GitHub Actions: Early September 2026 updates

GitHub Actions now includes three updates that give you clearer visibility and finer-grained control over your workflows.

New REST API for runner version deprecations

A new REST API returns when registration and runtime support end for a given runner version, so you can plan runner upgrades before a version is deprecated. Call GET /actions/runners/deprecations/{version} at the repository, organization, or enterprise level. The response includes runner_version, runtime_deprecates_at, and registration_deprecates_at.

New vulnerability-alerts permission for GITHUB_TOKEN

You can now grant workflows read-only access to Dependabot alerts with the new vulnerability-alerts permission for GITHUB_TOKEN. This permission supports read and none values, which lets you follow least-privilege practices instead of relying on broader scopes. For more information, check the permissions key in the workflow syntax.

New job context properties for reusable workflows

Reusable workflows can now determine their own source identity at runtime with four new job context properties:

• job.workflow_ref: The full ref of the workflow file that defines the current job.
• job.workflow_sha: The commit SHA of the workflow file.
• job.workflow_repository: The owner/repo of the workflow file.
• job.workflow_file_path: The file path relative to the repository root.

Unlike the existing github.workflow_ref and github.workflow_sha properties, these job context values reflect the workflow that defines the current job. For a job defined directly in a workflow, job.workflow_ref matches github.workflow_ref; they diverge only for reusable workflows. These properties are not available on GitHub Enterprise Server.

To learn more, check the job context documentation.

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