act Local GitHub Actions Runner
Installation
SKILL.md
act Local GitHub Actions Runner
act is an open-source CLI tool that runs GitHub Actions workflows locally using Docker, enabling fast feedback on workflow changes without pushing to GitHub. It is a standard tool for local Actions development and testing.
Installation
Use the upstream install or setup path that matches your environment:
- Install Docker first. On macOS, use Docker Desktop. On Linux, install Docker Engine.
- On macOS, install act with Homebrew: `brew install act`
- git clone https://github.com/nektos/act.git
- make build
Requirements and caveats from upstream:
- act depends on the Docker Engine API to run workflows in containers.
- Jobs that do not require container isolation can be run directly on the host runner when that fits the workflow.
Basic usage or getting-started notes:
- Run all local workflow jobs: `act`
- Run a specific job: `act -j `