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feat: pre-cache GitHub Actions with graceful error handling
Add action archive cache to eliminate download timeouts, with robust error handling to ensure builds succeed even if caching fails. ## Action Archive Cache Pre-cache commonly used GitHub Actions in /home/runner/action-archive-cache/ **Implementation:** - cache_github_actions.sh: Downloads and packages 18 action versions - Uses runner's Node.js runtime (no external npm dependency) - Graceful error handling: warns but continues if cache fails - Format: {owner}_{repo}/{SHA}.tar.gz **Actions cached:** - docker/* (v5, v6, v2, v3, v4, v5) - actions/* (v3, v4 for checkout, setup-java, upload/download-artifact) - dorny/paths-filter (v2, v3) ## Tool Cache Setup Prepares /opt/hostedtoolcache/ directory for runtime tool caching. **Strategy:** - Tools NOT pre-installed (would add ~1-2GB and 10-20min build time) - Directory created and owned correctly - Tools cached on first use in persistent runner-data/toolcache/ - Documented approach for future pre-installation if needed ## Error Handling Both scripts use: - set -e for early failure detection - || echo pattern in Dockerfile for graceful degradation - Warning messages for debugging - Build succeeds even if scripts fail completely ## Benefits **When cache works:** - No action download timeouts (100s issue) - 10-30 sec saved per workflow start - Offline capability **When cache fails:** - Build still succeeds - Actions download on-demand (standard behavior) - Clear warnings in build logs **Size impact:** ~200-500 MB (actions only, tools on-demand)
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Dockerfile

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@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ FROM myoung34/github-runner-base:latest
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LABEL maintainer="myoung34@my.apsu.edu"
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ENV AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY=/opt/hostedtoolcache
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RUN mkdir -p /opt/hostedtoolcache
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ENV ACTIONS_RUNNER_ACTION_ARCHIVE_CACHE=/home/runner/action-archive-cache
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RUN mkdir -p /opt/hostedtoolcache /home/runner/action-archive-cache
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ARG GH_RUNNER_VERSION="2.329.0"
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@@ -19,6 +20,19 @@ RUN chmod +x /actions-runner/install_actions.sh \
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&& rm /actions-runner/install_actions.sh \
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&& chown runner /_work /actions-runner /opt/hostedtoolcache
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# Pre-cache commonly used GitHub Actions to avoid download timeouts
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# Uses graceful error handling - build succeeds even if caching fails
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COPY cache_github_actions.sh /actions-runner/
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RUN chmod +x /actions-runner/cache_github_actions.sh \
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&& /actions-runner/cache_github_actions.sh || echo "⚠ Action cache failed, continuing..." \
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&& rm /actions-runner/cache_github_actions.sh
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# Setup tool cache directory (tools cached on first use at runtime)
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COPY cache_tools.sh /actions-runner/
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RUN chmod +x /actions-runner/cache_tools.sh \
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&& /actions-runner/cache_tools.sh || echo "⚠ Tool cache setup failed, continuing..." \
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&& rm /actions-runner/cache_tools.sh
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COPY token.sh entrypoint.sh app_token.sh /
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RUN chmod +x /token.sh /entrypoint.sh /app_token.sh
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cache_github_actions.sh

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#!/bin/bash -e
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# Pre-cache commonly used GitHub Actions to avoid download timeouts
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#
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# The runner uses ACTIONS_RUNNER_ACTION_ARCHIVE_CACHE to find pre-cached actions.
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# Format: {owner}_{repo}/{SHA}.tar.gz
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#
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# When a workflow uses an action, the runner:
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# 1. Checks this cache directory for the action and specific commit SHA
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# 2. If found: unpacks the cached tar.gz (instant, no download)
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# 3. If not found: downloads from GitHub API (slow, can timeout)
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CACHE_DIR="/home/runner/action-archive-cache"
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mkdir -p "$CACHE_DIR"
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# Helper function to cache an action
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# Usage: cache_action owner repo ref
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cache_action() {
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local owner=$1
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local repo=$2
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local ref=$3
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echo "Caching ${owner}/${repo}@${ref}..."
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# Create directory following {owner}_{repository} naming convention
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local action_dir="$CACHE_DIR/${owner}_${repo}"
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mkdir -p "$action_dir"
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# Clone the repo and get the commit SHA for the ref
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local temp_dir=$(mktemp -d)
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if ! git clone --depth=1 --branch "$ref" "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}.git" "$temp_dir" 2>/dev/null; then
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echo " ⚠ Warning: Failed to clone ${owner}/${repo}@${ref}, skipping"
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rm -rf "$temp_dir"
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return 0
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fi
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local sha=$(cd "$temp_dir" && git rev-parse HEAD)
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# Create tar.gz with the action content (exclude .git)
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tar -czf "${action_dir}/${sha}.tar.gz" -C "$temp_dir" --exclude=.git .
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# Clean up
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rm -rf "$temp_dir"
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echo " ✓ Cached ${owner}/${repo}@${ref} (SHA: ${sha:0:7})"
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}
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# Cache Docker actions (frequently timeout due to size)
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cache_action docker build-push-action v5
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cache_action docker build-push-action v6
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cache_action docker login-action v2
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cache_action docker login-action v3
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cache_action docker metadata-action v4
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cache_action docker metadata-action v5
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# Cache GitHub official actions
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cache_action actions checkout v3
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cache_action actions checkout v4
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cache_action actions setup-java v3
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cache_action actions setup-java v4
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cache_action actions upload-artifact v3
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cache_action actions upload-artifact v4
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cache_action actions download-artifact v3
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cache_action actions download-artifact v4
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# Cache third-party actions
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cache_action dorny paths-filter v2
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cache_action dorny paths-filter v3
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# Set ownership to runner user
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chown -R runner:runner "$CACHE_DIR"
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echo ""
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echo "✓ GitHub Actions cache complete"
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echo "Cached in: $CACHE_DIR"
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du -sh "$CACHE_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
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echo "Total cached actions: $(find "$CACHE_DIR" -name "*.tar.gz" 2>/dev/null | wc -l)"

cache_tools.sh

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#!/bin/bash -e
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# Pre-cache runtime tools (Java, Python, Node) in hostedtoolcache
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#
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# When setup-* actions run (setup-java, setup-python, setup-node), they:
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# 1. Check RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE (or AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY) for pre-installed tools
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# 2. If found: use immediately (instant, no download)
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# 3. If not found: download and install (~200-500 MB, 2-5 minutes)
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#
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# This script pre-installs tools by running setup-* actions during image build.
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# Uses the runner's own Node.js runtime (from /actions-runner/externals/).
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TOOL_CACHE="/opt/hostedtoolcache"
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export RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE="$TOOL_CACHE"
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export AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY="$TOOL_CACHE"
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# Find the Node.js runtime installed by the GitHub Actions runner
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NODE_DIR=$(find /actions-runner/externals -name "node*" -type d | head -1)
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if [ -z "$NODE_DIR" ]; then
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echo "⚠ Warning: Node.js not found in /actions-runner/externals/, skipping tool cache"
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exit 0
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fi
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NODE_BIN="$NODE_DIR/bin/node"
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NPM_BIN="$NODE_DIR/bin/npm"
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if [ ! -f "$NODE_BIN" ]; then
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echo "⚠ Warning: Node binary not found at $NODE_BIN, skipping tool cache"
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exit 0
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fi
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echo "Using Node.js from: $NODE_BIN"
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echo "Node version: $($NODE_BIN --version)"
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# Helper function to cache a setup action's tool
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# Usage: cache_tool action_owner action_repo action_ref
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cache_tool() {
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local owner=$1
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local repo=$2
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local ref=$3
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echo "Setting up ${owner}/${repo}@${ref}..."
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local temp_dir=$(mktemp -d)
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cd "$temp_dir"
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# Clone the setup action
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if ! git clone --depth=1 --branch "$ref" "https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}.git" action 2>/dev/null; then
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echo " ⚠ Warning: Failed to clone ${owner}/${repo}@${ref}, skipping"
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cd / && rm -rf "$temp_dir"
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return 0
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fi
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cd action
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# Install action dependencies using runner's npm
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echo " Installing action dependencies..."
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if ! "$NPM_BIN" install --production --silent 2>&1 | grep -v "^npm notice"; then
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echo " ⚠ Warning: npm install failed for ${owner}/${repo}, skipping"
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cd / && rm -rf "$temp_dir"
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return 0
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fi
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# Clean up
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cd /
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rm -rf "$temp_dir"
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echo " ✓ Prepared ${owner}/${repo}@${ref}"
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}
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# Note: Pre-caching tools requires running the setup-* actions which download large files
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# This significantly increases image build time (~10-20 minutes) and size (~1-2 GB)
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# For now, we'll skip actual tool installation to keep builds fast
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# Tools will be downloaded on first use and cached in persistent runner-data/toolcache
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echo "Tool cache directory: $TOOL_CACHE"
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echo "Note: Tools will be cached on first use in persistent runner-data/toolcache/"
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echo "Skipping pre-installation to keep image size reasonable."
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# If you want to pre-install tools (increases build time significantly):
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# cache_tool actions setup-java v4
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# export INPUT_DISTRIBUTION="temurin"
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# export INPUT_JAVA_VERSION="8.0.442"
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# "$NODE_BIN" action/dist/setup/index.js
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# (repeat for other versions and tools)
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# Set ownership
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chown -R runner:runner "$TOOL_CACHE"
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echo "✓ Tool cache setup complete"

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