-step-uses — uses step for composite actions.
• gha-docker-action — Docker-based Action template.
• gha-node-action — Node.js Action template (Node 20.x recommended).
• gha-action-branding — Insert branding: fields (color, icon) for action metadata.
• gha-action-step-env — Insert commonly used GitHub Action environment variables for a step.

For a complete list, open ./.vscode/github-actions.code-snippets and search for "prefix": entries.

Example — create a CI workflow

1. Create .github/workflows/ci.yml.

2. In VS Code, open it, type gha-workflow, accept the snippet, then fill placeholders.

   Snippet expansion example (illustrative):

   name: CI
   
   on:
     push:
     pull_request:
   
   jobs:
     build:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - name: Checkout
           uses: actions/checkout@v4
   
         - name: Setup Node.js
           uses: actions/setup-node@v4
           with:
             node-version: '20'
   
         - name: Install
           run: npm install
   
         - name: Test
           run: npm test

Validate the snippets JSON

The repository includes a GitHub workflow that validates the snippets JSON. Locally you can validate the file with jq:

jq empty .vscode/github-actions.code-snippets

A non-zero exit code indicates invalid JSON.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details. Quick guidelines:

• Use the gha- prefix for new snippets.
• Keep snippet bodies valid YAML where applicable.
• Add clear descriptions and set snippet scope to yaml when relevant.
• Update README.md when adding or changing public snippets.

Testing changes

• Run the jq JSON validation locally.
• Open a branch and create a Pull Request — the repository CI will validate the snippets file.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.

Feedback

Open an issue or pull request with suggestions, fixes, or new snippets.