actions / actions/runner

Action workflow stuck in "Job is about to start running on the hosted runner"

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#3,463 15 comments 17 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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bug
Dominant language
C#
Stars
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Describe the bug
I am testing changes to the environment variables in a GitHub Workflow, but the workflow never starts. Two workflows are spawned in parallel. Both end up hung with the message Job is about to start running on the hosted runner, followed by the ID of a GitHub hosted runner.
I have attempted multiple executions of the workflow. They all get hung in this spot.
The workflow had been executing fine 15 minutes ago. This appears to be an issue with GH actions scheduling/orchestration.
A clear and concise description of what the bug is.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the workflow runs that remain at “Job is about to start running on the hosted runner” and compare their hosted runner IDs and timing. The issue names no repository files or tests, so investigation must first establish whether the failure is in runner handling or GitHub Actions scheduling/orchestration. Done means identifying a reproducible cause and confirming that affected workflows start normally.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
csharp, github-actions
Domain
ci-cd
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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