How to Run a Workflow on Issue Comment Commands in GitHub Actions

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

ChatOps lets reviewers trigger deploys or tests by commenting, but you must parse the command and check who sent it.

Trigger on issue_comment, gate on the comment body and author association, then run the action the command requested.

Steps

• Trigger on issue_comment with type created.
• Gate the job with an if that matches the command prefix in the comment body.
• Check github.event.comment.author_association so only collaborators can run it.
• Acknowledge with a reaction or reply so the author sees it was picked up.

Workflow

name: Comment Command
on:
  issue_comment:
    types: [created]
jobs:
  deploy:
    if: ${{ startsWith(github.event.comment.body, '/deploy') && github.event.comment.author_association == 'MEMBER' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "running deploy requested by ${{ github.event.comment.user.login }}"

Notes

• issue_comment fires for both issues and PRs, so check github.event.issue.pull_request if you only want PRs.
• Latchkey managed runners run these on-demand command jobs cheaper and self-heal on runner failure.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation